Belfast Film Festival is proud to honour one of Ireland’s most cherished and enduring actors, Stephen Rea, with this year’s Réalta Award.
A long-time friend and supporter of the festival, Rea needs no introduction. Adored by audiences and admired across film, television and theatre alike, he has given us five extraordinary decades of unforgettable performances. Rea’s achievements speak for themselves: three IFTA Awards, an Academy Award nomination, three BAFTA nominations, and the BAFTA for Best Supporting Actor in 2015. His iconic screen credits include The Crying Game, Michael Collins, The Butcher Boy, In Dreams, Interview with the Vampire, Breakfast on Pluto and Greta. This year, audiences can catch him in Sean Murray’s The Lost City, which opens this year’s Belfast Film Festival (Thurs 29th October – pg 9), and Dallan Shovlin’s You’ll Never Believe Who’s Dead (Tues 3rd November – pg 12).
His impact on Irish theatre runs just as deep. In 1980, Rea co-founded the Field Day Theatre Company alongside Tom Paulin, Brian Friel, Seamus Heaney and Seamus Deane, helping shape a defining chapter in Irish cultural life. He continues to grace the stages of the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, the Royal Court and the National Theatre in London, and will bring Samuel Beckett’s Krapp’s Last Tape to Théâtre de la Ville – Paris Les Abbesses from 3–7 November 2026.
Join us for an unmissable In Conversation event with Stephen Rea, followed by the presentation of the Réalta Award – a fitting celebration of a truly remarkable career in Irish and international film, television and theatre. We are absolutely delighted to honour Stephen at this year’s Belfast Film Festival.