The Right Honourable Councillor Dan Boyle

Ard Mhéara Chorcaí

It’s with great pleasure that I welcome you to the 2025 edition of the Cork French Film Festival.

For 36 years Alliance Française de Cork has been promoting French cinema and that is a commendable achievement. The festival is a delight for Francophiles and cinéphiles in Cork, and important also for the French community in the Cork region.

The enduring popularity of the festival reflects the historic cultural, touristic and commercial links between Cork and France. It’s appropriate that Air France are back as a festival sponsor.

I am captivated with this year’s programme which includes some of the most popular films at the French box-office in recent months, with the Opening Film, The Marching Band, achieving some nine million admissions in France. Films in the programme have also garnered 35 nominations in the 2025 César Awards. It’s interesting that Beating Hearts, with 13 nominations, is based on a novel by Irish author, Neville Thompson! And, as a francophone festival, the programme includes films from French-speaking Canada and from Belgium.

It’s to be welcomed that the festival includes screenings for families and for school groups, and even more impressive that these are taking place in Cork, Midleton and Mallow.

I acknowledge the important work done by the Festival Directors, Valérie David-McGonnell and Josselin Le Gall, in addition to their rolls, respectively, as President of Alliance Francaise de Cork and as Honorary Consul in Cork.

Bon Festival et bon succès!