Cork International Film Festival

Overview

The Cork International Film Festival (CIFF) is Ireland's oldest and largest film festival. The 71st edition runs November 12-22, 2026, in Cork, Ireland's second city. The 70th anniversary edition in 2025 attracted over 20,000 attendees across 11 days, screening 97 Irish and international features and documentaries plus more than 100 shorts, with over 230 films and events total. The festival welcomed almost 200 guests, including filmmakers, industry professionals, and actors.

CIFF holds triple accreditation: Academy Awards, BAFTA, and European Film Awards. Three of its short film awards are Academy Award-qualifying: the Grand Prix Irish Short, Grand Prix International Short, and Grand Prix Documentary Short. Winners in these categories automatically join the Oscars long list. British shorts selected for the Grand Prix International Short competition may enter for BAFTA consideration, and the festival submits a short film nomination to the European Film Awards as Ireland's official representative.

The festival presents 15 competitive awards in total. The 2025 edition introduced the Redbreast UNHIDDEN Short Film Award (in partnership with Redbreast Single Pot Still Whiskey) and the Eurimages Audentia Award, a EUR 30,000 prize for a female director. The festival also presents Honorary Awards: the 2025 recipients were David Puttnam (Lifetime Achievement) and John Boorman (Honorary Disruptor Award).

Submission Details

CIFF accepts submissions exclusively through FilmFreeway. No other submission method is accepted.

2026 Submission Deadlines:

Entry fees start from EUR 13 (Early Bird). Fees increase at each deadline tier. Notification of selection occurs by September 2026. Rejected films receive notification through FilmFreeway at the end of September.

Eligibility requirements:

• Short films: completed after July 1, 2025, 40 minutes or less
• Feature films (competition): completed or premiered after December 1, 2025, 41 minutes or greater
• Feature films (out of competition): completed or premiered after September 15, 2025, 41 minutes or greater
• All short films selected for competition must be Irish premieres
• All short films selected for screening must be at minimum Cork City premieres
• All feature films in competition must be at minimum Irish premieres
• Films currently available to rent or purchase (DVD/Blu-ray/VOD) are not eligible
• Films previously publicly screened, broadcast, or made available online in Ireland are not eligible for premiere-required strands
• Promotional films and music videos are not eligible
• Screening format: DCP for in-cinema screenings; h264 1080p for digital online screenings
• Films must be presented in original language with English subtitles where necessary
• No refunds for submitted films

Submission categories:

• Feature films (Fiction)
• Feature films (Documentary)
• Short films (International Fiction)
• Short films (International Documentary)
• Short films (Irish Fiction)
• Short films (Irish Documentary)
• Short films (Cork Fiction)
• Short films (Cork Documentary)

Cork Shorts eligibility: filmmakers based in Cork, filmmakers from Cork but based elsewhere, or films shot throughout Munster by non-Cork filmmakers.

Waiver policy: CIFF does not encourage fee waiver requests. Submission fees finance the review process and curation. Waiver requests can be emailed to info@corkfilmfest.org with "WAIVER REQUEST" in the subject line, explaining why CIFF is the specific festival where the film should premiere. A fee waiver may be granted if the submitter has previously had work in the festival. Group discounts are available for cultural institutions or colleges submitting multiple films.

Key Sections and Awards

Short Film Awards (Academy Award-qualifying):

• Grand Prix Irish Short - Academy Award-qualifying (Live Action/Animated Short long list)
• Grand Prix International Short - Academy Award-qualifying (Live Action/Animated Short long list); BAFTA-qualifying for British shorts; BIFA-qualifying for British shorts
• Grand Prix Documentary Short - Academy Award-qualifying (Documentary Short long list)

Additional Short Awards:

• Redbreast UNHIDDEN Short Award - emerging Irish and international filmmaking talent
• Best Director: Irish Short - supported by Screen Directors Guild Ireland
• Best Cork Short Award

Feature Awards:

• Eurimages Audentia Award - EUR 30,000 prize for a female director (selected by Eurimages jury)
• Best New Irish Feature - supported by the Irish Examiner
• Spirit of the Festival Award: Best Film (Gradam Spiorad na Féile)
• Spirit of the Festival Award: Best Screenplay (Gradam Spiorad na Féile)
• Award for Best Documentary (Gradam Na Féile Do Scannáin Faisnéise)
• Lookout Award - supported by The Arc Cinema, chosen by youth jury
• Audience Award (Features) - chosen by online audience vote; all Irish premiere features eligible
• Audience Award (Shorts) - chosen by online audience vote

Honorary Awards:

• Lifetime Achievement Award
• Honorary Disruptor Award

European Film Awards: CIFF is Ireland's official representative and submits one short film nomination for the European Short Film Award.

Programme Strands:

• Feature Film Program - international narrative and documentary features
• Irish Spotlight - new Irish films including features and shorts
• International Short Film Competition
• Documentary Program - nonfiction features and shorts
• Culinary Cinema - film and food events
• Screen Green - film and environment/climate activism
• Disruptors - maverick filmmakers past and present
• Illuminate - film and mental health
• Doc Day - industry day focused on documentary
• Retrospectives - programs honoring filmmakers and movements
• Family and Schools program
• Super Cine Saturday - festival archive films screened at cinemas across Cork county

What Filmmakers Should Know

For short filmmakers, CIFF's triple accreditation (Academy Awards, BAFTA, European Film Awards) makes it one of the most strategically valuable festivals in Europe for short film submission. A win in any of the three Grand Prix short categories places a film on the Oscar long list. British shorts selected for the International Short competition gain BAFTA and BIFA eligibility. The festival also nominates one short for the European Film Awards as Ireland's representative.

For Irish filmmakers, CIFF is the most important festival platform in Ireland. The Best New Irish Feature Award and the Cork Shorts category provide specific recognition for national and regional work. The festival's 20,000+ audience and 200+ guest list provides meaningful exposure for Irish premieres.

The EUR 30,000 Audentia Award is one of the largest single prizes at any European festival for a female director. The 2025 recipient was Janicke Askevold for Solomamma. This award is determined by a Eurimages jury, not by the festival's own programming team.

The festival's premiere requirements are strict: all competition shorts must be Irish premieres, and all competition features must be Irish premieres. Films previously available online in Ireland are not eligible. Filmmakers should verify their film has not been publicly accessible in Ireland before submitting.

The 2025 edition screened at venues across Cork City and county, including Arc Cinema (Principal Venue Partner), The Everyman, Triskel, St. Peter's Cork, Cinemax Bantry, Briery Gap Macroom, and Regal Cinema Youghal. The festival's expansion to county-wide venues means selected films reach audiences beyond Cork city.

Festival History

Cork International Film Festival was founded in 1956, making it one of the oldest continuously operating film festivals in the world. The 2025 edition marked the festival's 70th anniversary. The festival has been a cornerstone of Cork's cultural identity for seven decades.

The festival's founding in 1956 was marked by a welcome from Lord Mayor Patrick McGrath, who noted the educational and entertainment value of film and its broad community appeal. The festival has maintained its commitment to international cinema and Irish film production throughout its history, evolving from a small regional event into Ireland's largest and most significant film festival.

The festival's Director of Programming, Aurelie Godet, programmed her second edition in 2025. The 70th anniversary programme featured 75 Irish feature premieres, including high-profile titles such as Blue Moon (Richard Linklater's Irish-produced feature starring Ethan Hawke and Andrew Scott), Song Sung Blue (starring Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson), and Pillion (starring Alexander Skarsgard).

The 2025 edition's Opening Gala was Saipan, with galas also for Documentary (Shoot the People), Awards (Song Sung Blue), Family (Lady and the Tramp, a dog-friendly screening), and Closing (Is This Thing On?). The festival presented a 23-minute standing ovation Irish premiere of The Voice of Hind Rajeb (Kaouther Ben Hania), which won the Audience Award for Features. The Audience Award for Shorts went to Culchie by Richard Lennon, which also won Best Cork Short.

The 71st edition will run November 12-22, 2026. Submission deadlines and details are available on the CIFF website.

See Also

For festival submission strategy and budgeting, use the Festival Entry Fee ROI Calculator. For short film strategy, see Film Festival Strategy. For Irish and international cinema markets, see International Film Markets.