The Cork International Film Festival (CIFF) has recently unveiled the programme for its 68th edition. The festival will showcase the best of Irish and international films across Cork City and county from Thursday, November 9 to Sunday, November 26, 2023. The opening night will feature the Irish premiere of Yorgos Lanthimos' award-winning film, Poor Things.

This year's festival is set to feature over 200 films, including the International Gala and Irish premiere of acclaimed All Of Us Strangers, starring Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal, and written and directed by CIFF alumnus Andrew Haigh; the World premiere of So This Is Christmas, from award-winning Irish filmmaker Ken Wardrop; the Irish premiere of Eileen, directed by William Oldroyd and starring Anne Hathaway and Thomasin McKenzie; and the Irish premiere of the highly anticipated Cannes Jury Prize winner, Fallen Leaves, from renowned filmmaker Aki Kaurismäki.

CIFF Director & CEO Fiona Clark spoke about this year’s expanded festival: “I’m hugely proud of the whole CIFF team for their dedication in bringing together this world-class programme, which I believe cements our reputation as one of the most prestigious and dynamic film festivals internationally. Our programme this year is truly diverse, championing new voices alongside award-winning auteurs, and local and global talent, all carefully curated to celebrate and create greater access to a huge diversity of stories on screen. With so much happening around the Festival, it’s impossible to select just a couple of highlights, but we’re very excited to bring the world to Cork with a special guest programme from Cannes Director’s Fortnight, and to showcase a selection of films in venues across the county of Cork, expanding our reach and enabling wider audiences access to an exciting programme selection of cultural cinema.”

The Festival also celebrates the work of short filmmakers, giving out three of the Festival Shorts awards – the Grand Prix Irish Short, the Grand Prix International Short and the Grand Prix Documentary Short – are Academy Award-qualifying, ensuring that the winners in Cork will be automatically long-listed for the Oscars. The short film award winners will be announced by Lord David Puttnam on Thursday, November 16.

The 68th Cork International Film Festival will run from Thursday 9 to Sunday, November 26, 2023. You can find more information, view the full programme, and stay up to date with the latest news and programme announcements, here.