Five Irish films will receive their world premiere at the 77th annual Cannes Film Festival, between May 14th – 25th, during a fortnight that also sees over 20 Irish projects selling at the festival’s marketplace and an Irish delegation of over 200 industry personnel travelling from Ireland.
Among these is Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin T.D., who will attend the business marketplace of the Cannes Film Festival – the Marché du Film – on Friday to meet with international industry stakeholders, and to promote Ireland and France’s recent co-production partnership.
The five Irish films receiving their world premiere at Cannes, include two Screen Ireland-supported projects that are selected for Official Competition and Un Certain Regard - Ali Abassi’s The Apprentice and Ariane Labed’s September Says, respectively.
Irish director Lorcan Finnegan’s The Surfer will receive its world premiere in the Midnight Screenings strand. On Becoming a Guinea Fowl will screen in Un Certain Regard and Yorgos Lanthimos’ highly anticipated latest film Kinds of Kindness is in Official Competition. Dublin-based Element Pictures produced both these films, as well as September Says – a remarkable feat for an Irish production company.
Irish talent in front of and behind the camera is further represented across the festival this year, with the selection of Andrea Arnold’s Bird in Official Competition, starring Barry Keoghan and shot by Academy Award-nominated cinematographer Robbie Ryan.
Screen Ireland will return to manage the Irish Pavilion at the Marché du Film this year, to support the delegation of over 200 Irish producers and filmmakers as they meet with international sales agents and distributors to sell their films internationally, and pitch new projects to potential production partners.
Minister Catherine Martin to promote European co-production and France/Ireland feature film partnership
European co-production forms a key part of the business conducted at the Cannes Film Festival – with Irish producers meeting European co-production partners to discuss potential projects, as well as new ways of cooperating across national film funds.
In partnership with France’s CNC and the Embassy of Ireland in France, Screen Ireland will host a networking event on Friday to highlight the recent Cinematic Co-Production Agreement between France and Ireland, which commenced in July 2023. Minister Martin will speak at the event, which is designed to bring together Irish and French producers to discuss potential project collaborations.
Speaking about the Irish contingent at Cannes, Minister Catherine Martin said: “I would like to extend my congratulations to the creative teams behind the five Irish films that will premiere at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, and to Barry Keoghan and Robbie Ryan whose work will also be showcased at the festival. The Irish screen industry continues to go from strength to strength and Cannes is an important annual promotional and business platform. The Cinematic Co-Production Agreement we signed with France has now come into effect and will support the development of closer working relationships with French producers and production companies.”
Irish Pavilion at the Marché du Film
The Irish Pavilion will promote over 20 projects actively selling in the marketplace, as well as many more coming to market in the coming months. These projects include animated feature film Niko: Beyond the Northern Lights, Irish co-production The Damned, award-winning documentary The Flats, and upcoming Irish-language horror film Fréwaka.
“The Marché du Film represents a valuable business opportunity for Irish producers and filmmakers. Screen Ireland’s priority this week is to support the development of film production partnerships between Ireland and international partners, particularly with European co-producers. The Cannes Film Festival showcases a very strong presence for Irish film this year, and we’re proud to showcase the breadth of Irish film coming to the international market,” said Screen Ireland CEO, Désirée Finnegan. “Screen Ireland is delighted to welcome Minister Martin to the Irish Pavilion at the Marché du Film this year. Through the Irish Pavilion, we will continue to highlight Ireland’s strong offering as a global production hub – particularly in terms of creative talent and highly skilled crew.”
This year, Screen Ireland will also host international networking opportunities between Ireland and countries like France, New Zealand, and Australia.
Click here for more information about the 77th Cannes Film Festival.
