Sail la vie!

A 126 year old French sailing ship cruised into town this week for the launch of the 33rd Cork French Film Festival.

Mooring at the Port of Cork on Tuesday, the Belem welcomed onboard the Deputy Head of Mission from the Embassy of France in Ireland, Marianne Barkan-Cowdy, to launch the 4 day event.

The festival will run from today, Thursday, to this Sunday at the Gate Cinema and features 11 films crossing a variety of genres from comedy, drama, thrillers and romance. A 12th film will be screened especially for post-primary schools on 27 and 26 September.

Festival director and member of the Board of Directors of Alliance Française de Cork, Josselin Le Gall, said: “We cannot think of a more fitting launch of the 33rd Cork French Film Festival than aboard the Belem. She is a beautiful ship with a fantastic history and we are delighted to bring her to Cork.”

Having once escaped volcanic eruptions in the Caribbean, before sailing the 7 seas under AE Guinness, the Belem is now a fully restored sail training ship and is recognised as a French historical monument.

The full programme for the 33rd Cork French Film Festival is available at corkfrenchfilmfestival.com. Tickets are on sale at The Gate Cinema, and online at gatecinemas.com.