DOCS Ireland is set to return to Belfast this month for four days of screenings, discussions and special events, live and online, featuring well known names alongside up-and-coming film-makers.
Award-winning director Darren Aronofsky will be a special guest at this year's Doc's Ireland. The US film-maker will be 'in conversation' at QFT on June 30 to discuss his film-making career from Pi, Requiem for a Dream and The Wrestler, as well as his 10-part Earth-themed documentary series One Strange Rock from 2018.
Music and culture are well represented for 2022. Docs Ireland's opening night screening on Wednesday June 29 will be Nothing Compares, Belfast film-maker Kathryn Ferguson's documentary about the life and early career of music star Sinéad O'Connor.
Ferguson will be on-hand for a post-screening Q&A about the film, a hit at this year's Sundance festival which follows O'Connor's rise and fall between 1987 and 1992 while also reflecting on her legacy.
This year's closing night film will be Listening to Kenny G, presented by director Penny Lane. Screening on Saturday July 3, Lane's film takes a deeper look at how the smooth jazz instrumentalist re-imagined this most maligned of genres.
Other music/culture related screenings include Laurent Garnier: Off the Record (QFT, July 2) Gabin Rivoire's film on the house music icon, Tramps! by Kevin Hegge (QFT, June 30), which delves into the new romantic scene in 1980s London, and Songs for Drella (Oh Yeah, July 1), a long lost document of ex-Velvet Underground members Lou Reed and John Cale as they re-united to record the titular album from 1990: Ed Lachman's film also delves into the "life, dreams, aspirations and fears" of the band's 'manager', Andy Warhol.
Northern Ireland-based studio Doubleband will also debut James Joyce's Ulysses (QFT, July 1) at the festival, a film which attempts to unlock the Irish literary great's masterpiece which turned 100 this year.
Elsewhere in the programme, Voyage of Time: The IMAX Experience (Cineworld Belfast, June 30) will transport viewers into a vast yet up-close-and personal journey from the Big Bang to the dinosaur age, through the dawn of humanity and beyond.
Where is Anne Frank? (Odeon Belfast, June 30/ July 2) is an animated piece following the journey of Kitty, the imaginary friend to whom Anne Frank dedicated her diary.
Discussion: The State of Journalism (Crescent Arts Centre, June 30) invites a panel including Gavin Esler, Trevor Birney, Alison Millar and Una Mullally to discuss the position of journalism and documentary film-making in 2022.
The fourth annual Docs Ireland festival will also give emerging film-makers the opportunity to showcase their work, to meet and learn from industry experts through a series of online masterclasses, workshops, panel discussions and 'in-conversation' sessions, and also find routes to broadcast, training and funding for new work.
To that end, the Docs Ireland Northern Ireland Screen Documentary Development Pitch will present six feature documentary project pitches from film-makers across Ireland in a competition to receive a funding award of up to £7,500.
"Every year, we are able to bring leading industry experts and influencers to Docs Ireland to interact with and support our emerging local film-makers," says Docs Ireland director Michele Devlin.
"There are no shortages of talented documentarians on our own island, those who are set on bringing fascinating real life stories to the big screen. We will showcase to the global industry why Irish film-makers are primed to bring new, innovative ideas to the world of documentary making.
"The Docs Ireland Marketplace is a real opportunity for any aspiring film-maker to meet with leading international documentary industry decision-makers, funders, broadcasters, distributors and exhibitors on a one-to-one basis. They generously give their time to help participants develop their own documentary projects, as well as foster new relationships and opportunities between local and international networks.
"This year's fulsome programme of screenings and events promises to be one for budding film-makers and documentary enthusiasts alike and we look forward to welcoming audiences back to five days of film excellence across Belfast."
:: Docs Ireland runs from Wednesday June 29 to Saturday July 3. See docsireland.ie for full programme details
