Cinemas belfast

MIKE Open still holds the record for the longest consecutive run of full houses at a cinema in Belfast. Or claims to.The film was Cal – the movie of Bernard MacLaverty's landmark novel – the year was 1984 and the run was for 42 screenings at the Queens' Film Theatre (QFT).Open was its manager and travelled to the Cannes Film Festival to secure the deal to show Cal with then rising producer David Puttnam – as one of its stars, Helen Mirren, took a Best Actress award."I buttonholed Puttnam after he gave a press conference at which he said Cal would be screened in the Republic but he was not sure about Northern Ireland," Open recalls.The storyline of an IRA man who falls in love with the widow of the then RUC officer he has helped to kill was controversial, to say the least. But Open was convinced the QFT was the place to show it and was vindicated by the sold-out run, which also involved an urgent trip back from Cork to Belfast when Warner Brothers bosses were … [Read more...] about I’m proud I flew the flag for cinema in Belfast says former QFT boss Mike Open

HARRY Potter fans are set for a spellbinding weekend at Movie House Dublin Road in Belfast this Saturday and Sunday with a special movie marathon featuring JK Rowling's most famous creation.Muggles are invited to enjoy all eight Harry Potter films as a prelude to the release of the upcoming movie Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, which follows the adventures of a young Dumbledore, Newt Scamander and a whole host of new characters.Now is your chance to get re-acquainted with what went on at Hogwarts, starting on Saturday with Harry Potter and The Philospher's Stone followed by Chamber of Secrets, The Prisoner of Azkaban and The Goblet of Fire.On Sunday, Harry Potter fans can see the next four films: Harry Potter and The Order of The Phoenix, Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince, Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 1 and Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2. "We knew that a lot of our customers wanted to see the films again on the big screen and others had been … [Read more...] about Back to Hogwarts with Belfast Harry Potter movie marathon

ONCE an essential annual fixture for Belfast's alternative music scene in the 00s, the Curfew Festival was staged every July to counteract the traditional slump in live shows which coincided with the Twelfth 'festivities'. This year, Curfew is returning for a one-off special at Voodoo and The Black Box on Thursday July 12. To celebrate, I quizzed Curfew's founder/organiser Pete Jez, a former music scene stalwart turned convenience store impresario, about the event's history, ethos and revival.What's prompted you to revive Curfew?I guess time. Over the last two years I've started doing shows again with [local musician/journalist] Hornby under the Solid Choice banner. It's been tough. Things have changed and so many new faces and less ease with getting a venue. There was no plan for a Curfew, but I guess at the back of my mind something was niggling away. NI has seen a lot of hate over the last while and I guess I've spent a long time being too focused on my own things to take note. … [Read more...] about Noise Annoys: The return of Belfast’s Curfew Festival