Film festival opens amid financial criticism

The management of Cork Film Festival is gearing up for its 60th anniversary in 2016, engaging with new partners and hopeful of securing a title sponsor, despite incurring extensive financial losses last year.

Organisers have ascribed most of the losses it incurred in 2013 to the ending of a sponsorship arrangement with Corona, which is understood to have contributed €90,000 annually to the event.

The festival opens today in the Cork Opera House with the Irish premiere of Charlie’s Country directed by Rolf de Heer and starring Cannes best actor 2013 David Gulpilil.