James Mullighan – Cork Film Festival #CFF60

James Mullighan – creative director – Cork Film Festival

FRED’s Matt Micucci interviews James Mullighan, creative director of the Cork Film Festival, just a few days before the beginning of its landmark 60th edition.

The previous two editions of the festival saw a considerable evolution in terms of quality of the programme and ambition of the festival’s vision.

This year looks to continue building on what it has already achieved in a number of ways. Not least of all with its expansion of its talents development programme, and the promotion of cinema as a way of sparking up debates, on top of its rich short film programme, exciting music events and fascinating feature films from Ireland and from all parts of the world – not to mention the return to the festival of the LUX Prize. This year the Cork Film Festival turns 60.

James Mullighan talks about this and a lot more of what we can expect in Cork this year, which continues in the tradition of the festival’s motto of “Films, Music, Ideas”

CORK FILM FESTIVAL: Ireland’s oldest film festival and Cork’s flagship cultural happening, the Cork Film Festival lights up and delights the Rebel City in November. In 2015 the Festival celebrates its 60th Edition, taking place 6-15 November.

Its log line is ‘Films. Music. Ideas’. As well as playing a rich selection of the best of contemporary world cinema, it has a lively and varied music on film programme, and a timely event series which uses films to explore some of the burning issues of our time.

The Festival operates out of the Cork Opera House, the Triskel Christchurch, and the Gate Cinema. In 2014 there were 242 films screened – including 93 features (24 Irish) from 51 countries. Competition includes awards for features, shorts and documentaries, with prizes totalling €7,500. There has been many developments for the 2015 Festival: RTÉ is now the Cork Film Festival’s Principal Partner, working with the Festival to raise its profile across all RTÉ platforms in the biggest festival association between RTÉ and Cork City.

Since 2014, the Cork Film Festival is Academy Awards® accredited. The winners of its Grand Prix Irish presented by RTÉ Cork and Grand Prix International will now qualify for the long list of the Academy Awards® for the Animated Short Film/Live Action Short Film category.

The Cork Film Festival will host the Irish premier screenings of the shortlist of three of the EU Parliament’s LUX prize films in November.

The Festival soon will announce two new prizes for documentary, and plans to make Cork the premier destination for factual filmmaking in Ireland. The Festival has announced its plans for its Talent Development Campus, and will welcome over 100 filmmakers from UK, Europe and beyond to join the 50 Irish who benefit from the training.

Click here to visit the official website of the 60th Cork Film Festival