Leading French actor Mathieu Amalric, best known in Ireland for his role as the villain in the James Bond film Quantum of Solace, will open the Cork French Film Festival next month.

Amalric, who received an Oscar nomination for his performance in The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, will be in Cork for the duration of the festival, running from March 1st to 8th.

An acclaimed director, Amalric, who has worked with Steven Spielberg, Wes Anderson and Alain Resnais, won the Best Director Award in Cannes in 2010 for his debut, On Tour.

He will open the Cork French Film Festival - now in its 26th year - with his latest film, The Blue Room. The venue is the Gate Cinema, which will host some 16 feature screenings.

Festival director Paul Bloom said Amalric has become "one of the finest actors in modern cinema", as well as making a name for himself as an accomplished filmmaker.

Master class

Amalric will give a master class in acting and directing during his visit to the festival, which will also feature a retrospective of his work both as actor and director.

“We can’t wait to sit down and talk with this brilliant and adventurous artist and feature a wonderfully eclectic retrospective of his work,” said Mr Bloom.

Among the other features of this year’s programme sure to attract interest are the Oscar-nominated Timbuktu, about Islamic jihadists occupying an African village.

Other notables include Canadian director Xavier Dolan's latest offering, Mommy, and the Irish premiere of Wildlife, directed by Cedric Kahn.

Artist Tomi Ungerer, Alsace-born but a West Cork resident, will present a screening of Moonman, based on his classic children's book and made by Irish company Cartoon Studio.

Other events include a screening of the 1927 surreal silent classic L’invitation au Voyage at the Farmgate in the English Market, which will be transformed into a Parisian den for the occasion.

For further information, see corkfrenchfilmfestival.com