The Belfast Film Festival’s activities are entertaining and provocative, and in many instances provide an important platform for debate across the religious, social and cultural divides in Northern Ireland.

The presentation of innovative ways to screen film is one of the festival’s specialities. Films have been screened on a boat in the River Lagan, in beautiful historic buildings like St Anne’s Cathedral with live piano accompaniment, in unique audio visual collaborations with local talent such as Duke Special and David Holmes, and alongside unique architectural and heritage sites such as a screening of A Night To Remember by the famous Thompson dry dock which was the Titanic’s last point on dry land before its maiden voyage.

The Festival promotes film education and practical filmmaking skills and has attracted film industry guests such as John Cusack, Michael Moore, Martin Sheen, Tom Berenger, Peter Mullan, Ciaran Hinds, Albert Maysles, Brid Brennan, Jimmy McGovern, Jim Sheridan, Crispin Glover, Aidan Gillen, Jamie Thraves, Bernard Hill, Kim Longinotto, John Lynch, Margo Harkin, Desmond Bell, Seamus McGarvey, Patricia Quinn, Brendan Gunn, Julie Christie, Brendan Fraser and many others. The Festival showcases both local talent, and the best in new International cinema. Its documentary film competition, The Maysles Brothers Award was launched by documentary legend Albert Maysles in 2006, and its aim is to celebrate the best of new observational documentary work from around the world. The short film competition provides a platform for fledgling film-makers from across the island of Ireland.

STAFF

• Festival Director - Michele Devlin
• Festival Programmer - Stephen Hackett
• Festival Manager - Vittoria Cafolla
• Finance & Administrator - Laura McKeown
• Box Office & Guest Liaison Manager - Mary Lindsay
• Assistant Programmer/Print Transport - Rose Baker
• Maysles Documentary Programmer - Stuart Sloan
• Venue Manager - Jason Mills
• Festival Technician - Andrew Thomas

BOARD MEMBERS

• Kevin Jackson (Festival Chairperson)
• Brian Henry Martin
  
• Louise O’Meara
  
• Mark Cousins
  
• Laurence McKeown
  
• Sarah Jones
  
• Cahal McLaughlin
  

PATRONS

• Stephen Rea
• David Holmes
• Terry George
• Pat Murphy
• William Crawley

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