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Belfast Film Festival Belfast Film Festival 2025
Film events, screenings and festival in Northern Ireland. https://linktr.ee/belfastfilmfestival

In 2005, Belfast Film Festival presented a publication, and a programme of film and discussion, entitled Film & Racism. ...
23/10/2026

In 2005, Belfast Film Festival presented a publication, and a programme of film and discussion, entitled Film & Racism. In light of the growing racist violence we have seen in our city and beyond in the past few years, we have decided to revisit this programme. This time naming it Film & Anti-racism, the intention is to discuss how cinema can be an active tool towards anti-racism in society.

Swipe to discover the films and events 👉

⚗️ Panel: How Can Cinema Be A Tool For Anti-Racism? – Sat 7 Nov, 3pm
In 2005, the Belfast Film Festival curated a series of screenings and commissioned a publication on racism in Belfast. This was in response to multiple media outlets describing the city as ‘the most racist’ in the world, and was an attempt to understand how cinema and the moving image can be intertwined with race and racism.This panel discussion brings together activist, community workers and film scholars to discuss the question posed and how cinema might fill a vacuum, on a community level, where our own political system has failed.

The panel will comprise of creative & cultural economy scholar and author Dr Kim-Marie Spence, filmmaker, writer and project coordinator; Dr Elspeth Vischer, researcher and film programmer Tabassum Islam Susmi and film and borders researcher Claire Mullaly.

Kim-Marie Spence Tabassum Islam Susmi Elspeth Vischer

⚗️ Ali: Fear Eats The Soul – Fri 30 Oct, 6pm, Beanbag Cinema
Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s New German Cinema classic follows Emmi, a 60‑year‑old widow whose mundane life as a cleaning lady is unexpectedly transformed when she happens upon a bar frequented by immigrants and meets Ali, a young Moroccan man. Rainer Werner Fassbinder

⚗️ Prosecution – Thurs 5 Nov, 7pm The Avenue Cinema
The flaws and power structures of the German legal system are revealed to a young prosecutor after she becomes the victim of a racist attack. When Seyo Kim pursues her own case through the courts, she comes up against an impersonal bureaucratic machine that fails to acknowledge far right extremism. Written by Claudia Schaefer and starring Chen Emilie Yan in a film that inspires both rage and compassion, in its UK premiere. faraz siddiqui

In 2005, Belfast Film Festival presented a publication and a programme of film and discussion, entitled Film & Racism. I...
23/10/2026

In 2005, Belfast Film Festival presented a publication and a programme of film and discussion, entitled Film & Racism. In light of the growing racist violence we have seen in our city and beyond in the past few years, we have decided to revisit this programme. This time, naming it Film & Anti-racism, the intention is to discuss how cinema can be an active tool towards anti-racism in society.

Swipe to discover the films and events 👉

Belfast Film Festival is committed to making our festival as accessible and inclusive as possible for everyone🌟The Belfa...
23/10/2026

Belfast Film Festival is committed to making our festival as accessible and inclusive as possible for everyone🌟

The Belfast Film Festival 2026 Access Guide brings together everything you need to know about accessibility and inclusion across the festival. You can find printed copies tucked into our festival programmes across the city, or access the guide online as a PDF on our website through the 'Access' tab.

Please note that some accessibility provisions at screening events may be subject to change. For the most up-to-date information, check the event listings or contact us at [email protected]

Image still from 'Dry Leaf', showing Wed 4 Nov, 6pm at the Beanbag Cinema.

From the troubled waters of Lough Neagh to the endearing history of children’s television — join us for a series of spe...
22/10/2026

From the troubled waters of Lough Neagh to the endearing history of children’s television — join us for a series of special screenings and talks celebrating film’s unique power to preserve the past and question our present. Swipe to find out about the events 📺 💬

〰️ The Lough Speaks – Sun 1 Nov, 8pm The Black Box Belfast

The widely publicised pollution of the lough has been described as a slow death, yet people have been benefiting from its resources since the dawn of civilisation, and stories of the lough are woven into the mythological fabric of Ulster and beyond.

This live event juxtaposes Northern Ireland’s rich television archive of BBC Northern Ireland and Ulster Television with traditional Irish singing from Mébh Meir and local writing from Tommy Greene to explore the heritage, history and cultural significance of Lough Neagh.

Curated by Rose Baker and edited by .sloan_

Footage courtesy of BBC Northern Ireland and Northern Ireland Screen’s Digital Film Archive (courtesy of the UTV Partnership project). Northern Ireland Screen

Tommy Greene Méabh Meir

〰️ The Orange & The Green – Sat 7 Nov, 11am The Black Box Belfast

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. Northern Ireland Screen Jeremy Brown

〰️ Bagpuss and Beyond – The History of Smallfilms – Sun 1 Nov, 3pm The Black Box Belfast

Of all the programming from the “golden age of children’s television” surely no body of work is so fondly remembered as that of Smallfilms. Northern Ireland Screen’s Broadcast Archivist, Evan Marshall, presents the whole history of Smallfilms, from its earliest beginnings to its final works and beyond. Bagpuss

〰️ Acceptable Levels at Divis – Wed 4 Nov, 7pm, St Comgall’s

In the 1970s during the Troubles, British Home Secretary Reginald Maudling said the best that could be hoped for was ‘a return to acceptable levels of violence.’ The film shows not only what this meant in practice to the community in Be

From the troubled waters of Lough Neagh to the endearing history of children’s television — join us for a series of spe...
22/10/2026

From the troubled waters of Lough Neagh to the endearing history of children’s television — join us for a series of special screenings and talks celebrating film's unique power to preserve the past and question our present. 📺 💬

〰️ The Lough Speaks – Sun 1 Nov, 8pm
The widely publicised pollution of the lough has been described as a slow death, yet people have benefited from its resources since the dawn of civilisation, and stories of the lough are woven into the mythological fabric of Ulster and beyond. This live event juxtaposes Northern Ireland’s rich television archive of BBC Northern Ireland and Ulster Television with traditional Irish singing from Mébh Meir and local writing from Tommy Greene to explore the heritage, history and cultural significance of Lough Neagh.

Footage courtesy of BBC Northern Ireland and Northern Ireland Screen’s Digital Film Archive (courtesy of the UTV Partnership project).

〰️ The Orange & The Green – Sat 7 Nov, 11am
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. -ireland-screen

〰️ Bagpuss and Beyond – The History of Smallfilms – Sun 1 Nov, 3pm
Of all the programming from the “golden age of children’s television”, surely no body of work is so fondly remembered as that of Smallfilms. Northern Ireland Screen’s Broadcast Archivist, Evan Marshall, presents the whole history of Smallfilms, from its earliest beginnings to its final works and beyond.

〰️ Acceptable Levels at Divis – Wed 4 Nov, 7pm, St Comgall's
In the 1970s during the Troubles, British Home Secretary Reginald Maudling said the best that could be hoped for was 'a return to acceptable levels of violence.’ The film shows not only what this meant in practice to the community in Belfast, but also the media processes that made it acceptable to the British public.

⏰ The countdown is on – there are only 7 days until the 26th Belfast Film Festival begins!Our programme is full of films...
22/10/2026

⏰ The countdown is on – there are only 7 days until the 26th Belfast Film Festival begins!

Our programme is full of films in all shapes and sizes; join us and encounter new stories, from the quintessential to the experimental 🎫 🍿

Explore the programme through our website: belfastfilmfestival.org/whats-on

The People Under The Stairs: Screening and Walking Tour – Sat 7 Nov👟 4pm – Walking Tour led by CATU Belfast starting at ...
21/10/2026

The People Under The Stairs: Screening and Walking Tour – Sat 7 Nov

👟 4pm – Walking Tour led by CATU Belfast starting at Writer's Square
🎬 6pm – Screening

Wes Craven’s The People Under the Stairs (1991) is a razor‐sharp horror satire on gentrification. More resonant now than upon its release in 1991, it follows a young boy who breaks into the home of two slum landlords, only to explore the horror hidden within their walls. This screening is paired with a cinematic walking tour led by CATU Belfast. The tour highlights the destructive impact Airbnbs have on communities and the ongoing housing crisis.

Together, the walking tour and film create a two-part reflection on the increasing harm caused by landlordism. Audiences can join us for the combined walking tour and screening, or attend the screening on its own.

Community Action Tenants Union (CATU) is an Ireland-wide, members-owned-and-run tenants union, dedicated to tackling housing issues, protecting renters’ rights and grassroots community organising. CATU Ireland CATU Belfast

🔗 Access, transport and venue info is available here: https://belfastfilmfestival.org/event/the-people-under-the-stairs-catu-walking-tour

Discover new homegrown mid-length and feature length film 🎬 Journey through internet-induced hate spirals, the horrors o...
20/10/2026

Discover new homegrown mid-length and feature length film 🎬 Journey through internet-induced hate spirals, the horrors of occupied Czechoslovakia during WW2, and the steel grey interiors of Maghaberry Prison. Swipe to explore 👉

Establishing Shots is a prorgamme of exceptional 1st and 2nd international feature films from emerging directors. Swipe ...
20/10/2026

Establishing Shots is a prorgamme of exceptional 1st and 2nd international feature films from emerging directors. Swipe to discover 👉

Got Halloween plans? Make them a little more terrifying🕷️This Halloween, join us for unforgettable cinema and plenty of ...
19/10/2026

Got Halloween plans? Make them a little more terrifying🕷️

This Halloween, join us for unforgettable cinema and plenty of reasons to hide behind your hands. Whether you’re a horror obsessive or just looking for something different to do this Halloween, we’ve got your plans covered.

Address

23 Donegall Street
Belfast
BT12FF

Opening Hours

Monday 9:30am - 5:30pm
Tuesday 9:30am - 5:30pm
Wednesday 9:30am - 5:30pm
Thursday 9:30am - 5:30pm
Friday 9:30am - 5:30pm

Telephone

+442890325913

Website

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