Belfast, a new film written and directed by accomplished Academy Award-nominated director and actor Kenneth Branagh, has released its first trailer.
The trailer makes the transition from present-day Belfast to Belfast in 1969, a time of political and social unrest that was felt all throughout Northern Ireland. With this transition, the image changes from color to black and white to show that this will be a story partly set in a time that is past but, I would dare say, not forgotten. The trailer also emphasizes the duality between family life and the larger volatile narrative of violence being felt in the country. At the center of the film, we have a little boy named Buddy who witnesses the state of upheaval being lived in the city while his family has to make the choice to either leave Belfast to avoid the conflict or to stay. The trailer certainly highlights the feeling of pride in one’s roots in spite of how turbulent the origins might be.
The film introduces Jude Hill in the role of Buddy. Other cast members include Caitriona Balfe as his mother, Jamie Dornan as his father, Judi Dench as his grandmother, and Ciarán Hinds as his grandfather.
Belfast is a semi-autobiographical movie based on Branagh’s upbringing in the Northern Ireland capital in the 1960s. At the Belfast Media Festival Branagh revealed: “It’s a very personal film, set partly in Belfast and partly elsewhere, partly set in the past and partly set in the present. I hope that there is humor and I hope that it’s emotional. It’s a look at a people and a place in tumult through the eyes of a nine-year-old movie-mad kid.”
Belfast’s world premiere is set for September at the Toronto International Film Festival. It will debut in select movie theatres on November 12.