A thrilling new Irish language feature film received its UK Premiere at the 21st Belfast Film Festival on Thursday evening.
‘Doineann’ the Irish for ‘stormy weather’, stars Belfast-born actress Bríd Brennan and ‘Love/Hate’ actor Peter Coonan. The cast, along with director Damian McCann and writer Aislinn Clarke attended the Gala Premiere.
The tense thriller tells the story of the disappearance of a woman and her baby son on a remote island. The husband enlists the assistance of retired policewoman Brennan to help find his family before the storm hits the island.
Doineann was created by the multi-award-winning film production company DoubleBand Films, with the support of the Irish Language Broadcast Fund, BBC Gaeilge and TG4.
Actress Bríd Brennan was also honoured on Wednesday evening as Stephen Rea presented her with the Reálta Award for Outstanding Contribution to Cinema on behalf of Belfast Film Festival.
Producer of Doineann and Managing Director of DoubleBand, Dermot Lavery said:
“It is thrilling to be able to finally bring Doineann to the big screen. This has been a long time in the making and like many other recent productions, made during the pandemic with the additional challenges that brought with it. I would like to pay tribute to the Doineann team – both cast and crew – who went above and beyond in the making of this film.
“I also hope that it opens people’s eyes to the huge potential for modern Irish language feature films that will appeal to new and diverse audiences.”
Director of Belfast Film Festival, Michele Devlin said:
“We were so delighted to host the Gala Premiere of DoubleBand Film’s debut Irish language feature film. It’s another exciting stage for Irish language film-making as we witness new voices like Aislinn Clarke’s, bring new writings and genres through the medium.
“I have been a huge fan of Bríd Brennan’s work since I watched her captivating performance in Anne Devlin many years ago, and she has continued to enthral audiences throughout her career since. What a thrilling moment when Stephen Rea joined us last night to present Bríd with the Reálta Award for Outstanding Contribution to Irish Film. We couldn’t be prouder.”
Doineann will go on theatrical release in the new year.
Running from 4-13 November, Belfast Film Festival is proudly sponsored by Birra Moretti, Hastings Hotels and supported by Northern Ireland Screen, Belfast City Council, Department for Communities, Tourism NI, Film Hub NI.
Film screenings and events will take place both online and in cinemas and venues across Belfast including Odeon Cinema, Queen’s Film Theatre, The Strand Cinema and Common Market.