As the British public will see Belfast in the cinema, we discover the backstage of the characters and places that make up the film.
Kenneth Branagh’s semi-autobiographical film centers on nine-year-old Buddy as he navigates town life at the start of The Troubles in 1969.
Here’s everything you need to know about Kenneth Branagh, screenwriter and director of Belfast :
Who is Kenneth Branagh?
Kenneth Branagh is a 61-year-old actor, screenwriter and director, who has been nominated for five Oscars and five Golden Globe Awards, and has won three BAFTAs and two Emmy Awards throughout his career.
He lived in the Tiger’s Bay area of north Belfast until he was nine, when his family moved to England to escape the violence of The Troubles in 1969.
What is his acting background?
After disappointing results at A-Level, a young Kenneth Branagh trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.
The actor enjoyed early success in Northern Ireland for his role as Billy, the main character on the BBC show. play for today trilogy known as Billy plays from 1982-1984.
He had early success as a stage actor when he graduated from RADA and became famous for his performances of Shakespeare.
What are some of his biggest roles?
Kenneth Branagh is best known for directing and starring in several adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays, including Henry V , Much Ado About Nothing, Othello, Hamlet, Love’s Labour’s Lost , and As you like it.
He also starred as Hercule Poirot in his directed adaptation of Murder on the Orient Express, and was well known for his role as Gilderoy Lockhart in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
Branagh also starred as a Royal Navy Commander in Dunkirk , and was cast as the villain in Principle , a role for which he received critical acclaim.
What did the actor say about the movie Belfast?
While the film centers on his own personal experience growing up in North Belfast at the start of The Troubles, Kenneth Branagh said making the Belfast film was a “very personal” experience for him.
Speaking virtually to film students at QFT in 2020 about the film, he said: ‘It’s a very personal film, partly set in Belfast and partly elsewhere.
“My experience of Belfast growing up was being part of a big extended family, a family that lived close together, in a world in terms of television that had three black and white channels. We listened to the radio a lot, we listened to a lot of records and we went to see a lot of films and when we weren’t doing that, we visited each other.
“I hope it’s humorous and I hope it’s moving. It’s a look at a people and a place in turmoil through the eyes of a movie-mad nine-year-old kid .”
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