The Cork Film Festival goes ahead despite difficulties and features the premiere of 'The Country Girls'.
After years of financial constraints, organisers are confident about the future of The Cork Film Festival. The sobriety of the opening reception for the festival reflects austere times in Ireland.
The Cork festival of film is a mere shadow of its former self.
Lack of money and amateur administration have resulted in a much paired back festival.
Director of Cork Film Festival Robin O'Sullivan points to financial constraints of enormous proportions as being the main reason for the cutbacks across the event. With the assistance of the Arts Council, the festival is now starting afresh in financial terms. He acknowledges that challenges still exist for the public perception of the festival and the quality of the programming. He hopes to create a new Cork Film Festival that will showcase new Irish productions and bring the best international cinema to Irish audiences.
The festival programme boasts almost fifty films to be shown in one cinema, The Capitol, over seven days.
With a grant of £10,000 from An Bord Scannán, along with £1,500 raised locally, the festival still has an £8,000 deficit to make up. Crowds flocked to the opening night screening with over a hundred people turned away. Despite some negative press, the cinema going public in Cork remains positive about the role of the festival. One cinema goer says that the choice of films is improving year on year.
The festival included the world premiere of 'The Country Girls' an adaptation of the Edna O'Brien novel which was filmed entirely in Ireland using a fully Irish cast. Desmond Davis who directed 'Country Girls' describes his nervousness watching the reaction of the audience at a premiere.
You can hear an audience reaction very clearly.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 24 October 1983.
