Today the Belfast Film Festival has launched its 2023 programme with a line-up that includes the biggest films of both the Cannes and Venice film festival and seven Best International Feature Oscar selections.

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As previously reported, the Opening and Closing Galas, All Of Us Strangers and Poor Things, are two of the most hotly anticipated films of 2023. In its second year, the International Competition (sponsored by Yellowmoon) has reached new heights with six debut features and two accomplished second features. These include the winner of Cannes’ coveted Un Certain Regard Award, Molly Manning Walker’s How To Have Sex, and the winner of the Camera D’Or, Pham Thien An’s Inside The Yellow Cocoon Shell.

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NEW CINEMA STRAND

Showcasing the best of new cinema both in Ireland and Internationally, the New Cinema strand has some of the most anticipated, bold and exciting films on the festival circuit. The strand includes William Oldroyd’s Eileen starring Anne Hathaway and Thomasin McKenzie, as well as Christos Nikou’s dystopian romance Fingernails starring Jessie Buckley and Riz Ahmed. Continuing the theme of Cannes award winners, the New Cinema strand includes Justine Triet’s Palme D’Or awardee Anatomy Of A Fall, and Jonathan Glazer’s Grand Prix champion The Zone of Interest. The strand also includes the Northern Ireland Screen funded thriller Lie Of The Land and Scottish feature Silent Roar, featuring the debut performance from Belfast actor Louis McCartney.

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JOHN SAYLES AND MAGGIE RENZI

As previously reported, the festival will not only have world-renowned writer-director John Sayles and producer Maggie Renzi in Belfast for a conversation about their lives and work, which will be hosted by Donald Clarke from The Irish Times, but they will also be jointly presented with the festival’s prestigious Réalta award for Outstanding Contribution to Film. The festival will also be showcasing some of their finest films, including the Donegal-set The Secret of Roan Inish, as well as Lone Star, Matewan and Men With Guns.

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WORK IN PROGRESS

The festival will have two work-in-progress screenings: Fréamhacha and Kneecap. Fréamhacha is Aislinn Clarke’s newest Irish language horror project that tells the story of agency carer Shoo, who is assigned out to look after elderly and frail Peig. The two women forge a bond, but past traumas from both their lives are woken and memories and nightmares merge into one. Fine Point Films will be bringing footage to the festival for a special preview event of Kneecap, a film focusing on the West Belfast hip hop trio (Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap and DJ Próvaí) that have been making headlines with their provocative and political lyrics, as well as their colourfully controversial murals. The black-comedy Kneecap, the origin-story of the group, will premiere early next year.

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SHORTS

This year, the Belfast Film Festival has pioneered the Long Short Weekend which brings together shorts, filmmakers, and audiences for a weekend of short film screenings including the Shorts Competition sponsored by Screenskills, and the Northern Ireland Screen Showcase.

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SOLIDARITY WITH THE WORKERS

Extending solidarity to those striking in the entertainment industry and elsewhere, there is a section dedicated to the related themes of industrial action and work practices including a showcase of some of the year’s most provocative, mischievous and subversive films titled Kill Your Job Before It Kills You.

For the Werk! even in the atmospheric industrial setting of Riddel’s Warehouse, built heritage and on-screen social history are brought together, with a live soundtrack from Marion Hawkes (Ponyhawke/Sound Advice). Prepare to join the workers’ party!

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Jess Kiang, International Programmer for the festival, released a statement saying:

After the roaring success of our inaugural International Competition last year I am excited to return with another showcase of eight stunning films made by emerging filmmakers from around the world. I’m also hugely excited about the Kill Your Job Before It Kills You section, which exemplifies our spirit of resistance to inequality and injustice in the workplace. This could not be more in keeping with our pleasure in honouring pioneering US filmmakers John Sayles and Maggie Renzi, who have forged together a truly independent, varied and fearlessly political career.

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Rose Baker, UK and Ireland Programmer for the festival, added:

This programme is so packed that it is difficult to pick just a few highlights. The 16mm Century celebrates the centenary year of the 16mm format. We are also very proud to have two amazing work-in-progress events which showcase some of the best and most original work happening in film in Northern Ireland, with Aislinn Clarke’s Fréamhacha and Fine Point’s Kneecap. We’re also working on archive film events which will be very special, thanks to amazing support from Northern Ireland Screen’s Digital Film Archive and BBC NI. It is an exceptional programme and we can’t wait for people to experience it.

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Belfast Film Festival is funded by Northern Ireland Screen, Belfast City Council, the Department for Communities, Film Hub NI, and Arts and Business NI, and is proudly sponsored by Yellowmoon, Birra Moretti and Hastings Hotels. To see the full programme, as well as how to book tickets, just go to the Belfast Film Festival website.