How Kenneth Branagh brought child-like magic to Belfast
It’s one of the most low-key films of the 2022 Oscar season, but Kenneth Branagh’s black and white drama Belfast is not to be underestimated.
The film, which is loosely based on Branagh’s own childhood, explores the “troubles” in Northern Ireland in 1969 through the eyes of nine-year-old Buddy.
The acclaimed movie picked up seven Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress for Judi Dench and Best Supporting Actor for Ciarán Hinds, while Kenneth Branagh is up for Best Original Screenplay and Best Director.
When filming began for Belfast, young star Jude Hill, who plays Buddy, said he felt an instant connection with the director.
“When I first read the script, I immediately felt related to Buddy because we can relate on a lot of different topics,” he said.
“We’re both massive football fans, and we’re massive movie fans as well.”
“I just loved playing a young version of Kenneth and he didn’t put me under any pressure at all.”
Belfast native Ciarán Hinds, who plays Buddy’s grandfather, says Kenneth’s film tells the more human story of the civil war in Ireland, rather than the political side.
“Because Ken has written the script through the eyes of a nine-year-old child, there are no political agendas,” Hinds says.
“Ken doesn’t shy away from the violence and the bitterness, it’s all on the television, it’s on in the street, but it is seen through the eyes of a nine-year-old.”
“To see that innocence was deeply moving, reading the script, and then when I saw it fulfilled for the first time on the screen, I thought, ‘this has actually got to the heart of the soul and the people of Belfast’.”
Check out the trailer for the film below.
Image credits: Rob Youngson / Focus Features