As the curtain closed on Sunday night with the screening of Cannes Jury Prize Winner Capernaum all concerned with this prestigious festival now in it's 63rd year can be proud of what was another quality packed 10 day programme of film.
From the gala opening screening of Float Like a Butterfly right through to the final feature there was a bountiful supply of excellent programming for all ages available.
The Grinch, White Boy Rick , The Favourite, The Old Man and the Gun and The Dig were among the popular features of a long list of quality features on show.
First Take and Doc Day, two special highly informative features of the festival again enjoyed positive feedback and great crowds.
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| The cast and crew of The Dig discuss the making of their remarkable film |
Having being lucky enough to sample first hand the quality, energy and buzz that the Cork Film Festival can create on Thursday, organisers of this famous festival can indeed be proud of their efforts to bring such a quality event to the South West.
Irish short Stigma won the prestigious award of Grand Prix Irish Short Award at the festival awards ceremony on Sunday 18th November which took place at the Triskel. The film, directed by Helen Warner and produced by Marie McDonald, now joins the longlist for the Academy Awards® in 2020 in the Live Action Short Film category. The awards were presented ahead of the Closing Night Gala at the Everyman, with the Irish premiere of Capernaum, directed by Nadine Labaki.
Sponsored by RTÉ Supporting the Arts, Principal Media Partner of the Cork Film Festival, the award was presented by Brian Walsh, Deputy Head of Acquisitions/Exec Producer, RTÉ.
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| The Everyman which played host to many outstanding screenings over the course of the festival |
Cork Film Festival Producer and CEO Fiona Clark said: “Stigma is an exceptional short and one that is thoroughly deserving of being longlisted for an Oscar® and winner of the €1,500 prize fund. It tells the story of how a string of confessions unveil a tale of religious guilt, sin and redemption and possesses a storytelling and visual sophistication that left a distinct impression on the jury.”
The Festival’s second Academy Awards® qualifying award, for the Grand Prix International Short Award, was Maria Eriksson’s Schoolyard Blues (Skolstartssorg) a Swedish short film which the judges recognised as being “both uplifting and heart-breaking and prompts us to consider continuity and change, the struggle for survival on the margins and the enduring and potentially restorative power of love”.
Commenting on the Awards, Fiona Clark said: “Cork Film Festival’s Awards celebrate excellence in filmmaking, and reflect the range and talent presented at this year’s hugely successful Festival. We honour filmmakers who push boundaries, take risks and engage audiences in the important stories that they tell on screen. It is a privilege to conclude the Festival with the presentation of one of 2018’s most highly acclaimed international films, Capernaum, itself the winner of five international awards including the Jury Prize at Cannes Film Festival earlier this year.”
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| Audience Award Winner - Float Like a Butterfly |
The Audience Award, presented by The River Lee, Principal Accommodation Partner, was won by Float Like a Butterfly, written and directed by Carmel Winters, which was the Opening Night Gala film and European Premiere. On winning the award, Carmel Winters said: “Winning the audience prize at the oldest and largest festival in Ireland is the greatest gift I could wish for. So many of us bared heart and soul to make this film. Thank you, thank you, thank you Cork for championing the right of all of us to be our truest and best selves."
The Gradam Spiorad Na Féile / Spirit of The Festival Award, proudly presented by The Gate Cinema, Principal Venue Partner, went to Ali Abbasi’s Border (Gräns). Based on a short story by John Ajvide Lindqvist, the author of Let the Right One In, Ali Abbasi’s second feature is one of the year’s great discoveries – an extraordinary, highly original work that melds modern Nordic noir with the region’s folklore.
The Cork Film Festival Short Film Candidate for the 2019 European Film Awards is Black Sheep, directed by Ed Perkins, and produced by Academy Awards® winners Simon Chinn and Jonathan Chinn. This short documentary is about a young man who finds himself the target of extreme racial abuse, and follows his decision to become more like the people who hated him.
The award for Documentary Short went to Black Line, directed by Mark Olexa and Francesca Scalisi (Switzerland), and the Best Cork Short Award, proudly presented by Media Partner RedFM, was won by Megan K Fox for her film, The Shift, set in the final disco of the Gaeltacht, and one 15-year-old who is determined to get the shift against all odds.
The new award for Best Director: Irish Short, supported by Screen Directors’ Guild Ireland, went to Oonagh Kearney, for her short Five Letters To The Stranger Who Will Dissect My Brain. The film provides an insight into the soul-searching journey of first-year medical student Viv, whose first encounter with a cadaver in the anatomy room sends her on a quest into the nature of what it means to be alive.
The full list of winners on the night were:
Stigma, directed by Helen Warner — Grand Prix Irish Short Award, Proudly presented by RTÉ Supporting the Arts
Schoolyard Blues (Skolstartssorg), directed by Maria Eriksson — Grand Prix International Short Award
Float Like a Butterfly, written and directed by Carmel Winters — Audience Award, Presented by The River Lee
Border (Gräns) , directed by Ali Abbasi — Gradam Spiorad na Féile (Spirit of the Festival Award), Presented by The Gate Cinema
Black Sheep, directed by Ed Perkins — Cork Film Festival Candidate for the European Film Awards 2019
Black Line, directed by Mark Olexa and Francesca Scalisi — Documentary Short Award
The Shift, directed by Megan K Fox — Best Cork Short Award, Presented by Red FM
Oonagh Kearney (Five Letters to the Stranger Who Will Dissect My Brain) — Best Director: Irish Short, Supported by Screen Directors Guild Ireland
Hale County This Morning, This Evening, directed by RaMell Ross — Gradam na Féile do Scannáin Faisnéise (Award for Cinematic Documentary)
Crystal Swan (Khrustal), directed by Darya Zhuk — Cork Film Festival Youth Jury Award
On crowd size, feedback and general excitement generated, this fantastic film festival did not disappoint over 10 days showcasing some wonderful examples of short and feature film and a lot more besides. Roll on 2019 and the 64th festival!
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