Opening Night Gala: Ballywalter
We’re bursting with pride to have a Film Hub NI COLLECTIVE tour screening to launch FMFF2023. This time we present a rich, blackly humorous drama from director Prasanna Puwanarajah starring Dundrum’s very own Patrick Kielty. Penned by East Belfast writer Stacey Gregg, Ballywalter is a quietly affecting study of two lost souls who have hit rock bottom; a slow-burning story of depression & self-preservation, set during 12 car journeys from the coastal village of Ballywalter to Belfast.
Kielty plays Shane, banned from driving, living in exile from his estranged wife & daughter. To escape his funk, he enrols in a stand up course run in Belfast, and meets his cabbie, the acid-tongued Uni dropout Eileen (the brilliant Seána Kerslake). Sharp dialogue, understated performances & beautiful scenery make Ballywalter a brilliant, bittersweet, quiet gem.
Ballywalter will be proceeded by the locally made shortfilml; Fishing Poles - Directed by Fra McCartney
Year 2022
Genre(s) Drama
Cert 15
Director Prasana Puwanarajah
Cast Seána Kerslake, Patrick Kielty, Conor MacNeill
Runtime 1hr 30min
Fishing Poles
Fishing Poles: A Heartwarming Tale of Childhood in Ardglass
Get ready to be transported back to the 1960s in the charming 16-minute film, Fishing Poles. Written and directed by Fra McCartney, a West Belfast native, who spent countless summers in Co Down, and those idyllic moments provide the inspiration for this heartwarming tale.This touching story revolves around two mischievous children who find themselves in a spot of trouble with the owner of the local fish shop in Ardglass.
Whats is the Collective?
Following on from successful pilot tours of Bad Day for the Cut and Of Love and Law, Film Hub NI have developed the Collective initiative to facilitate tours of Independent films from the UK & Ireland, and beyond, across the membership network.