WFT is delighted to host two panels at the Cork International Film Festival (CIFF) Industry Days, which will be online for free in its 65th edition in November.
‘In Her Own Voice’ | Women talk film (LIVE)
Presented in partnership with CIFF with support from the BAI, this session celebrates the recent successes and accomplishments of Irish female filmmakers, and the positive initiatives and structural changes that have occurred in the industry in the recent movement to recognise, encourage and promote women in film began.
This panel is led by our chair Dr. Susan Liddy, and features Cathy Brady (Writer & Director, Wildfire), Ailbhe Keogan (Screenwriter, Run & Jump) and Katie McNeice (Director, In Orbit).
The stream begins November 9th at noon – book your place here.
Changing the Conversation | Parents, Carers and the Irish Screen Industries
Our chair, Dr Susan Liddy (Raising Films Ireland) will be in conversation with producer Ailish Bracken (Chair Raising Films Ireland), writer/director/ producer Roisin Kearney (Run; Paddy, The Ferry) and writer/producer Niall Murphy (Scannain & Raising Films Ireland).
The panel will discuss the ways in which the Irish screen industries can better support parents and carers, and will be available from November 9th at 9:30 am. Register here to watch the discussion.
First Take
These talks fall under the banner of First Take, a training and development platform for newly established film professionals, emerging filmmakers, film and media students, and the wider film industry, comprising case studies, presentations and panel discussions. Sessions at First Take 2020 will focus on Irish feature film The Bright Side (world premiering at CIFF2020), the current state of play for festival programming, and the challenges presented by film production in the age of COVID-19.
Sessions will take place on Monday 9th November, and then will be available for catch-up on the CIFF @home online platform until Sunday 15 November.
Doc Day
Make sure to book your place online for Doc Day 2020, which has an exciting programme of events available to view and participate online from Tuesday November 10th through to the end of the CIFF digital festival on Sunday November 15th, presented in partnership with Screen Ireland/Fís Éireann and supported by Screen Skills Ireland.
Other Unmissable Industry Events
The keynote speaker at the annual documentary-focused Industry Day will be filmmaker and philanthropist Abigail Disney in conversation with Fiona Clark, CEO CIFF. Abigail Disney is the Producer of Pray the Devil Back to Hell and is the executive producer, writer, and director of The Armor of Light, which won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Social Issue Documentary, and which will screen at CIFF this year, alongside new Irish documentary, The 8th, partially funded by Abigail’s production company Fork Films. Abigail will speak about her career in film, her advocacy work, and her philanthropic pursuits in the film world and beyond.
‘Advocacy and Activism in Documentary Distribution’ features co-directors of The 8th Maeve Boyle, Aideen Kane and Lucy Kennedy who will discuss the making of the film, their forthcoming strategic social impact campaign and their experiences releasing The 8th into an almost exclusively digital world. The 8th traces Ireland’s campaign to remove the 8th Amendment, charting a bold strategy of grassroots activism, the film is an urgent narrative, a cautionary tale and a roadmap for progressive reforms in a modern era.
‘The Emotional and Personal Risks of Documentary Filmmaking’ will discuss the unique set of challenges to the mental and emotional health of the filmmaker. Speakers will include Trevor Birney, Producer of No Stone Unturned and Alison Millar, Director of Ceasefire Baby, and others to be announced. This session is presented in partnership with Docs Ireland, Belfast.
In addition to these sessions, a group of seasoned documentary professionals discuss their experiences in ‘Working with your Subjects’ explores the responsibilities towards contributors, building trust, examples of films where this has worked (and hasn’t!), and the ethics of documentary filmmaking. Speakers include Tom Burke, Director, Losing Alaska; Gary Lennon, Co-director, Castro’s Spies (screening at CIFF); and Eimhear O’Neill, Producer, Fine Point Films.
And this really is just the tip of the iceberg. Get yourselves over to Corkfilmfest.org and register for this fantastic line up now.
