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The Hearth
- By: Belfast Film Festival & Mark Cousins
- Location: City-wide with premiere in Cineworld
- When: Spring – Autumn with premiere in November
- Creative Me Profile: Mover & Maker
Earlier this year we asked you, the people of Belfast, to get involved by telling us your stories about your life in Belfast and/or filming on your phone something that reflects Belfast in 2024. Thanks to you we have now gathered over 20 hours of footage from over 300 participants.
We have reviewed all the footage and have now entered the post production phase of the project. The film is currently in edit and is on track to premiere in Belfast in December 2024!
As part of our Belfast 2024 commission The Hearth and to take us through this post production phase we invite you to learn a little more about the film industry by hearing directly from those who work within it through our special events…….
‘Getting into Film’
A Panel Discussion for ’The Hearth’ with Belfast Film Festival and Belfast 2024.
‘Getting into Film’
Saturday 2nd November
4:30pm - 6pm
The Brian Friel Theatre inside Queen’s Film Theatre, 20 University Square.
This moderated panel will offer valuable insights on how to get started in the film industry from experienced professionals including Stacey Gregg, Valene Kane and Martin McCann. Chaired by Journalist and Broadcaster William Crawley, attendees will gain valuable knowledge on how to navigate the industry, build a network, and succeed in the competitive world of film.
Faces of Belfast Exhibition - we want to recognise and celebrate everyone who participated in The Hearth. Spot anyone you know? Look out for us over the coming weeks. We will popping up throughout the city at different locations and will be showcasing your films.
Belfast Docs
Under the mentorship of 4 experienced documentary filmmakers, we will be working with 4 community groups with an interest in documentary filmmaking and the film industry to be a part of our ‘Belfast Docs’ project.
Each of the groups will be assigned a documentary filmmaker who will facilitate the creation of a 5–minute documentary based on their groups interests and what they would like to share about themselves.
These short docs will be featured during the Docs Ireland Festival in June 2025.
Our Guiding Principles:
- The Hearth will be a self-portrait of Belfast on film.
- To include every age, creed, race, class, sexuality, neurodiversity and physical ability diversity.
- To show moments that move us, make us laugh or cry.
- We will encourage you to film things that are magical to you, or unexpected, raw or transformative.
- Tell us about moments that changed you.
- You can use your own phones or the simplest of cameras and send us your story.
- Alternatively, you can write stories, observations, poems which could be used as voice overs.
- Don’t worry about how perfect everything is, unfiltered rawness, and authenticity is what is important.
- We want to see and hear things that professional filmmakers would miss.
- When all submissions are in – an editor and our Creative Lead, Mark Cousins, will look at them all and select the magic moments.
- These won’t necessarily be big things, it might be just a joke, a look, a laugh…
- The completed film will world premiere at the 2024 Belfast Film Festival, with the contributors and their families there.
- It will play at locations around the city and at international film festivals.
If you want to hear more about the project email us at [email protected]
This project is supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, thanks to National Lottery players and is part of Our Future Heritage portfolio of projects which help us all enjoy and understand Belfast's heritage.
