Brought to you by Cork Film Festival. 

It’s the perfect weather for a movie binge.

And with the 67th Cork International Film Festival in full swing, you can be among the first film buffs in the country to catch some of the year’s most captivating features and documentaries – all Irish premieres – in town this week.

Screenings are taking place in venues across Cork City right up until this Sunday, November 20th.

This year’s carefully curated selection includes an abundance of top-notch female-focused films, from unsettling and inspiring fiction to a feast of joyous, insightful, and eye-opening documentaries.

Here’s our pick of the best to catch in the coming days:

FICTION

The Silent Twins – Thu 17 Nov, 20:00, The Everyman Theatre

Polish filmmaker Agnieszka Smoczyńska (The Lure, Fuga) brings her fascination with twin sibling relationships and peculiar mental states to the astounding true story of June and Jennifer Gibbons, Caribbean twin sisters who grew up in conservative small-town Wales in the 1970s. Smoczyńska’s bold and inventive visual style is deployed to full effect in recreating the unusual shared imaginary world of the twins, who chose to defiantly retreat from the prejudicial realities around them… until an act of violence changes everything. 

Corsage – Fri 18 Nov, 17:30, The Everyman Theatre

A witty and bold costume drama, Corsage is a daring and subversive biopic, an homage to the Empress Elisabeth of Austria, known as ‘Sissi’. Beautiful and intelligent, Elisabeth is fighting against the royal court rules and her self-imposed image of the female monarch in this drama by Austrian director Marie Kreutzer. Actress Vicky Krieps received the Un Certain Regard – Best Performance award at Cannes Film Festival for her impressive take on Empress Elisabeth.

She Said – Sat 19 Nov, 19:30, The Everyman Theatre

This biographical drama focuses on Megan Twohey (Carey Mulligan) and Jodi Kantor (Zoe Kazan), The New York Times’ reporters that, in 2017, published a report exposing sexual abuse allegations against powerful Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein. Their story launched one of the biggest sexual harassment and assault scandals in the history of Hollywood and helped propel the #MeToo movement. She Said is based on the book written by the two journalists and had its world premiere at the 60th New York Film Festival.

Closing Gala: Empire of Light – Sun 20 Nov, 17.30, The Everyman Theatre

Set in an English seaside town in the early 1980s, Academy Award-winning director Sam Mendes delivers a powerful and poignant story about human connection and the magic of cinema. Manager Hilary (an outstanding, brave performance by Olivia Colman) and her colleagues (a stellar ensemble cast including Colin Firth and Toby Jones) are sprucing up their seafront picture palace in preparation for a regional premiere of Chariots of Fire. Outside, skinheads are on the rampage as a rising far-right presence seeps into the dilapidated town. 

DOCUMENTARIES

Fashion Reimagined – Thu 17 Nov, 19:30, The Gate Cinema

Follow fashion designer Amy Powney on her journey from outsider to industry leader as she sets out to create a transparent, ethical and sustainable collection, from the field to the finished garment. Exposing the complexity of the fashion industry’s supply chain, and addressing the urgent issue of global waste, this documentary highlights how the actions of one can influence an entire sector.

The event will be followed by a panel discussion with special guests, presented in partnership with Future Planet.

Calendar Girls – Fri 18 Nov, 14:30, Triskel

Overtly uplifting and quietly inspirational, Calendar Girls is a powerful ode to friendship, love, and the joys of sisterhood. Focusing on a Floridian dance troupe for women over 60, the film melds observation with dreamlike performance sequences. It is awash with colour, capturing intimate moments between friends, whilst subverting outdated stereotypes and expectations on aging. A heartwarming and entertaining snapshot of women in their golden years, this is a film that truly embodies the sentiment that age ain’t nothing but a number.

The American Dream and Other Fairy Tales (with Q&A with filmmaker Abigail Disney) – Fri 18 Nov, 17:30, The Gate Cinema

Presented in the first person by filmmaker Abigail Disney, The American Dream and Other Fairy Tales boldly confronts the inherent inequities rooted into US society.

Using the juxtaposition of the lives of Disney workers and that of the company’s CEO to scrutinise these inequalities, this personal narrative studies the Disney legacy and bravely holds to account systemic injustices in America’s fraught and unbalanced economy.

Passionate and impactful, the film is a powerful interrogation and a subtle yet radical takedown of the myth of the American Dream.

Battleground – Sat 19 Nov, 17:30, The Gate Cinema

A timely chronicle of the US anti-abortionist movement, Battleground provides an insightful and poignant account of the campaign to overturn Roe v. Wade. The film bears witness to the political power of those involved in the movement, providing a bold wake-up call about the enormous influence they wield. With the removal of the constitutional right to abortion since the film was made, these observations are all the more pertinent and powerful, in this critical piece of filmmaking from CIFF alumnus, Cynthia Lowen (Netizens, 2018).

Battleground is also available as part of CIFF2022’s Online Programme.

Hit The Pav for a Festival cocktail 

Just a short stroll from all venues, and with access from Carey’s Lane, the beautifully refurbished Pavilion is the only place to be at the end of the day to help keep the Festival spirit going.

Join the team nightly from 9.30pm in the plush surroundings of the 100-year-old former cinema, and dissect the day’s films over a festival cocktail, The Guilty Pleasure, created specially by The Pav mixologists.

See it first and on the big screen with Cork International Film Festival. All Festival tickets and passes (including CIFF 5 Film Cinema Pass) are on sale now at corkfilmfest.org and via the myCIFF app.