Five Irish films will receive their World Premiere at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival – an unprecedented number for the French film festival.

The five Irish films receiving their World Premiere at Cannes include two Screen Ireland supported projects which are selected for Official Competition and Un Certain Regard - Ali Abassi’s The Apprentice and Ariane Labed’s September Says, respectively.

The Apprentice, is a biopic based on the life of former US president Donald Trump and has Succession's Jeremy Strong attached to it.

Irish director Lorcan Finnegan’s The Surfer will receive its world premiere in the Midnight Screenings strand. On Becoming a Guinea Fowl will screen in Un Certain Regard and Yorgos Lanthimos’ highly anticipated latest film Kinds of Kindness is in Official Competition.

Kinds of Kindness with be the follow up collaboration to Dublin's Element Pictures and Lanthinmos' Oscar winning Poor Things, which also starred Emma Stone.

Element Pictures has produced Kinds of Kindness, The Surfer and September Says – this is the first time an Irish production company has had three films at the festival.

Irish talent in front of and behind the camera is further represented across the festival this year, with the selection of Andrea Arnold’s Bird in Official Competition, starring Barry Keoghan and with Academy Award-nominated cinematographer Robbie Ryan.

Screen Ireland - the state agency for the Irish film, television and animation industry - manages the Irish Pavilion at the Marché du Film every year, to support the delegation of over 200 Irish producers and filmmakers as they meet with international sales agents and distributors to sell their films internationally, and pitch new projects to potential production partners.

While the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin, will attend the business marketplace of the Cannes Film Festival – the Marché du Film – on Friday to meet with international industry stakeholders, and to promote Ireland and France’s recent co-production partnership.

Speaking on today's new the Minister said: “I would like to extend my congratulations to the creative teams behind the five Irish films that will premiere at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, and to Barry Keoghan and Robbie Ryan whose work will also be showcased at the festival.

"The Irish screen industry continues to go from strength to strength and Cannes is an important annual promotional and business platform. The Cinematic Co-Production Agreement we signed with France has now come into effect and will support the development of closer working relationships with French producers and production companies.”

Screen Ireland supports business activity at the Marché du Film, the Cannes marketplace, with Désirée Finnegan, Chief Executive of Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, saying:

“The Marché du Film represents a valuable business opportunity for Irish producers and filmmakers. Screen Ireland’s priority this week is to support the development of film production partnerships between Ireland and international partners, particularly with European co-producers.

The Cannes Film Festival showcases a very strong presence for Irish film this year, and we’re proud to showcase the breadth of Irish film coming to the international market.”