The Oscar affiliated festival is set to kick off on Wednesday, November 16th with four days of events, standout premieres, international and home-grown titles scheduled.
Among the premieres are Amma Asante’s ‘A United Kingdom’, starring ‘Gone Girl’ actress Rosamund Pike, which marks its first screening in Northern Ireland.
Irish titles and projects featuring Irish talent include the Cannes Jury Prize Winner 'American Honey' which features the work of leading Irish Cinematographer Robbie Ryan. Documentary 'Armagh Stories: Voices from the Gaol' from Cahal McLaughlin is also screening, as is feature title 'In View' from Ciarán Creagh.
The award-winning documentary ‘Driving with Selvi’ is also set to enjoy its premiere, and tells the story of the former child bride who became South India’s first female taxi driver.
French title ‘The Innocents’ from Anne Fontaine also features and was nominated both for Best Director and Best Actress at the Seattle International Film Festival this year. This war drama sees a young French Cross doctor tend to a group of pregnant nuns who have survived a concentration camp in 1945 Poland.
‘Life Animated’ from Oscar-winning Director Roger Ross Williams (Music by Prudence) follows Owen Suskind as he learns to communicate with his family through becoming immersed in Disney animated films.
Family-oriented screenings include the ‘Moana’, the latest Disney film from the team behind ‘The Little Mermaid’ and ‘The Princess & The Frog’, which features in the programme alongside ‘Rock Dog 3D’ and ‘Paddington’.
The careers of both Forest Whitaker and Muhammad Ali are set to be celebrated as part of the BFI and Film Hub NI Black Star Season.
Special events around this include a screening of ‘Bird’ from Clint Eastwood, which will be accompanied by music from Joseph Leighton Jazz Trio. ‘Knockout! A Weekend with Ali’ looks at the boxer’s visit to Ireland, while ‘When We Were Kings’ explores the 1974 heavyweight championship.
Other event highlights include the festival’s Light in Motion (LIM) awards, sponsored by City of Derry Crystal, set to be celebrated with the ‘From Shorts to Features’ conference on Saturday 19 November at the Nerve Centre.
John Maclean (Slow West), Tony Cranstoun (Love, Rosie) and Ciáran McMenamin (Made In Belfast) are among those confirmed to attend.
The festival closes Sunday, November 20th with ‘The Eagle Huntress’ from Otto Bell, a documentary engaging with nomadic girl Aisholpan’s journey to become modern-day Mongolia’s first female eagle hunter. This project is narrated by Daisy Ridley (Star Wars).
