The Belfast Film Festival gears up for its strongest year yet as the 19th programme was launched at the Black Box Belfast last week.
The festival will take place from 11th April to 20th April and this year it will screen 90 feature films and 80 shorts over 10 days, the programme is packed with premieres, international talent, new local work, events and special guests. It is anticipated that this year’s event will attract more visitors than ever.
“I am thrilled to finally unveil the programme for this year’s Belfast Film Festival. It includes a fantastic mix of global and local, with a huge range of events from
pop up puppet theatre to an event with one of the biggest movie stars in the world.“We’ve seen Belfast Film Festival grow from strength to strength over the years and it has now become a cornerstone of the Belfast events calendar, bringing in tourists to the city and adding a real boost to the local economy.
“The sustained growth of Belfast Film Festival year on year just goes to show the passion and desire for quality cinema here in Belfast.”
Michele Devlin ( Director of Belfast Film Festival)
Special Guests Galore
In a real coup for the organisers, superstar of Indian film, Aamir Khan will travel to Belfast to take part in the festival, in his first ever visit to Ireland. One of the world’s most successful actors, directors and producers. He is well known internationally for his humanitarian work and will take part in an “In Conversation” event in the Waterfront Hall main auditorium.
Aamir Khan’s prolific career spans thirty years in film and he has a staggering 24 million
Other special guests visiting this year include the star of Angela’s Ashes and Trainspotting Robert Carlyle who will be in Belfast to receive the Outstanding Contribution to Film award and take part in a public Q&A.
“This year’s Belfast Film Festival is a real celebration of all that is great about cinema. With films from 34 different countries, this year’s programme is a truly exciting blend of cultures and styles.
“To kick that off we are honoured to have the incredible film star and humanitarian, Aamir Khan as our guest of honour. If you haven’t seen his films this is a perfect opportunity to treat yourself. His epic entertainments have the spirit of Frank Capra movies and he draws on the very best of Hindi film.
This will be his first visit to Ireland and we are so proud that he has chosen Belfast as the place where he will spend most of his time.”
Mark Cousins, Chair of the Belfast Film Festival)
Celebrating Local Talent and Special Events.
One of Ireland’s most celebrated directors, Lenny Abrahamson will attend the festival. Abrahamson directed Room which received multiple Oscar nominations in 2015 and other acclaimed films including What Richard Did (2012) and Frank (2014).
Local talent will be celebrated on the Festival’s opening night with a special cast and crew screening of A Bump Along the Way written by Tess McGovern and directed by Shelly Love, the new movie stars Derry born Bronagh Gallagher and is produced by her sister Louise Gallagher.4
special events include a screening of Strictly Ballroom in the Titanic Hotel
There’s also the return of regular events like the BFF Quiz, Film Devour and Cinema Sports as well as the highly a
Tickets for all screenings can be booked through the festival’s online box-office and a festival pass is also available – buy one here!