16:00
BFF Beanbag Cinema
Belfast · 7 approved listings in the next two weeks.
Friday 30 October 0 listings
That's today done. See tomorrow.
Tuesday 3 November 2 listings
Afternoon 1
Tonight 1
19:00
Maddie’s Secret W/ Normal Cinema Club
Normal Cinema Club is excited to return to Belfast Film Festival with one of the funniest and most heartbreaking films of the year. Maddie Ralph works as a dishwasher at Gourmaybe, a test kitchen/content creation lab, though secretly she dreams of a life as a viral chef, creating reels and recipes for millions of adoring fans. Fortune shines fondly on Maddie and she skyrockets into fame, becoming one of the lab’s on-camera personalities. But soon the success turns sour, and the intense scrutiny that comes with a life lived online manipulates and tortures Maddie’s sense of self. Maddie’s Secret is many things at once: absurdist comedy, razor-sharp satire, deeply sincere melodrama, a love letter to American TV movies as much as John Waters as much as Douglas Sirk – John Early’s ability to walk this tightrope without one false note is what makes the film so singular. Furthermore, he writes, stars, produces and directs in what is sure to be one of the most egregious snubs of the Oscars race. Why? They hate true talent. The cast is rounded out by numerous shining stars: Kate Berlant, Eric Rahill and friend of the club, Conner O’Malley. Simply put, there’s no reason to miss one of the definitive films of our current age. TW: the film contains depictions of disordered eating, self-harm & suicide.
Wednesday 4 November 1 listing
Tonight 1
18:00
Dry Leaf
Filmed entirely on a Sony Ericsson phone – yes, an old one – this is a stylistic exploration of the rich rural landscape of post-Soviet Georgia. Following the story of a man who is searching for his photographer daughter, this low-res film has a distinctly impressionistic aesthetic and painterly quality in the softly pixelated natural world it presents. As he searches for her by following her route in and around the abandoned football pitches she was photographing for a magazine spread, our eyes are opened to the methodical repetition of travel, the meditative and therapeutic connection we have to the world beyond our cities, and the road movie as a chance to slow down and take in the world in all its quiet wonder. This is simultaneously an impressive technical feat and a refreshing reversal of digital advancement, aspects that come together to press pause on the present-day world so it can be truly appreciated.
Friday 6 November 1 listing
Morning 1
11:00
dubh Film Lab: Introduction to Super 8 Film Workshop
An introduction to all aspects of Super 8 film shooting and developing for beginners. Participants: 6 max Level: Beginners The course will be divided into three parts: shooting as a group with a Super 8 camera, processing the film in the darkroom, and viewing the film at the end of the day. This course is aimed at professional visual artists who would like to experiment with photo-chemical moving image in the context of their practice and looks at types of cameras and film stock, covers the essentials for film shooting in different conditions, using the developing equipment and chemistry, and preparing the film for projection and/or digital transfer. All materials are included, you can bring ideas for a 1-minute film and some props, costumes, or objects you would like to include in your film. Previous experience with analogue materials or darkroom photography is an advantage, but not a requirement. Helena Gouveia Monteiro is a visual artist and experimental filmmaker. At Fire Station Artists’ Studios she manages the Media Studio and the recently launched Dubh Film Lab. She manages Dubh Film Lab in Dublin, and is a member of L’Abominable/Navire Argo and Filmwerkplaats. Her new film Laoi Shuibhne|Sweeney’s Lay is currently in production with the support of the film project award from the Arts Council of Ireland. To book, please email boxoffice@belfastfilmfestival.org with a short description of your art practice and a link to your work. DUBH Film Lab at Fire Station Artists’ Studios is a space dedicated to photo-chemical moving image, artists and filmmakers with the facilities and technical knowledge to process their own analogue materials and offering training, equipment, and supplies at affordable rates. Currently the only film lab in Ireland, DUBH allows artists to process their still (35mm and medium format) and moving images (standard 8, super 8, and 16mm), rent cameras and equipment, and receive training through a yearly programme of courses, masterclasses, and workshops. Dubh is part of the Film Labs, a network connecting cooperative and artist-run film labs worldwide. About Fire Station Artists’ Studios: https://www.firestation.ie/about/
Saturday 7 November 2 listings
Morning 1
11:00
The Orange and the Green
Sixty years ago, Ulster Television produced this documentary in what was the 50th anniversary year of the 1916 Easter Rising. A kind of state-of-the-nation assessment, it was produced for a UK audience and discusses how Northern Ireland and the Republic co-exist after partition. With opinion and comment from contributors in Belfast, Dublin & Cork including Denis Ireland, Cathal O’Shannon and an anonymous member of the IRA, among others. The film traces the impact of the Easter Rising on Ireland, and compares the two recently-formed states on social, economic and cultural grounds, asking the question: Will Ireland ever be reunited? Courtesy of the UTV Archive Partnership between Northern Ireland Screen, ITV and PRONI, supported by the Department for Communities.
Afternoon 1
14:00