The 18th Belfast Film Festival ended with another packed day before finishing off with two sold out screenings of The Dig!
Amanda Coogan: Long Now, a documentary following performance artist Amanda Coogan who prepares for and performs daily for six hours a day, five days a week. Amanda and director Paddy Cahill were in attendance and gave an introduction to the documentary. Doubleband hosted a Double Bill of Belfast Boxers and Monkey Love before we screened Nicky Keogh’s Wonderful World of Animals: a collection of short films which show the wonder of wildlife. Emmy award winning screenwriter Ron Hutchinson held a workshop for young filmmakers and screenwriters who had an idea for a script. They pitched their idea to Ron and he responded with thoughts and constructive criticism.
Over in the Moviehouse we screened two-time Academy Award nominee Don Hertzfeldt’s World of Tomorrow: Parts 1 and 2. And in the Strand Arts Centre we screened Erkling, a Northern Irish short film about a young couple facing a malevolent entity in the woods before Arcadia, a film constructed by Paul Wright, who scoured 100 years of footage from the BFI.
Our Closing Night film, The Dig, sold out two screens in the Moviehouse, Dublin Road and boasted an incredible line up of Northern Irish talent. Directed by Andy and Ryan Tohill, written by Stuart Drennan and produced by Brian J. Falconer, The Dig tells the story of Ronan Callahan, who returns home after spending fifteen years in prison for murder and finds the victim’s father searching for the body. Brian Henry Martin presented Andy and Ryan with a golden shovel before we packed out the Marcus Ward at our after party, sponsored by Birra Moretti and Jawbox Gin!