Belfast named ‘city of film' at Cannes industry awards ceremony
Belfast has been named 'City of Film' while Northern Ireland Screen was presented with a Special Recognition Award.
The awards were presented at the Global Production Awards, held during the prestigious Cannes Film Festival in France.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
18 hours ago
- BBC News
Cal: Helen Mirren Troubles film remastered 40 years after release
When Bernard MacLaverty's Cal was adapted for screen in 1984, it received widespread praise and even earned Helen Mirren her first major award, and briefly made Belfast's Queen's Film Theatre one of the highest grossing cinemas in the UK. However, over the ensuing 40 years, the film had become lost, the only remaining version a poor quality 35mm that left the author "ashamed". Now, the film has been remastered, and was shown again in Belfast on Friday. Cal, which was adapted from the novel of the same name by Bernard MacLaverty, depicts a young Catholic man, Cal, in 1970s Northern Ireland. Cal is a member of the Provisional Irish Republican Army, and is involved in the killing of a member of the Royal Ulster Constabulary. He later falls in love with the victim's widow, who is unaware of Cal's involvement in her late husband's death. Helen Mirren, who stars as the widow Marcella, won an award for Best Actress at the 1984 Cannes Film Festival. She was the first British performer to win the award in 12 film was also nominated for the Palme d'Or, as well as two the time, the Financial Times' Nigel Andrews wrote that "Cal is the most moving and convincing portrait of life in Northern Ireland the cinema has yet given us". Cal will be screened at the Queen's Film Theatre at 6.30pm on the 6th of June. Bernard MacLaverty, who wrote the original novel, as well as the screenplay for Cal, said it has been years since he has seen the film."The last time I saw it was in Glasgow University and I was so disappointed in [the condition of] it and ashamed of it that I said I would never talk about it in public again."It was in a bad state."Mr MacLaverty said it is "exciting" that the film has now been remastered, and expects the story to retain its appeal with modern audiences. "I think the storyline is one that is universal."It's a love story. One would hope that love hasn't exited from our lives."But he feels there is some risk to the film becoming available again."Maybe it will be badly written. It may date, and I'll be the one to blame."When Cal was first screened in 1984 at the Belfast Festival, it was successful enough to warrant a further run 42 consecutive sell-out showings. Such success meant that, during the initial two weeks of screenings, the QFT became the second-highest grossing cinema in the UK outside of London. Hugh-Olding Smee, Manager of Film Hub NI, said the idea to remaster 'Cal' originated when Queen's Film Theatre (QFT) was celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2018. "Cal is a very important film to the QFT. It was really the first kind of Irish premiere that broke through, and it was very successful at the QFT when it came out."It's a very emotional film about a particular time in our history."Mr Smee said he believes the re-release of Cal is important for young filmmakers in Northern Ireland, and described the film as an "important cultural touchstone"."People have seen it the odd time down the years, but the lion's share of people haven't seen it since it came out", he said. However, Mr Smee had no doubt that the film will continue to appeal to today's audiences."MacLaverty has a gift for creating stories that are individual but universal at the same time. "It was an important story then, and it's an important story now."Mr Smee also noted the film's relevance in the context of various conflicts that continue to take place around the world, and said that art can be useful in helping people deal with traumatic situations. "Films are empathy machines. Empathy is how things get healed."
Times
a day ago
- Times
The 11-year-old T-shirt designer dressing the stars
From Elle Fanning to Michelle Pfeiffer, a young man named Dylan has dressed some of the biggest names in Hollywood. His bespoke, hand-decorated white cotton T-shirts started as a hobby, but have now featured on the red carpet of Cannes and his collections quickly sell out. He's also 11 years old. Dylan launched his brand, Dylan's T-Shirt Club, when he was six after his grandmother gave him a set of fabric felt-tip pens. Fans of the Los Angeles-based designer, who is half-British, include the fashion maestro Sir Paul Smith and Balenciaga's new creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli. There is one of his T-shirts hanging in the wardrobe of the actor Mark Wahlberg. Super producer and Louis Vuitton's head of menswear, Pharrell, owns a style featuring a design inspired by The Lego Movie from 2014. Dylan's T-Shirt Club can even boast that it has been showcased on one of the world's most famous red carpets. Fanning modelled one of Dylan's creations with a pair of wide-leg blue jeans and platform heels while promoting her film, Sentimental Value, at the Cannes Film Festival last month. It featured the handwritten slogan, 'Joachim Trier Summer', referencing the film's hip Danish-Norwegian director. Less conspicuous was some low-key branding in pink neon on the back — though it was still spotted and namechecked by Vogue. Such attention is why the mightiest haute couture houses fight tooth and nail for VIPs to wear their made-to-measure creations on La Croisette. Answering questions from The Times over breakfast before school, Dylan said that Fanning choosing to wear one of his pieces on the French Riviera was 'really cool'. He has been drawing his whole life and moved on to T-shirts after his grandmother — 'an awesome artist' — gave him some fabric pens: 'The first one was for fun, but I really enjoyed doing it so I made another and another. And kept going.' If you are wondering how a tiny T-shirt brand started by a tween gains the attention of an It girl, know that Dylan's mother, Sam, is Fanning's personal stylist. She may have put her son's T-shirt on the rail, but her client still chose it over something from a revered couturier such as Valentino, Chanel or Dior. Dylan designed Fanning's tee, as with each he puts his hand to, at his kitchen table. His father is British and his paternal grandparents live in Durham. He says he fits in his hobby around seeing friends and homework and has designed 317 T-shirts in total. They are advertised on his Instagram page @dylanstshirtclub, which has nearly 6,000 followers. Every one is unique and usually commissioned especially. Prospective shoppers often get in touch to request their own through Dylan's parents, but most are given away as gifts. Not for long. Demand is so high that he is hoping to launch an official merchandise line later this year. Recently he had two collections sold through exclusively Woven, a menswear boutique in Durham. Those swiftly sold out. 'I love what I'm doing right now … I'm not exactly sure what the future holds,' he said when asked if they could one day be spotted on a catwalk. I love creating things in different areas, so it might end up being some mix of T-shirts, music, art, film … let's see!' His teachers will be relieved to hear that his fashion career is not taking up all of his time. 'I usually always get my school work done first before doing any work on T-shirts,' he promised.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Daily Mail
Helen Flanagan puts on a busty display in a plunging white dress as she shares snaps from glamorous Cannes trip during the Film Festival
Helen Flanagan put on a busty display in a plunging white dress during her recent trip to Cannes during the Film Festival. The actress, 34, has recently returned from the sunny location, where she mixed with Hollywood's elite alongside her fellow soap actress Michelle Keegan. In one stunning snap from the trip, which Helen shared to Instagram on Tuesday in her 'May Dump', she posed in a white bikini top, with a cover up over the top. In another very glamorous image, Helen showed off her incredible figure in a green skin-tight gown. She also shared sweet photos and videos playing with her kids in the park after returning home. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the Daily Mail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Elsewhere, Helen was pictured strutting into the iconic Hotel Martinez on the French Riviera, where prices for a room during the festival begin from £2,000 per night for a Deluxe King Room and range up to £5,000 for a suite. It was not known where Helen stayed during her time at Cannes. MailOnline contacted her representatives for comment. Cannes is where filmmakers, sales agents and journalists gather from around the world, and is the Olympics of the big screen, with its own golden prize, the Palme d'Or, given out at the end. The festival, which was attended by A-listers including Emma Stone, Sophie Turner and Cate Blanchett, wrapped up with the closing ceremony on Sunday night. Helen returned to her 'Northern girl' roots after jetting back from the star-studded Festival. She shared a photograph of herself with her hair rollers in as she tucked into a tasty wrap while enjoying a visit to a café. The Coronation Street star cut a stylish figure in a bright pink jumper and penned that she is a 'Northern girl' in a caption alongside the snap. She also posted a photograph of herself beaming alongside Bridgerton actress Ruby Barker, who played Marina on the Netflix show. The actress recently announced that she has been forced to put her 'forever home' up for sale as she can no longer afford its upkeep. This followed her pleas to magistrates when she appeared on speeding charges earlier this year that she is a 'single mum' who struggles to scrape together cash for a £10 taxi fare. The actress's company, HJF Darling Ltd, published last year's accounts up to August where the total came to £135,387, leaving a balance of £75,615 after tax. Speaking candidly to The Declutter Hub podcast about her living situation in April, Helen explained: 'It actually makes me sad that I'm going to be leaving soon because I actually put so much effort into it. 'When we moved I put like a lot of my savings into doing the house up and making it look really beautiful. 'But it's a big house. It's an eight-bedroom house, which is obviously really hard to keep on top of.' The 'newly-single' star recently confirmed her boyfriend Robbie Talbot had moved out of the home she shares with her three children, previously claimed her finances were so dire that she was struggling to afford the price of public transport. The actress is understood to be single after breaking off her relationship with Robbie, 45, just over a year after the pair went public. She shares three children Matilda, nine, Delilah, six, and Charlie, four, with her footballer ex Scott Sinclair. Helen had previously hinted at wanting more children with the former non-league footballer, but is said to have had a change of heart over over recent months. A source told The Sun: 'They want different things in life. She has just landed a new acting job and is trying to juggle work projects with the kids. 'She sat him down two weeks ago and said, ''This isn't working''... She just wants to be on her own for a while although she still has feelings for him.' In April, Helen admitted she is no longer living with Robbie after he briefly moved into her home, sharing at the time it wasn't helpful for her children who 'miss' their dad. The actress and her ex-fiancé Scott Sinclair, 36, separated in 2022 after 13 years together. She told The Sun: 'I'd asked him to stay for a while, because I often get quite scared in the house on my own and feel safer with a man there. 'But Matilda is very sensitive and a proper daddy's girl, and she struggles with not seeing Scott as often as she'd like. 'I always think about how she feels when she misses her dad, and having my boyfriend there maybe doesn't help her.' Speaking on The Mail's The Life of Bryony podcast in March, Helen praised Robbie and the positive impact he'd had on her mental and emotional wellbeing. She said: 'He's lovely. Everybody loves him. I just met him at a bar. I literally, I just, I could not stop laughing at this guy.' 'My boyfriend's actually the funniest guy I've ever met. He's got two kids and he's, he's really beautiful with my children.' 'I think that's what made me fall more in love with him because he's so good with my mental health things and that's the main thing for me that I need.' She added: 'I need someone that's good for me mentally and emotionally, that's my top thing and that's what I've realised.' 'No disrespect to the father of my children, I'll always have that love for him, but he didn't know how to cope with me or didn't know how to do that, and not everybody does, but because the man that I'm with now really knows how to do that, it makes me happy.'
