Cork International Film Festival, 12 - 22 November 2026
Cork International Film Festival returns from Thursday 12 to Sunday 22 November 2026, and the full programme for its 71st edition has arrived. The Festival is proudly supported by Creative Europe MEDIA.
From major Irish and international releases to bold independent cinema, documentaries, special guests, family screenings and immersive events, there’s something waiting to be discovered around every corner of Cork.
CIFF's Opening Gala film is Lucy Lost which will feature a musical celebration and Q&A with the director and composer.
The Animation Gala film is Julian, a co-prodyction between Ireland's Cartoon Saloon and companies from Canada, Luxembourg, Denmark. From the Academy Award® nominated director Louise Bagnall, this is a joyful, visually rich story of discovery and celebration, inspired by the acclaimed children’s book Julián is a Mermaid by Jessica Love.
The Documentary Gala Film is Here We Remain which follows the Irish speaking Ainle Ó Cairealláin on a six-year journey helping open and run a gym in the Aida Refugee Camp in the Occupied West Bank in Palestine.
The World Tour strand features international films including Markus Schleinzer’s Rose (Austria, Germany) which is during the Thirty Years’ War in the 1600s. A mysterious soldier arrives in a secluded village and claims an abandoned farmstead as his inheritance. Gradually accepted into the community as a hard-working and devout man, Rose is concealing an identity that puts this newly acquired existence at constant risk. Starring Sandra Hüller (Anatomy of a Fall, Project Hail Mary).
Romanian film, You Don't Belong Here (Nu e locul tau aici), won Locarno's Golden Leopard Prize. Romanian director Florin Șerban’s return to feature filmmaking is a drama about a father and son who are unable to communicate. An exploration 'of the excesses of a patriarchal model deeply rooted in Romanian society and beyond.' (Source: Giorgia Del Don, Cineuropa).
The Closing Gala is The Debut directed by Jesse Eisenberg and starring Julianne Moore, Paul Giamatti, Halle Bailey, and K. Todd Freeman. 'Mona Friedman (Julianne Moore), a timid New Jersey housewife, seeks escape from her suffocating suburban life by auditioning for a local community theater musical. When she unexpectedly lands a minor supporting role, she falls deep under the spell of Jerry (Paul Giamatti), the production’s brilliant but domineering director. Driven to prove her worth, Mona transforms into a zealous, unhinged method actor.' (Source: Cork International Film Festival).
Commenting on the 2026 CIFF Festival, Director & CEO Fiona Clark said:
'This year is all about the pleasure of discovery: meeting filmmakers, hearing new voices, finding films that stay with you, and experiencing cinema in unexpected ways.'