Film Festival on World Stage

Sunday Business Post – 28/05/06

Mick Hannigan, Festival Director of the Cork Film Festival who was recently invited to join the European Film Academy, says that his appointment is an acknowledgement of the festival’s international standing.

“It is not in any sense a personal tribute, it is more acknowledging Cork’s position in the European film calendar,” says Hannigan modestly. “It is gratifying that the work we have been doing for European cinema, and specifically in the area of the short film, has been acknowledged by the Academy.”

The European Film Academy was founded in 1989 to advance the interests of the European Film Industry and to increase public awareness of European cinema. As a voting member of the EFA, Hannigan joins an elite group of film legends including Richard Attenborough, Ingmar Bergman and Federico Fellini.

This year’s Cork Film Festival takes place from the 8th to the 15th of October. The programme is still very much a work in progress, with Hannigan and festival programmer Una Feely visiting Cannes and Clermont-Ferrand (“the Cannes of the short film circuit”) in recent weeks to source films.

“We are out there seeing what this year’s films are, and making contact with the film-makers and agencies. We have just begun putting the jigsaw together,” says Hannigan.

Hannigan has been director of the Cork Film Festival since 1986, and under his tenure the festival has developed in two ways – with a specific focus on emerging technologies and short film.

“Traditionally it was a film festival screening films in cinemas, whether it be features, documentaries or shorts, but now we increasingly have a more cutting edge element to the programme,” says Hannigan.

Last year’s festival featured a performance by Addictive TV, a British ensemble who mix images live much as a DJ would mix music.

“It seemed to me to reflect the possible future of cinema, where it will not simply be film screened in a cinema. I think live cinema is very exciting,” says Hannigan.

This year the Cork Film Festival has been selected to host the Prix UIP – the EFA award for the Best European Short Film.

“Short film is almost the R&D arm of the film industry, where innovation and experimentation can happen,” says Hannigan.

Putting together such a formidable programme of events, and attracting a wide range of film-makers and audiences, is a considerable undertaking.

“Last year the turnover was over €600,000; as it was our 50th anniversary and because of Cork 2005 we had more money. This year will be over half a million,” says Hannigan.

The funding is raised from a number of diverse sources.

“Our major backer is the Irish Arts Council who are providing €200,000 this year. We receive money from the EU MEDIA Programme and the local authority, and then a major element of our funding actually comes from the box office,” says Hannigan.

Unlike some arts festivals, the Cork Film Festival relies on putting enough bums on seats to break even.

“Box office is vital to whether we make a surplus, or go into the red,” says Hannigan. “Cork is supported very strongly by the local audience, so we do very well at the box office.”

Last year’s festival had a total attendance of 35,000 across the week-long programme of films, drive-in movies, talks and schools events. There were 294 industry guests from 29 countries, and Hannigan expects this year to be even busier.

“The sheer figures increase every year - in terms of the number of entries received, in terms of the number of visitors and in terms of box office. It goes up every year,” he says.