Best of 2021

Kenneth Branagh at Harland & Wolff cranes 'Samson and Goliath' ahead of the Irish premiere of his critically acclaimed film BELFAST. Pictured are the stars of the film: Kenneth is pictured with Ciaran Hinds, Caitriona Balfe, Jude Hill, Jamie Dornan and Lewis McAskie. BELFAST opened The 21st Belfast Film Festival on 4th November 2021 at a red carpet event co-hosted by Northern Ireland Screen at The Waterfront Hall.
Kenneth Branagh's BELFAST opened The 21st Belfast Film Festival on 4th November 2021 at a red carpet event co-hosted by Northern Ireland Screen at The Waterfront Hall. CLICK ON THE PIC FOR SPECIAL HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NIGHT.

Jude Hill with Catríona Balfe

Jamie Dornan, Amelia Warner

Jude Hill

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Michele Devlin and Brian Henry Martin

Kenneth Branagh, Eamon Holmes, Brian Holmes

Kenneth Branagh

Ciarán Hinds

Catríona Balfe

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Patrick Kielty, Jude Hill

Ciarán Hinds

Lewis McAskie

Vanessa Ifediora

Catríona Balfe

Jamie Dornan

Lord Mayor Kate Nicholl, Lewis McAskie, Catríona Balfe, Kenneth Branagh Jude Hill, Jamie Dornan, Ciaran Hinds, Patrick Kielty, Michele Devlin

Kenneth Branagh, Rotha Johnston, Richard Williams

Brian Henry Martin, Kenneth Branagh, Michele Devlin

Actress Bríd Brennan was presented with the Reálta Award for Outstanding Contribution to Cinema by Stephen Rea on behalf of Belfast Film Festival.

An emotional evening as the documentary 'Lyra' about journalist Lyra McKee screened at the ODEON. Following the screening Patrick Kielty hosted a Q&A with Lyra McKee’s sister, Nichola McKee Corner, Director Alison Millar and Lyra’s partner Sara Canning.

Roy and Noel Spence were also given a lifetime achievement award by Belfast Film Festival’s Kevin Jackson, a fine accolade for the most prolific and inspiring filmmakers in the history of NI Cinema.

We were joined by 'Bring Down The Walls' director Phil Collins, for the screening of his film. Read this fantastic review from DEMETRIOS MATHEOU at Screen Daily.

Winner of BFF21 Short Film Festival competition was Laura Conlon whose film Dear Eibhlin had simply stunning cinematography, imagery, score and sound mix.

Laura Conlon

A gala screening of Village Films new film “Mandrake” was attended by stars of the film Deirdre Mullins, Paul Kennedy, Seamus O’Hara, Nigel O ‘Neill, Ian Beattie and Roisin Gallagher.

Kathy Klugston talked to film journalist Helen O’ Hara about her third book, Women Vs Hollywood: The Fall and Rise of Women in Film.

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.

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‘Here Before’ feature debut by Stacey Gregg and starring Andrea Riseborough closed the 21st Belfast Film Festival. The event was attended by stars Jonjo O’Neill, Eileen O’Higgins, Lewis McAskie and Niamh Dornan in its stellar line-up.

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‘100 Years of Happiness’ at the Common Market Belfast was produced and created by the team at Belfast Film Festival and Docs Ireland. An audio visual film assembled hundreds of clips of people in the north of Ireland investigating and exploring centres of pleasure, nodes of desire, knots of yearning…their capillaries flooded with gratification. The event was hosted by actor Michael Condron and musical accompaniment from The Organauts.

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Marking the 40th year since the Hunger Strikes, and the 20th anniversary of the making of the film, H3 we invited award winning team Les Blair, Writer Laurence Mckeown, Producers Juanita Wilson and James Flynn to attend a special screening and a post show Q&A with host Brian Henry Martin.

H3 Director Les Blair

DJ/Producer Phil Kieran, Stuart Sloan and Sara Gunn-Smith presented their film, The Shapes Between Us, to a sold out audience. The film about NI’s dance music scene from the early 80s through to 1995, saw the Black Box filled with those of us old enough to remember the rave scene that united a generation and rebelled against a country divided by sectarianism and conflict.