Discover Industry Events at the 70th Cork International Film Festival
Posted: 23rd October 2025
Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland is proud to be the official industry partner to the 70th Cork International Film Festival (CIFF) and this year's programme of industry events comprising of First Take, Doc Day Live, Doc Day Online and additional events taking place during the festival from 6-16 November 2025.
CIFF Industry Events are presented in partnership with Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland and is supported by Coimisiún na Meáin.
In the Frame: Saipan
Friday, 7th November 2025 from 14:00-17:00, Republic of Work
To coincide with the Cork International Film Festival Opening Night Gala celebration of Saipan, the Festival will present a special event focusing on the craft of the film, which will comprise three conversations with key creative players behind the project, and include in-depth explorations of their individual processes. To begin the event, Saipan co-directors Lisa Barros D’Sa and Glenn Leyburn will join X-Pollinator to discuss their directorial vision for the film, and the journey from inception, through collaborating with the screenwriter, casting, prep, production and post. Dove-tailing this conversation, Irish Screen Editors will examine the editorial process with editors John Murphy and Gavin Buckley.
The event will be followed by a networking drinks reception, and is supported by Coimisiún na Meán: Sound and Vision, in collaboration with X-Pollinator, Irish Screen Editors and the Screen Composers Guild of Ireland.
Learn more about In the Frame: Saipan and book your ticket
First Take
Thursday, 13th November 2025 from 10:30-16:00, Triskel
First Take is a training and development platform for newly established film professionals, film and media students and the wider film industry, which comprises case studies, presentations and panel discussions. This year’s event will include a focus on the art of editing short film, in collaboration with Irish Screen Editors, and present a case study of the new short film Mary is Missing (see p.48), which features a cast and crew of adults with intellectual disabilities. This year's edition will also delve into the initiatives and players aiding in the development of sustainable regional film production in Cork city and county, in partnership with Screen Producers Ireland, and host a conversation with leading Irish writers about carving a career in screenwriting, in collaboration with Storyhouse.
Learn more about First Take and book your ticket
Building our Film Industry in a Regional Setting
This session will delve into the initiatives and players aiding in the development of sustainable regional film production in Cork city and county, including building film productions and production companies in the region, our thriving West Cork Studio and its bustling production schedule, as well as insights from creators on how they make producing regionally viable.
Speakers:
- Édaín O'Donnell - Founding Director, West Cork FIlm Studios
- David O'Mahony - Producer, Blue Pineapple Pictures
- Sinead O'Riordan - Board Member, Screen Cork / Producer, Swing Bout
Host
- Anthony Muldoon - Director of Strategic Policy, Screen Producers Ireland
Presented in partnership with Screen Producers Ireland
Mary is Missing | Case Study of Run of the Mill's Film School
This session forms a case study of NTA’s work with Run of the Mill’s Film School project, which has culminated in a new short, Mary is Missing, featuring a cast and crew of adults with intellectual disabilities. Directed by CIFF award alumnus Aisling Byrne, the session will discuss the process of making the film, including valuable insights from select cast and crew of the film.
Speakers:
- Aisling Byrne - Director, Mary is Missing
- Killian Coyle - Producer, Mary is Missing
- Dan Keane - Cinematographer, Mary is Missing
- Cast Member, Mary is Missing
Host
- Sinead O'Loughlin - Filmmaker
Presented in partnership with the National Talent Academies
The Art of Editing Shorts
Examining the craft of editing short film and its particularities as an art form mutually exclusive from feature film, this session will give insight into working with directors and negotiating narrative and story, as well as providing an understanding of technique, workflow and process, and general advice on how to carve a career in the field.
Speakers:
- Tori Clarkson - Editor, Swimmer
- Dan Keane - Editor, Mary is Missing
- Stephen Staunton - Editor, A Song
Host
- Jenny Russell - Editor & Lecturer
Presented in partnership with Irish Screen Editors
Storyhouse | Carving a Career as a Screenwriter
In collaboration with Storyhouse, the festival and talent development programme that champions the art of storytelling for the screen, we celebrate the screenwriting craft with some of Ireland’s best talent, who will discuss cultivating a career in writing and the creative and practical mechanisms they implement in their work; with tips for emerging screenwriters entering the industry.
Speakers:
- Ailbhe Keogan - Writer, Bad Sisters, Joyride, Sunlight, Trespasses
- Cara Loftus - Writers, Hidden Assets, Spilt Milk
Host
- Malcolm Campbell - Creative Mentor, Storyhouse
Presented in partnership with Storyhouse
Why Film Criticism Matters
The ubiquity of the internet has brought both a democratisation, and a fragmentation, of film criticism in recent years, bringing both positive and negative outcomes in this context. This session will consider the role of the contemporary critic and respond to the question of why criticism is important for the culture; in influencing audiences, providing analysis and fostering a deeper understanding of the cinematic arts.
Speakers:
- Aoife Barry - Freelance Writer, Broadcaster and Arts Journalist
- Rory Cashin - Entertainment and Culture Journalist
- Yal Sadat - Journalist and Film Critic
Host
- Auréla Godet - Directing of Programming, Cork International Film Festival
The event will be followed by a drinks reception, supported by the National Talent Academies.
Doc Day Live
Friday, 14th November 2025 from 11:00-17:00, Triskel
CIFF continues to develop its focus on high-quality Irish and international documentary cinema with Doc Day, connecting emerging and established non-fiction filmmakers with industry professionals and the wider documentary sector.
Doc Day 2025 will pull focus on Irish feature documentary A Quiet Love, a ground-breaking non-fiction film that captures the remarkable love stories of three Deaf couples through Irish Sign Language. The film will have its Irish premiere at the Festival at 17:00 on Saturday, 15th November at the Triskel.
The event will also delve into the work of filmmaker Dennis Harvey and his new feature Celtic Utopia (Irish premiere at 17:00 on Saturday, 8th November at The Everyman), and examine director Andy Mundy-Castle’s Shoot the People (20:00, Friday 14th November at the Triskel), a film about photojournalist Misan Harriman.
The event will conclude with a keynote career conversation with documentarian Sinead O’Shea, director of Blue Road: The Edna O’Brien Story, which won both the Best Irish Feature and Audience Awards at Cork International Film Festival in 2024.
Learn more about Doc Day Live and book your ticket
Inclusion Case Study | A Quiet Love
A Quiet Love captures the remarkable love stories of three Deaf couples through Irish Sign Language. The film is groundbreaking for its work both in front of and behind the camera. Here we assemble the filmmaking team to examine their efforts to implement inclusion practices for the film, particularly for the Deaf crew members employed on the documentary.
Speakers:
- Anne Heffernan - Producer, A Quiet Love
- Seán Herlihy - Producer, A Quiet Love
- Garry Keane - Director, A Quiet Love
Host
- Eibh O'Brien-Collins - Programme Director, National Talent Academies
Indigenous Doc Making | Answering the Call
Set against the rugged beauty of Ireland’s west coast, Answering the Call follows the struggle to save the elusive corncrake – an expedition spanning from windswept Atlantic islands to the heart of the Congo.
Alumni of the IGNITE-Docs Talent Development Programme, the makers of the film will delve into their production process, including creative intention, funding process, shoot and cinematography, and the various learnings along the way.
Speakers:
- Martin Danneels - Director, Answering the Call
- Laura Cranley - Producer, Answering the Call
- Geoff Power - Writer, Answering the Call
Host
- Kathriona Devereux - Broadcaster
An Irish Filmmaker Abroad | Dennis Harvey
Focusing on non-fiction cinema about migration, identity and bureaucracy, the films of Swedish-based Irish documentarian Dennis Harvey have been widely acclaimed, and travelled extensively to international festivals including IDFA, Locarno and CPH:DOX. To coincide with the screening of his new film Celtic Utopia at CIFF 2025, this session will discuss Dennis’ career so far, how he finances and produces his films, and how he has leveraged film festivals as a valuable platform for his work.
Speakers:
- Dennis Harvey - Director, Celtic Utopia
The Power of Protest | Shoot the People
Shoot the People follows Oscar®-nominated British-Nigerian photographer and activist Misan Harriman as he documents contemporary protest movements around the world. This session will analyse the journey of the film with Misan and director Andy Mundy-Castle, probing their collaborative relationship and the central themes of the work; examining the intersectional movements for equality, the power of collective action, and the importance of maintaining conviction and composure in a fraught political landscape.
Speakers:
- Andy Mundy-Castle - Director, Shoot the People
- Misan Harriman - Subject, Shoot the People
Host
- Aoife Barry - Freelance Writer, Broadcaster and Arts Journalist
Career Interview | Sinéad O'Shea
Sinéad O’Shea’s third feature documentary, Blue Road: The Edna O’Brien Story, hosted its Irish premiere at CIFF 2024, winning the Best Irish Feature and Audience Awards at the festival. It has since gone on to receive both critical acclaim and commercial box office success.
O’Shea works across thematic, tonal and stylistic lines in the documentary she makes, whether it be her extraordinary observational eye in her debut film A Mother Brings Her Son to Be Shot, her astute ability in weaving the personal with social and historical contexts in Pray For Our Sinners, or her evocative and affecting take on the biographical film in Blue Road. As our 2025 Doc Day keynote event, we celebrate her body of non-fiction work so far, and her ability to create authentic, discerning and accessible film.
Speaker:
- Sinéad O'Shea - Director, Blue Road – The Edna O’Brien Story
Host
- Cara Holmes - Filmmaker and Editor
Doc Day Online
14th November-12th December 2025
In addition to the in-person offering for Doc Day 2025, the Festival will host a series of online sessions, complimenting this year’s non-fiction programme and encompassing in-depth filmmaker conversations and case studies. This year’s sessions will focus on documentary films from the Festival programme, including Flophouse America; The Moelln Letters; and Coexistence, My Ass!.
Learn more about Doc Day Online and book your ticket
Fitting In | Flophouse America
The protagonists of Flophouse America are a three-person family sharing a small motel room. Norwegian director Monica Strømdahl explores how she created her own space in a chaotic environment.
Speaker:
- Monica Strømdahl - Director, Flophouse America
Host
- Myrid Carten - Filmmaker
Our Life is the Stuff of Film | The Moelln Letters
The director of German documentary The Moelln Letters tells us of an unbelievable reality that fiction wouldn’t dare to invent.
Speaker:
- Martina Priessner - Director, The Moelln Letters
Host
- Aurelie Godet - Director of Programming, Cork International Film Festival
Documenting Urgency through the Individual | Coexistence, My Ass!
Coexistence, My Ass! considers the struggles of the Palestinian people via the experiences and observations of Noam Shuster Eliassi, an Israeli comedian and activist championing the idea of the shared humanity of Israelis and Palestinians, while advocating for the Palestinian cause. Here we examine the film through this lens with director Amber Fares.
Speaker:
- Amber Dares - Director, Coexistence, My Ass!
Host
- Rohan Crickmar - Documentary Programmer, Cork International Film Festival
Menopause Awareness Programme for the Screen Sector: Dual Lens - From Perception to Representation
Saturday, 15th November 2025 from 09:30-14:00, Nano Nagle Place
The National Talent Academies, in partnership with Women in Film & TV Ireland (WFT.I), Screen Guilds of Ireland (SGI), and Cork International Film Festival (CIFF), present, as part of the Menopause Awareness Programme for the Screen Sector, this in-person event which explores how menopause is portrayed — and often misunderstood — both culturally and creatively.
The session begins with a hands-on creative workshop led by Jennifer Davidson, empowering participants to reimagine menopause narratives through storytelling and screenwriting.
Workshop content:
- Framing Menopause
- Case Studies & Creative Provocations
- Character Remix: Who Gets to Menopause?
- Writing the Shift: Scene Work
This will be followed by a live-streamed panel featuring leading voices from film, television, academia, and crew, examining how menopause, menopausal people, and mid-life women are framed in screen culture.
Panellists:
- Dr Susan Liddy – Contributing Moderator
- Deborah Jermyn – Academic
- Janicke Askevolde – Director
- Max Brady – Producer
- Olaya Chesneau – Crew Member
Complementing the theme, Solomamma — a film about a woman in her 40s who becomes a single mother via sperm donation — will screen at CIFF following the workshop.
Learn more about the Menopause Awareness Programme and book your ticket
Out of Frame: Round 26 (Pure Cork)
Sunday, 9th November 2025 from 18:00, The Roundy
For two years now, Out of Frame has provided a platform to showcase Cork’s talented and diverse film community and become a space for exchange and connection among filmmakers. Every month, the film talk upstairs in The Roundy follows a different theme and invites local filmmakers to talk about their work, their background and specific roles in the industry.
In collaboration with CIFF, this month Out of Frame will feature filmmakers from the Irish Shorts programme, Pure Cork.