In an unprecedented turn of events, it has been announced that Mick Hannigan, who has been in charge of the Cork Film Festival for 30 years, and his colleague Una Feely, festival programmer, have both been dismissed from their positions by the festival board.
Board Chairperson Denis McSweeney - who was unavailable for comment with IFTN today - cited the ‘financial position of the company’ as the reason for the redundancies but maintained that the festival will go ahead in November.
This news follows Corona’s departure as sponsors and the decision by the executive and Board to hold an internal company review of the organisation’s funding model in advance of any submission for Arts Council funding for the 2013 festival.
A spokesperson for the Arts Council confirmed there was no delay in granting funds on their part, and that there was a a ‘planned deferral’ by the festival Board on applying for funding, pending the results of their own internal company review.
Mr Hannigan and Ms Feely both dispute the reasons for their redundancies, which they were informed of on 15th March, pointing to the fact that the 2012 festival achieved 25,000 admissions, was attended by 250 guests and achieved a 10% increase in ticket sales.
The festival Board will not be paying redundancy to Mr Hannigan or Ms Feely, a decision which appears to have prompted board member Frances Lynch to resign in protest.
In a statement, Mr Hannigan questioned the reasoning for the redundancies:
‘The company was funded to March 31st. There is every reasonable expectation that the Arts Council will continue to fund the event as they have without fail since 1986. Yet staff were laid off in February and I was instructed not to make any submission to the Council which would enable a funding decision in March. This resulted in a spurious funding crisis being created, resulting in the removal of the management and programming team. The Chairman has told us that the company intend advertising for new staff. If the financial difficulties were genuine this would not be happening.’
Ms Feely added: ‘We are devastated to have been treated this way following a most successful festival in November last, one widely praised.’
Arts Council funding figures for 2012 show that the Cork Film Festival received €160,000 - the same amount as the Galway Film Fleadh.
Mr McSweeney said in a brief statement: ‘The review showed that our current structure is simply unsustainable. As part of this, the positions of CEO and Festival Programmer have become redundant.’
Mr Hannigan, who worked as Festival Director since 1986, became CEO in 2009 and has served as a member of the Irish Film Board. Ms Feely worked with the festival since 1995 and was festival programmer since 2001.