Belfast is a coming-of-age drama, based in and around the tumultuous time of the Troubles in Ireland. The film stars California Balfe, Judi Dench, Jamie Dornan, Ciaran Hinds, Colin Morgan and introduces a new face – Jude Hill.
The film takes a semi-autobiographical approach to the story of a working-class family, whose whole life is thrown upside-down when the Troubles begin in the late 1960s. It is a poignant story of love, laughter, and loss in a nine-year-old boy’s childhood. Although the premise might seem gloomy, the movie is extremely funny, because, believe it or not, no one knows how to laugh in the face of trouble quite like the Irish.
Written and directed by Kenneth Branagh, the film received considerable praise from critics. It is a deeply personal movie, bursting with life, taking an insurance from the story of the director’s own life.
Belfast had its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival on 2nd September, 2021. It became the Festival’s most frequently screened film of that year. It was also screened at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival on 12th September, 2021. It is also scheduled to be screened at film festivals in Chicago, Hamburg, London, Middleburg, Mill Valley, San Diego, and Vancouver. The film will be released on 12th November, 2021 in the US through Focus Features, and internationally through Universal Pictures.
Belfast Filming Locations
Principal photography began in September, 2020 even during the COVID-19 pandemic. Filming initially started in and around London, before moving to Belfast. Filming was wrapped up in October, 2020.
The film is shot in black and white. When there is a scene where the family goes to the movies, the images seen on that screen are in color, as if they seem to be more vibrant than the day-to-day life.
However, the truth is that even the black and white cinematography of HarisZambarloukos, the Director of Photography for the film (a common choice of Branagh’s) is so vibrant, that the movie does not feel archaic even for a second. The Production Designer is Jim Clay.
Let’s take a look at what made Belfast’s setting so heart-wrenchingly real and humane.
London, England, UK
The filming first began in London. The entire Belfast district was recreated in London for shooting purposes since travel was restricted during the pandemic. But it was essential to honor the neighborhood that they were trying to depict in the movie.
Belfast, Ireland, UK
The majority of the film has been shot in the city of Belfast itself to retain the original fabric of the times. The shift from color to black and white happens very quickly in the movie. The film opens with a full panoramic, full-color shot of the city today, with a view of the Harland and Wolf cranes that dominate the skyline, but then sinks over a wall and into a black and white street scene from 1969.
The first panoramic shot of Belfast is taken from the Cave Hill Country Park. This rocky hill overlooking Belfast gets its name from the five caves located on the top of the main Belfast cliffs. On top of the hill are the remains of McArt’s Fort. This ancient fort’s distinguishing feature is ‘Napoleon’s Nose’, a cliff that resembles the profile of the French Emperor.