French film icon to grace Cork summer fest

Minds have been blown with the confirmation that one of France’s most renowned film stars will appear in person on Leeside as part of the 2026 Cork Midsummer Festival.

French film icon Isabelle Huppert, the star of more than 120 pictures during her illustrious career, will give the opening words for this year’s festival’s expanded literature programme.

On 14 June, Ms Huppert will bring her unmistakable voice to a rare live reading of a selection of work from a defining figure of French literature, Guy de Maupassant, at Devere Hall, UCC.

Collaborating with acclaimed directors across both stage and screen, Isabelle Huppert has garnered numerous awards, including the Special Golden Lion Award at the 2005 Venice Film Festival, and two Best Actress awards at the Cannes Festival. In 2017, she was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress for the film ‘Elle’.

Born in 1850, Guy de Maupassant was considered a master of the short story. In his work, ordinary lives shift suddenly into revelation - moments of irony, cruelty, and unexpected tenderness. Whether it’s his most famous works, such as ‘Le parure’ (The Necklace), or his lesser-known stories, like ‘Le bonheur’ (Happiness), Ms Huppert will bring her love of Maupassant’s naturalistic language, insightful characters, and ingenious plots to the stage in her tribute to what she calls “one of the greatest writers in the history of literature”.

The 2026 Cork Midsummer Festival runs over ten days from 12-21 June, featuring over 50 events and performances from international and Irish artists.

This year’s expanded literature programme was developed by Cork Midsummer Festival in partnership with UCC to create a unique strand of events that feature cross artform collaborations, performance, and conversation.

Also taking place on 14 June will be, ‘Said the Dead’, a live reading and music performance by writer and poet, Doireann Ní Ghríofa, and composer Linda Buckley. The performance will take place at Atkins Hall on the Lee Road from 3pm.

Later in the week, on 17 June, writer Pat McCabe will again join forces with artists Michael Lightborne and David Murphy to present ‘Home Entertainment’; a sonic and spoken durational event unfolding over four hours.

This year's keynote lecture will come from the award-winning author of ‘Minor Detail’, Adania Shibli, on repetition and the absence of words. A profound speaker on war, memory, identity, language, and aesthetics, Shibli draws on her work as a novelist and essayist to explore the relationship between narrative, silence and power.

Cork Midsummer Festival is principally funded by The Arts Council and Cork City Council.