Cork Film Festival sets sail aboard historic French ship

Caption Eoin Carroll of the Defence Forces; Josselin Le Gall of Alliance Française de Cork; Marianne Barkan-Cowdy deputy head of mission; Stephan Delaux, Bordeaux Tourisme, Valérie David-McGonnell, president of Alliance Française de Cork; Mathieu Combot captain of The Belem and deputy lord mayor Cllr Damien Boylan at the Cork French Film Festival launch on board the tall ship The Belem on Kennedy Quay. Picture: Gerard McCarthy Photography

A magnificent French sailing ship that is steeped in history played a starring role at the launch of the Cork Film Festival.

Details of what will be the 33rd festival were unveiled on board the Belem, the 126-year-old sail training ship which glided into the Port of Cork’s city quays on Tuesday morning.

The deputy head of mission from the Embassy of France in Ireland, Marianne Barkan-Cowdy, was among the guests on board who heard this year’s festival will run from September 1 to 4 at the Gate Cinema, with 11 films crossing a variety of genres from comedy, drama, thrillers and romance — all celebrating French cinema, and some of the greatest ever Francophone film directors and actors.

And this year, a 12th film will be screened for post-primary schools, on September 27 and 28.

The festival programme has been curated and managed by Green Ray Film Agency and the festival has been directed by Josselin Le Gall and Valérie David-McGonnell for Alliance Française de Cork.

Mr Le Gall, the honorary consul of France in Cork, Kerry and Waterford, and a member of the board of directors of Alliance Française de Cork, said the ship was the perfect setting for the launch.

“She is a beautiful ship with a fantastic history and we are delighted to bring her to Cork. It’s a perfect way to start the 33rd French Film Festival in the city, where we celebrate the magic of cinema and all that is great about French culture,” he said.

Fascinating history

The Belem has a fascinating history worthy of her own movie.

Having escaped volcanic eruptions in the Caribbean, and serving as a luxury yacht, she became the property of the Guinness Family in 1922, and was renamed the Fantôme II.

The Hon AE Guinness sailed the seven seas with his daughters on board the vessel in 1923.

The vessel changed hands, and names over the years before returning to her home port in France as the Belem in January 1979.

She is now owned by the Fondation Belem, fully restored as a sail training ship, and in 1984, she was given the title of French Historical Monument.

Valérie David-McGonnell and Josselin Le Gall. Picture: Gerard McCarthy Photography

This year’s French film festival will open with a celebration of French cuisine with the screening of Delicieux, set right before the French Revolution in 1789, with audiences set to be treated to some light bites courtesy of the Imperial Hotel, Cameron Bakery and Hegarty’s Cheese.

President of Alliance Française de Cork Valérie David-McGonnell said the programme covers a wide variety of genres and themes, with a chance to see some fantastic French and Belgian films on the big screen.

The full programme is available on www.corkfrenchfilmfestival.com. Tickets are on sale at The Gate Cinema, and online at www.gatecinemas.com.

The festival is supported this year by Cork City Council through its Arts Office, the Embassy of France in Ireland, the Embassy of Belgium in Ireland, Amarenco, Eurotranslations, Cameron Bakery, the Imperial Hotel, and Hegarty’s Cheese, and the festival partners include The Gate Cinema, Institut Français, and  l'Association Irlandaise des Professeurs de Langue Française.