Focus Features has released a new poster for their upcoming film Belfast, directed by legendary actor and filmmaker Kenneth Branagh (Henry V, Thor). Belfast has made its stamp at various festivals, with a premiere at the Telluride Film Festival and a win for the People's Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival. Branagh has described the film as semi-autobiographical and "his most personal film."
The poster captures the spirit of boyhood that Branagh has evidently seeked to unveil in his film which covers an upbringing in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Branagh shot the film in black-and-white as the poster also makes clear. The costumes present on the poster evoke the time period of the 1960s.
Buddy, played by Jude Hill, serves as the heart of this film and the clear focus of the poster. Belfast tells his story of growing up in a working class family during the political and nationalistic clash in late-1960s Ireland known as "The Troubles."
Belfast was first announced in July of 2020, with filming beginning just two months later. Filming took place between London and Belfast, the latter of which serves as the film's clear focal point. Belfast native Van Morrison contributed eight songs and one original tune to the film. Aside from Hill, Belfast also stars Jamie Dornan and Caitríona Balfe as Buddy's parents, and Judi Dench and Ciarán Hinds as Buddy's grandparents. The film also features Colin Morgan, Lara McDonnell, Gerard Horan, and Conor MacNeill.
Branagh has been nominated for five Academy Awards across his lengthy career, receiving his first two nominations for acting and directing in Henry V. His latest Academy nomination came back in 2012, where he was recognized for his performance as Lord Laurence Olivier in My Week With Marilyn. Belfast looks to be a more honest and wholesome entry from the director who has dabbled more with blockbuster fare in recent years. Some of his latest films include Cinderella, Murder on the Orient Express (and its as-yet-unreleased sequel Death on the Nile), and the maligned Artemis Fowl.
Belfast hits theaters exclusively on November 12. Check out the new poster below:
