Tell me about... The IndieCork Film Festival

Co-director Mick Hannigan tells us about the festival which takes place from December 15th to 22nd

What is IndieCork? 

IndieCork Film Festival, now in its 11th year, was established to provide a platform for independent filmmaking, to encourage young and emerging filmmakers and also to support film making in the Cork region. While it’s an international festival, the local element is very important to us. We also have a live-music programme including improvisation to silent films.

Where does it take place? 

The partner-cinema is the newly refurbished Arc Cinema (formerly The Gate) which opens to the public on December 15th, the first day of IndieCork. It promises a luxury experience for film lovers.

Who is the festival aimed at? 

There are different audience segments, obviously those who appreciated world cinema and art cinema; but also film students and the local filmmaking community who can learn from being exposed to what’s happening in cinema across the globe. A significant segment of our audience are filmmakers who attend to see their own films, to gauge how they’re received and interact with audiences. This is an important milestone in a filmmaker’s career – seeing how their film ‘plays’ before a live audience. So as well as being a festival for film lovers, increasingly IndieCork is a filmmakers’ festival. 

Is there any West Cork films we can look forward to?

We’re delighted to include two important films made in West Cork in the programme.  Hungry Hill, shot on the Beara Peninsula is a vivid portrait of sheep farmers who live and work there. There’s a strong ecological theme  as well as being a charming portrait of a community. Hungry Hill has played in Galway and Kerry festivals. We’re delighted to ‘bring it home’ to Cork!

A film we’re especially excited about is Rebel Wife. This is the world premiere of a documentary on the wife of the celebrated Fenian, Ó Donovan Rossa, Mary Jane O’Donovan. Though somewhat forgotten by history Rebel Wife reclaims her as a very important figure in her own right. Much of the film was shot in Clonakilty. Rebel Wife is all the more poignant by being made by her great grandson, Williams Cole who’s travelling from New York to present his film.

Other notable local film is a documentary called Loafers. This is an important cultural history of Loafers, in Douglas Street, Cork, established 40 years ago for the lesbian and gay community in Cork by Derek Gerety. Derek later went on to work in Dzogchen Beara, the West Cork Buddhist centre.

Like other festivals the programme, is a rich mix of cinematic styles and subjects. We have lots of fabulous shorts from all across the world, as well as from Ireland. A couple of Cannes award-winning features, including the new film from Wim Wenders, Perfect Days. Songs of Blood and Destiny is a quite amazing film from Trish McAdam based on Marian’s Carr’s epic poem iGirl; the world premiere of A Sunken Place, a new film from maverick Irish director Ronan O’Leary. Also films from Chile, Kazakhstan, Syria, Lebanon. And, given the season, we have an IndieCork Nativity, a programme of shorts of various takes on what Christmas means to people. Those attending will be offered a festive glass of Kinsale Mead!