The European premiere of the award-winning Irish film, Float like a Butterfly from writer and director Carmel Winters, will be this year’s Opening Night Gala film of the 63rd Cork Film Festival on November 9. This year’s Closing Night Gala is the Irish premiere of Nadine Labaki’s multi-award-winning film Capernaum on November 18.

Float Like a Butterfly is an inspirational coming-of-age story of an Irish girl from the Travelling community and the pursuit of her dream to be a boxer. It won the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) prize for the Discovery program at the Toronto International Film Festival last month.

Nadine Labaki’s sensational film Capernaum, which took the Jury Prize at Cannes Film Festival, and Audience Awards at further international festivals, is set in Beirut and tells the courageous story of a 12-year-old boy who sues his parents for bringing him into a world of poverty.

Festival Producer and CEO Fiona Clark said: “We are thrilled to be premiering these two significant films, directed by two outstanding female directors, in Cork. Their stories reflect and resonate with the times we live in – life on the margins of society seen through the eyes of a child; the reality of personal and social struggles; and the human need to achieve a sense of belonging. We are honoured to share these films with our audience at the 63rd Cork Film Festival.”