Clark and Mountjoy honoured
Not all is lost for the festivals of Cork in 2020! Cork International Film Festival Director and CEO Fiona Clark, and Cork Jazz Festival founder Jim Mountjoy have been named as Cork Persons’ of the Month for August.
The award marks the contributions Fiona and Jim have made to Cork’s most successful and longest running festivals.
Founded in 1956, Cork International Film Festival (CIFF) is a local, national and international celebration of cinema, running annually in November each year in Cork.
Fiona Clark began her tenure as CEO in 2016, under which the festival has expanded to much acclaim. Fiona has made sure that the festival continually offers new and diverse programmes for younger audiences too, encouraging their involvement in the CIFF year-round. As Ireland’s first and largest film festival prepares to mark its 65th anniversary, Fiona’s work over the last four years has seen the festival go from strength to strength.
Jim Mountjoy, Cork Jazz Festival founder and festival director (1978–1987), established one of Cork’s most anticipated yearly events, taking place annually over the October bank holiday weekend. It has been estimated that over one million fans visited Cork for the jazz festival, with a spend of over €250 million in the Cork economy, with local musicians, hotels, guest houses, bars restaurants, and taxi services benefiting greatly.
Speaking on her success, Fiona said: “Being a part of our international film festival is hugely rewarding. A lot of hard work goes into the festival each year, but it’s the people of Cork that make the film festival so special.”
At the awards presentation Jim said: “It is an honour to be part of a Cork tradition that has added so much to the city’s rich cultural heritage. Every year the festival goes from strength to strength, and I am proud to have played a part in its foundation.”
Awards organiser Manus O’Callaghan said: “Despite Covid-19 interruptions this year, these festivals continue to be Cork’s premier events. The Cork International Film Festival’s 65th Birthday and the Cork Jazz Festival’s 42nd birthday should be celebrated by all Corkonians everywhere.”