Belfast Film Festival began in 1995 and has developed hand in hand with the evolving culture of film patronage and filmmaking in the city. Belfast Film Festival delivers two annual festivals – Belfast Film Festival and Docs Ireland. Belfast Film Festival showcases specialised and independent cinema from across the globe: attracts film premieres and high profile guests: profiles the best in new local talent and through its events promotes NI to the widest possible audience. Our mission is to deliver a dynamic programme to Belfast that excites audiences and attracts visitors from across NI ROI UK and further afield. Docs Ireland is an industry focussed, all Ireland international documentary festival which celebrates documentary filmmaking and provides a platform for both national and international industries and is a hub for cross-border collaboration, international co-productions and sales and distribution through our full day one-to-one pitching forum, Docs Ireland Marketplace. Docs Ireland also deliver a joint initiative with Cork International Film Festival called Ignite which is a talent development programme directed towards emerging Irish and Northern Irish documentary filmmakers embarking on their first or second non-fiction feature film. Both festivals are heavily involved in promoting film education and nurturing practical filmmaking skills throughout the North. We work with community groups to offer writing and filmmaking workshops, industry discussion panels, special screenings and master classes.
