FROM talks by award-winning actors, directors and producers to the premiere of new feature films, interactive-film-inspired events and special screenings of classic films, the Belfast Film Festival celebrates its 20th year with a packed programme of more than 100 events for film lovers.
Running from April 1-9, the festival kicks off with the Irish premiere of 1990s comedy drama Our Ladies, which finds six Catholic teenage choir girls cutting loose in Edinburgh. The film will be introduced by its director Michael Caton-Jones.
Other special festival guests include:
:: John Lloyd, who is best known for creating the television programmes Spitting Image, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Blackadder and QI.
:: Multi-award-winning actress Lesley Manville (Phantom Thread, Ordinary Love), who is currently starring in the National Theatre production of the critically acclaimed production The Visit, will be in conversation in Belfast's MAC theatre on April 8.
:: Academy Award-winning cinematographer Christian Berger (The White Ribbon), who will host a masterclass for a small group of aspiring film-makers.
:: Belfast-born actor Michael Smiley (Luther, Spaced) will be in town too, as will film critic and writer Kim Newman, who will delve into the history of horror movies.
:: Oscar winning producer, Jeremy Thomas (The Last Emperor) will participate in a special event with Belfast film-maker Mark Cousins, who is showcasing his film Women Make Film: A New Road Movie Through Cinema.
Cousins's epic 14-hour cinematic lecture takes audiences on a celebratory tour of movie history using excerpts from films directed by women. It will be screened in three instalments.
Also debuting is Arracht, a tense Irish thriller set in 1845 on the eve of the Great Famine, from director Tom Sullivan. As the famine tightens its grip, a fisherman is hunted for crimes he did not commit. Unable to protect his family from death, he is subsumed by darkness until a helpless little girl saves him from despair.
Fans of international film can enjoy Adam, from Moroccan director Maryam Touzani, who will be in attendance for a Q&A following the screening.
Of course, movie fans can expect a wide and eclectic range of film-related events, from the ever popular Belfast Film Festival Quiz, to The Cat Video Festival, a quirky celebration of cat videos, and the screening of the aquatic-themed animation Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation, on board HMS Caroline.
Other highlights include the reworking of classic children's film The Red Balloon, with live soundtrack from French musicians François Ripoche, Lætitia Shériff and Stephanie Louvain and the screening of the American gospel music documentary Say Amen, Somebody at Rosemary Street Church, with a live performance by The Belfast Community Gospel Choir before the film.
The festival will close with a hotly anticipated gala screening of Black Medicine, the debut thriller from Belfast film-maker Colum Eastwood. Shot in the north, it tells the story of a medic who carries out illegal operations for the criminal underworld.
Speaking at the festival launch, Eastwood said that having his film shown at the Belfast Film Festival was "a dream come true".
"The film has been a long time in production and we are still finishing it off, so I’m excited and nervous to be able to show it to a local audience in a few weeks’ time," he said.
"I wouldn’t have reached this point without brilliant support from the Film Festival and also NI Screen, who support aspiring film-makers in bringing debut films through from concept to production. There is a huge amount of talent here locally and I think it’s a really exciting time to be working in film.”
This message was echoed by director of Belfast Film Festival Michele Devlin who said she was proud to be showing off the best of indigenous film-making talent and introducing international talent to Belfast.
"Since the launch of the festival in 2000 the film and TV industry in Northern Ireland has flourished and we have world-class film and TV projects now filmed here by the likes of HBO and Netflix," she said.
"This has not happened by accident and our sector has been working steadily over the past two decades to ensure Belfast is an attractive location for production companies to make films."
:: For full programme and ticket details visit Belfastfilmfestival.org
