There will be a touch of glitz coming to West Cork this week as the Cork Film Festival branches out to the area, writes MARTIN CLAFFEY
IF we ever thought the magic of the movies was fading, the summer gave us a reminder of its enduring appeal.
The huge excitement which heralded the arrivals of Barbie and Oppenheimer showed us the lure of the big screen remains powerful. Indeed Barbie became the highest grossing film at the Irish box office ever, breaking Avatar’s 14-year reign as the most successful movie in Irish box office history as it smashed €9m in takings.
The Clonakilty Park Cinema and Cinemax Bantry are huge social outlets in West Cork, part of a great cinematic tradition in the south-west. And next week, another great Irish cinematic tradition, the Cork Film Festival, comes to West Cork for the first time.
Steve Collins stars in One Night in Millstreet, a spectacular documentary showing in Bantry.
On Super Cine Saturday, November 25th, Cinemax Bantry will host the ‘Taste of Cork Film Festival’ which includes three specially selected feature films from the 68th Festival programme, Fallen Leaves, and family film Robot Dreams, and the third part of Super Cine Saturday’s taste of the festival One Night in Millstreet, which tells the story of world championship boxing match that took place in the Co Cork town in 1995.
Cork Film Festival director Fiona Clarke is excited to be bringing the festival to Bantry.
‘I think this is a great opportunity. We’re bringing films to West Cork that you might not otherwise get a chance to see on the big screen,’ said Fiona. ‘We want to encourage all ages to experience it: try it, you’ll love it, we guarantee!’
In an era of binge-watching series on Netflix, and younger generations increasingly consuming their entertainment on phones, film remains an important part of communities, said Fiona. ‘Film remains such a relevant and accessible art form,’ she said.
‘Digital technology like Netflix is great, but one is not exclusive to the other. We’re all human beings and we’re social animals and we want to be together. Nothing beats being taken to a darkened room for that big screen experience.’
Fiona describes Robot Dreams as a ‘gorgeous animation’, telling the tale of a dog and a robot in New York, a beautiful film for families. Fallen Leaves is a European comedy drama by director Aki Kaurismaki which won the jury prize at the Cannes Film Festival.
The world premiere of One Night in Millstreet, directed by two-time Best Sports Doc IFTA winner Andrew Gallimore and produced by Morgan Bushe and Peter Murnaghan, took place on November 11th at The Everyman in Cork.
The film will bring the Cork audience a reminder of an extraordinary and spectacular event that took place over the St Patrick’s weekend of 1995. Fiona says it’s not be missed. ‘I am not a boxing fan but I can tell you I was on the edge of my seat watching this,’ said Fiona.
‘It’s a complete adrenaline ride, and there is amazing footage.’
The little details will help to give the Super Cine Day in Bantry the festival feel has also been considered. ‘All of the films will be introduced by representatives of the Festival. This will give some background on why each film was selected for screening,’ said Fiona.
This year’s Cork Film Festival is already proving a success. Fiona is hopeful that the branch into West Cork will earn a sequel. ‘I hope audiences respond to this because we’d really like to do it again and make it a regular part of the festival,’ said Fiona.
The organisers are also interested in bringing their education and outreach services, like Intinn, a mental health film programme for Transition Year students, to the South-West in the future. For those who are unable to get to Bantry, or to the city, to experience the Film Festival, a further strand can let you take part, with an online programme running from November 20th to November 26th this year.
The online programme features six European feature films that are exclusive for online watching, all with pre-recorded introductions. ‘I’d encourage everyone to try get to the festival in person, but this is a great way to get involved,’ said Fiona.
West Cork has always had important links with the festival. The patron is David Puttnam, who is the chair of the festival jury. ‘Cinema can transport us to other worlds, spark new conversations, and inspire action and change, and film festivals are uniquely special places that bring us together to experience the extraordinary and the ordinary, collectively,’ he said.
‘The 68th edition is bursting with films that encourage us to reimagine the world, to discover and share new experiences. I am extremely proud to represent Cork International Film Festival as its Patron and I warmly encourage you to explore this year’s wonderfully exciting programme.'
Cork International Film Festival is Ireland’s first and largest film festival and is celebrating its 68th anniversary this year. The festival continues until Sunday November 26th. See corkfilmfest.org.
Lord mayor Kieran McCarthy, festival patron David Puttnam, festival director Fiona Clark, director of programming Anna Kopecká and chair of the festival board Barney Whelan at the opening of the Cork Film Festival. The festival comes to West Cork for the first time this year with a special Super Cine Day at Bantry’s Cinemax.
'WAR OF THE BUTTONS HAS SPECIAL MEANING FOR ME'
A BELOVED film made in West Cork 30 years ago has a special meaning for Cork Film Festival director Fiona Clarke.
‘It’s so hard to pick one film as a favourite film but there are films I return to,’ said Fiona.
‘War of the Buttons is one of those. It has special meaning for me. I went to university in Bristol and I was lucky enough to be taught by David Puttnam who produced War of the Buttons,’ said Fiona.
And there’s another reason why the film has special meaning for her. ‘When I met my husband (Adrian), he was trying to describe Ballycotton to me, where he was from. So he said have you seen War of the Buttons? It’s like that!’
The War of the Buttons is one of those films which is synonymous with West Cork, with filming taking place 30 years ago across the south west, in Castletownsend, Rosscarbery, Union Hall, and Skibbereen. Interestingly the Southern Star Farming Awards took place in the Celtic Ross Hotel in Rosscarbery recently, a celebration of the region’s farming sector. And keeping the guests spellbound on the day was magician Gerard Kearney, from Cork City.
Gerard has made a fantastic career in magic, but he has also enjoyed acting success based on an early big screen appearance in the beloved West Cork film. He played the character of Big Con in War of the Buttons, and would go on to also play a part in Ken Loach’s decorated Civil War story, The Wind That Shakes The Barley, starring Cillian Murphy.
