Roy Keane row gets the big-screen treatment as Saipan to open Cork International Film Festival
Steve Coogan as Mick McCarthy and Éanna Hardwicke as Roy Keane in Saipan. Pic: Aidan Monaghan
Cork International Film Festival (CIFF) will celebrate its 70th anniversary this November with two landmark gala screenings.
Having received laurels at its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, soccer drama Saipan will open CIFF with its Irish premiere at the Everyman Theatre on Thursday, November 6, at 7pm.
The venue was chosen close to the home of central figure Roy Keane, portrayed by Cork-born Éanna Hardwicke. He stars opposite Steve Coogan as Mick McCarthy in a film chronicling the infamous 2002 World Cup clash between manager and midfielder.
Filmmakers Lisa Barros D’Sa and Glenn Leyburn said: “We are thrilled to be screening Saipan as the Opening Gala of Cork International Film Festival.
"Our film has Cork running through its veins: story, cast and spirit. And the Festival has played a significant part in our filmmaking life.
"Since showing our first short in competition, we’ve been lucky enough to return to Cork for feature film screenings and many very good times.
"To be included in this year’s landmark 70th anniversary celebrations is an enormous joy and honour.”
Meanwhile, closing the festival’s platinum-anniversary edition is Bradley Cooper’s , his third feature film after and .
Loosely inspired by the real-life story of comedian John Bishop, the film follows Will Arnett and Laura Dern as they confront the breakdown of their marriage, divorce, and the challenges of co-parenting. An all-star supporting cast includes Andra Day, Cooper, Amy Sedaris, Sean Hayes, Christine Ebersole, Ciarán Hinds, and Scott Icenogle.
The Closing Night Gala will take place at the Everyman on Sunday, November 16, at 7.30pm.
Festival Director & CEO Fiona Clark said: “We are delighted and honoured to bookend our landmark 70th Festival edition with two Irish premieres of this stature.
"A Festival of our scale and impact is a huge undertaking by our dedicated team and we are excited to share the outcome of our endeavours and invite audiences to celebrate this remarkable milestone — as Ireland’s largest and longest-running film festival - with prestige titles like Saipan and, of course, its significant Cork connections.
"We will be showcasing over 200 films and special events across Cork with more films announced in advance of the unveiling of the full programme on Wednesday 15th October.
"We look forward to welcoming audiences to share the spotlight in Cork in November.”
- Tickets are onsale now at https://corkfilmfest.org/ and the CIFF app.
