Cork International Film Festival 2023 Highlights
The 68th Cork International Film Festival will be taking place this year from the 9th to the 26th of November. Every year, the festival’s organizers curate a diverse selection of films and events to showcase the very best in contemporary cinema. The first film festival in Cork was recognised by the International Federation of Film Producers Association, one of only five globally to be approved at their 1950 Congress in Cannes so Cork has a long history in film.
There will be movie awards such as the Youth Jury award or the award for Cinematic Documentary, and there will be Galas such as the Opening Gala, Irish Gala, International Gala, Family Gala, and Documentary Gala. As the anticipation builds for the upcoming festival, let’s take a closer look at some exciting events that are sure to make the 2023 Cork International Film Festival an unforgettable experience.
International Gala- All of Us Strangers: November 19th at 20.30 pm- Everyman Palace
This long-awaited premiere of the movie All of Us Strangers, stars our two favourite Irish heartthrobs of recent years, Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal. It’s about a screenwriter that’s living in London, who strikes up a friendship with neighbour Harry (Mescal), which becomes something more intimate. Meanwhile, whilst revisiting his old family home, he discovers something unusual and beautiful, which keeps him returning. This movie will premiere in the Everyman on Sunday November 19th at 20.30pm, and you can buy tickets on the festival website by clicking here.
International Fiction:
The website for the film festival describes this set of films as “A collection of new works from renowned film festivals around the globe. Assembled in this strand to entertain, surprise – and sometimes even shock – but always to ignite long debates and selected with love for film by our programming team.”
You can see films such as “A Chef for Dalí” which is about a chef in 1970’s Spain in the Everman Theatre, or Citlivý Člověk (A Sensitive Person) which is a Czech dark comedy about a complicated relationship between a father and son in the Triskel. Take a look at the trailer for Citlivý Člověk below.
Spirit of the Festival Award:
This award is aimed at helping first and second-time filmmakers gain a wider audience by having six of their films from across Europe compete with each other. There are some amazing fiction features from France, Spain, Greece, Bosnia, Cyprus and many more.
In Irish we called this award the Gradam Spiorad Na Féile. These films are truly some of the best in contemporary film in Europe right now and come highly recommended by critics, the winners of the award will be announced on November 26th. If you want to look through the entries to see if you’d be interested in going to see one of these films, you can find descriptions and trailers for them on the Cork Film Festival website by clicking here. Take a look at a trailer for one of the Greek films “Animals” below by Sofia Exarchou.
The Cork International Film Festival promises to be a cinematic extravaganza, featuring a diverse array of events that cater to various tastes and interests. Whether you’re a die-hard film enthusiast or simply looking for a memorable cultural experience, this festival has something for everyone.
The events mentioned above are just a glimpse of what the festival has to offer, so make sure to mark your calendars, get your tickets, and be prepared to be immersed in the magic of storytelling through the lens of the world’s most talented filmmakers. Films will be screened in venues across the city and county such as The Gate and Reel Cinemas, the Everyman, the Lord Mayors Pavilion, the Triskel Art Centre and much more. Don’t miss out on this incredible celebration of cinema and let the Cork International Film Festival transport you to a world of storytelling, emotion, and imagination. You can see a full programme of all events on their main website by clicking here.
Those are our recommendations, if you do head out to the film festival during the month feel free to tag us in your posts or movie reviews @CorkEnglishCollege and enjoy the show 😉