Covid19 guidelines Belfast Film Festival

Welcome back, audiences and friends, to Belfast Film Festival 2021.

We have some key information to keep you up to date with government guidelines and venue protocol.

The legal requirement to socially distance in indoor seated venues has been removed.

This means cinema capacities can operate at 100%.

We will be operating at 100% capacity for the majority of our venues.

However, to ensure the comfort of our guests and proper management of those in attendance, we plan to run at 70% capacity the Waterfront Hall.

Seating will be allocated and to help reduce the need for queuing indoors we strongly encourage customers to purchase tickets online before events.

For track and trace purposes each venue will have a QR code which ALL visitors attending the event will be asked to complete.

For the Waterfront Hall event, seating in the lower terrace and upper terrace section will be reserved for special guests and social distancing can be implemented as necessary under the direction of our stakeholders.

Face coverings are expected throughout all internal building spaces, except when on-stage, eating, drinking or for photography, or unless exempt.

Audiences for indoor events must be seated and guests must remain seated, (unless using facilities).

Dancing is not permitted for audience members.

To limit the risk of transmission additional measures are being taken by venues, including completing a covid status check which will ask for confirmation of:

●     Proof of being fully vaccinated OR

●     Proof of a negative lateral flow rapid test OR

●     Proof of natural immunity from a positive PCR test taken in the previous 30 to180 days.

Customers will be asked to confirm their understanding of the above when purchasing tickets. Visual confirmation of covid status check will take place before entrance to the venue.

The safety of our audiences, staff and guests at the festival is our top priority and we will review government guidelines / venue protocol periodically in the run up to our program in November.

●     There is an enhanced cleaning regime in place at festival venues that includes cleaning in-between screenings and multiple daily touch point cleaning.

●     Hand sanitiser is widely available throughout festival venues.

●     In line with government guidelines, screens will be at full capacity, and we’ll have allocated seating.

●     We strongly recommend that you use the NHS Track and Trace app. Download the NHS COVID app.

●     If you are displaying COVID-19 symptoms please do not attend the event, stay at home and follow NHS guidance.

Ventilation

We will be working with each of the venues to maximize air flow and ensure proper ventilation throughout our events.

The Waterfront Hall venue uses 100% fresh air which is heated or cooled as required by the air handling units to a temperature calculated and controlled by the building management system. Using the principle of displacement ventilation, air is extracted at high levels and discharged from the building.

Following the latest guidance, there is no recirculated air used within the ventilation systems. Fresh air will be supplied to all areas at a minimum rate of 10 litres per second, per person. Toilets will be provided with extract ventilation at the minimum rate of 10 air changes per hour.

Belfast Film Festival will continue to monitor the situation and post updates on this page.