2022 Northern Ireland on screen year in review
Date Posted: December 23, 2022
2022 was another blockbuster year for the screen industry in Northern Ireland. Content made in studios and on location in Northern Ireland was streamed into cinemas and homes globally with audiences enjoying locally made feature films, TV drama, documentaries, factual-entertainment, and animation. The immersive sector continues to adapt at pace with regional hubs across Northern Ireland creating new ways of creating, displaying, and interacting with applications, content and experiences. We round the year off on a real high with news that locally made short film An Irish Goodbye, written and directed by Tom Berkeley and Ross White, has been shortlisted for an Oscar.
Reflecting on the past twelve months, Richard Williams Chief Executive of Northern Ireland Screen commented: “The screen landscape in Northern Ireland is broader than ever before. 2022 was a year of building on our successes but also putting plans in place to futureproof the industry and the expansion opportunities.
“As well as supporting international productions such as New Regency’s The Northman, Netflix’s The School for Good and Evil and witnessing audiences delight in Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast and Lisa McGee’s Derry Girls, it was also a stellar year for the feature documentary sector with Nothing Compares, Young Plato and Lyra all securing huge critical acclaim. A variety of content we supported was celebrated at some of the most prestigious festivals and conferences across the globe and secured coveted industry awards and set social media alight. Although we were incredibly disappointed with JJ Abram’s sci fi series ‘Demimonde’ not going ahead, 2023 will see new opportunities with large scale productions such as Alcon’s Bladerunner 2099 for Amazon slated to be produced in Northern Ireland and the Studio Ulster project moving at pace.
“Having launched a new four-year strategy ‘Stories, Skills and Sustainability’, our focus for 2023 and beyond is to further support the local industry. Thanks to the help of our funders, the Department for the Economy and the Department for Communities and our many partners and stakeholders, we are putting in place plans to futureproof the screen industry in Northern Ireland. We are investing in the next generation of professionals by providing industry led learning and work experience opportunities at entry level with programmes such as CINE, the Creative Industries New Entrants scheme but also supporting the continued professional development of experienced professionals. It’s more important than ever that we work together to protect and maintain our reputation as a world-class location for screen content production.”
Netflix returned to Belfast Harbour Studios at the beginning of the year to film Lift, the streamers’ second feature film to shoot in Northern Ireland. The action movie about an international heist crew recruited to prevent a terrorist attack mid-flight stars comedian and actor Kevin Hart who was often spotted enjoying the Belfast hospitality around town and treated local comedy fans to a series of gigs while here. April saw the release of The Northman, the Viking revenge saga from visionary director Robert Eggers. Northern Ireland Screen hosted a special preview screening in Belfast in partnership with Belfast Film Festival. The cinema was bursting with cast, crew and local film fans who were treated to the first screening of this much anticipated film which was shot in Belfast Harbour Studios as well as utilising locations such as Torr Head, the River Bann, Lough Neagh, Clandeboye Estate, and Tyrella Beach. Produced by local man Mark Huffam (House of Gucci, The Martian) and starring Anya Taylor Joy, Nicole Kidman, Alexander Skarsgård, Ethan Hawke and Willem Dafoe the film was the first big production to get up and running during the pandemic. Delivering a film of this standard under such difficult circumstances is testament to the production team who won the Production Team of the Year Award at The Production Guild of Great Britain Awards.
More Hollywood A-listers flocked to Belfast in October for a premiere of the Netflix movie, The School for Good and Evil, Director Paul Feig, the man behind major blockbusters such as Bridesmaids and the Ghostbusters remake, recounted his positive experience of shooting and living in Belfast. Featuring Kerry Washington and Charlize Theron the fantasy drama filmed at Belfast Harbour Studios and on location in St Anne’s Cathedral, St Peter’s Church, Ulster Folk Museum, Clandeboye Estate, Big Dog Forest, Woodburn Forest and Castle Archdale. The premiere, also attended by Demi Isaac Oviawe (The Young Offenders) had a simultaneous Cinemagic screening delighting young film fans too. The film went down well with Netflix viewers across the globe reaching the number one slot worldwide. In April 2023 the much-anticipated Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves will bring the rich world and playful spirit of the legendary roleplaying game to the big screen in a hilarious and action-packed adventure. Starring Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page and Hugh Grant, the movie filmed at Titanic Studios and on location across Northern Ireland in 2021.
Building work has begun at Giant’s Park on the multi-million pound Belfast Region City Deal investment in Studio Ulster, a cutting edge virtual production studio. Developed by Ulster University in partnership with Belfast Harbour and supported by Northern Ireland Screen, Studio Ulster will be a unique, large-scale virtual production studio complex with world-class commercial stages, supported by an integrated R&D centre of excellence for real-time and virtual production.
2022 was another drama fuelled year with Stuck, a new BBC Two comedy written and starring Dylan Moran filming across Belfast in January. The second series of Bloodlands filmed in February with James Nesbitt reprising the lead role of DCI Tom Brannick. Both series hit our screens in September. Police drama also dominated shooting schedules in February with cameras rolling on Blue Lights, a new series from Two Cities Television written by Belfast men Declan Lawn and Adam Patterson (The Sailsbury Poisonings, Rogue Agent). The series follows three rookie police officers working in Belfast, a uniquely dangerous place to be a police officer. Blue Lights will broadcast on BBC One in 2023.
Wreck, directed by Tyrone man Chris Baugh (Boys from County Hell, Bad Day for the Cut) and produced by Belfast’s Chris Martin (Good Vibrations, Three Families) filmed in Northern Ireland in March. The tense thriller, mixing comedy with a slice of slasher, stars local actress Thaddea Graham (Doctor Who, The Irregulars) and was set aboard The Sacramentum cruise ship on which new recruit Jamie investigates the disappearance of his sister on board. A big hit with viewers Wreck was quickly recommissioned for a second series after it aired on BBC Three in September. Partly filmed on location in Northern Ireland Conversations with Friends launched on BBC Three in May. The highly anticipated series adapted from Sally Rooney’s debut novel follows Frances (Alison Oliver), a 21-year-old college student, as she navigates a series of relationships that force her to confront her own vulnerabilities for the first time.
Donaghadee was once again transformed into the fictional town of Port Devine when filming began on Hope Street series two in May. The crime drama starring a host of local talent continued to win over viewers on both sides of the Atlantic when it aired on BBC and Britbox. The second series of Channel 5 drama Dalgliesh began filming in June. Local directors Andy and Ryan Tohill were back on board to direct a number of episodes with Strabane man Brendan Mullin (Bad Day for the Cut, Boys from County Hell) producing. The series will adapt another three novels from P.D. James’ international best-selling murder mysteries with each being told over two hour-long episodes. Bertie Carvel (Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, Agatha Christie’s The Pale Horse, Doctor Foster) once again takes up the role of the uniquely enigmatic detective, Chief Inspector Adam Dalgliesh. In July filming began in Northern Ireland on the return of the BBC’s hit drama, World on Fire. Series two will take viewers from the streets of Britain into occupied France, Nazi Germany, and to the sands of the North African desert, where British troops struggle alongside Indian Sappers and Australian Diggers to adapt to a very different kind of combat.
2022 saw us bid an emotional farewell to Lisa McGee’s Derry Girls as the third and final series hit our screens in April. Along with Channel 4, Northern Ireland Screen hosted a launch event in Derry with lots of familiar faces taking to the pink carpet. With guest appearances from the likes of Liam Neeson and a special hour-long finale the third series was a huge critical and ratings success. Derry Girls all over the globe got to catch up with Erin, Michelle, Orla, Clare and the wee English fella when series three launched on Netflix in October. In recent weeks we have learned that prolific US filmmaker Martin Scorsese is a fan and the comedy was featured in Time Magazine’s Best TV Shows of 2022. Lisa sealed her own ‘legenderry’ status recently when she became the first woman to be given freedom of the City of Derry.
2022 was a standout year for the local documentary sector with Nothing Compares, the film charting Sinead O’Connor’s phenomenal rise to worldwide fame, directed by local woman Kathryn Ferguson kicking off the year in official selection at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah. Premium US TV network Showtime subsequently picked up worldwide rights to the film. Premiering locally at Docs Ireland ahead of its release in cinemas this poignant documentary has amassed huge critical acclaim and is currently sitting with a 99% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The film won Best Feature Documentary at the prestigious British Independent Film Awards and Kathryn Ferguson also scooped the Best Debut Director – Feature Documentary award, an incredible accolade for a first-time Director. With 12 award wins already under its belt Nothing Compares was recently nominated for a Producers Guild of America (PGA) Award.
Declan McGrath’s Young Plato, the story of Kevin McArevey, the maverick, Elvis-loving headteacher of an all-boys primary school in post-conflict Belfast who is determined to change the fortunes of an inner-city community plagued by urban decay, sectarian aggression, poverty and drugs. Kevin illustrates how critical thinking and pastoral care can empower and encourage children to see beyond the boundaries and limitations of their own community. Young Plato won the IFTA for Best Documentary, was nominated for a Grierson Award, a British Independent Film Award, an IDA Documentary Award and won over audiences and critics alike when it was released in cinemas.
BAFTA-winning current affairs film-maker Alison Millar brought us Lyra, the eulogistic feature length documentary about the life and death of the internationally renowned Northern Irish investigative journalist Lyra McKee. Screened at the Sheffield Doc Fest, Lyra won the renowned Tim Hetherington Award and was nominated for an IDA Documentary Award. A co-production by DoubleBand Films and Lone Star, Arena: James Joyce’s Ulysses, the new feature length production for BBC Northern Ireland and BBC Two, marked the 100th anniversary of the publication of this modernist masterpiece.
Local filmmakers continue to make their mark on the global industry picking up awards and receiving critical and audience acclaim. Here Before, the debut feature from East Belfast writer and director Stacey Gregg was released in cinemas in February. The unsettling psychological thriller that tells the haunting story of a mother’s love stars BAFTA-nominated Andrea Riseborough (Shadow Dancer, Birdman) with Jonjo O’Neill (The Fall), Eileen O’Higgins (Brooklyn), Martin McCann (Wildfire) and introduces Niamh Dornan. With the profile of Irish language film at an all-time high we were delighted to see Doineann, the first Irish language film to be produced in Northern Ireland, released in cinemas in March ahead of its broadcast on TG4 and BBCNI. Directed by Damian McCann the film stars Peter Coonan and Bríd Brennan and was produced by DoubleBand Films.
Ballywalter, also written by Stacey Gregg, had its world premiere at the opening night of Belfast Film Festival in November. Directed by Prasanna Puwanarajah this bittersweet comedy drama sees Patrick Kielty in his first feature film role, alongside Seána Kerslake. Kielty plays a man doing a weekly stand-up comedy course who develops a touching friendship with a down-on-her-luck taxi driver (Kerslake). The Glenarma Tapes, the latest film to come through our New Talent Focus scheme, also premiered at Belfast Film Festival. Directed by Tony Devlin the film is set in Spring 2020 when five students and two faculty members from the Mid Ulster College of Art go missing in a forest on the north coast of Ireland. What happened on the day they disappeared has remained a mystery – until now.
Stephen Fingleton’s real-time, one shot, crime thriller Nightride was released on Netflix in March. The film follows a drug dealer trying to pull one last score picked up and IFTA for Best Lead Actor (Moe Dunford) and Producer Paul Kennedy was nominated in the Breakthrough Producer category at the British Independent Film Awards.
The factual entertainment sector in Northern Ireland saw significant output in 2022 shining a spotlight on local people and their extraordinary lives.
Recommissions will always be a source of pride for the local industry and we were pleased to see competitive tractor-racing format Fast and Farmerish, from Derry~Londonderry based Alleycats TV greenlit for a second series following rave reviews from viewers and critics alike when it broadcast on BBC Three in February. Northern Ireland drag queen and social media star Blu Hydrangea fronted Stitch, Please! a factual clothing and design entertainment series from Waddell Media aired on BBC Three in April.
The Real Derry: Jamie Lee O’Donnell aired on Channel 4 in June, produced by Tyrone Productions viewers saw Derry Girls very own Jamie Lee O’Donnell reflect on her childhood experiences and discovers what life is like for young people growing up in Derry today.
While over on BBC One Rare Television’s Mountain Vets returned for a third series in July following dedicated vets in the Mournes who offer vital emergency services. In August Waddel Media’s new observational series The Hotel People, took viewers inside the world of Northern Ireland’s largest family-owned luxury hotel chain.
Afro-Mic Productions, one of the UKs fastest growing indies based in Belfast had a fantastic year with a nomination for ‘Small Indie of The Year’ at the 2022 Edinburgh Television Awards and secured a host of commissions. BBC daytime commissioned it to make B&B By The Sea, which sees celebs explore the north coast while based in a unique coastal hideaway on Downhill Beach. A BBC Three and BBC NI commission followed for Made Up In Belfast, a series following the lives of the charismatic young team behind a local cosmetic brand and BBC One commissioned Mini Matchmakers, a dating agency run by nine-year-olds.
As the industry continues to hold its own in producing new and established quiz shows, Nice One productions and Fizz TV saw Lightning, the electrifying and nerve-wracking fast quiz show return for its second series while Hat Trick Productions returned to Northern Ireland with Mastermind marking 50 years of the nation’s sharpest minds. 2023 will see Potato TV team up with Nice One Productions to bring a new BBC network daytime quiz Finish Line into production here.
The local animation and children’s content industry continues to go from strength to strength with well-deserved recommissions from BBC Children’s for a third series of Paper Owl’s Pablo, a fun, smart and curious five-year-old boy with autism. After witnessing one million views on BBC iPlayer in the UK Nova Jones, the children’s comedy television show from Jam Media also secured a double recommission while its lead star Molly Rainford has recently been dazzling viewers on the dancefloor in the recent series of Strictly Come Dancing. New sci-fi drama series Silverpoint from Zodiak Kids aired on CBBC in March and was subsequently nominated for two BAFTA Children & Young People Awards. Sixteen South launched its hilarious new comedy series The Coop Troop at Annecy Animation Festival in June. The series features the entertaining exploits of a gang of five unlikely heroes: hyperactive rabbit Maggie, eccentric inventor Flo the chicken, bon vivant swine Clive, excitable lamb Billy and enigmatic egg, Jo d’Oeuf.
2022 saw the introduction of an exciting new mixed media series, Mimi’s World produced by Adastra Development with animation from Belfast based ALT Animation and TAUNT Studios. The series filmed on location in Northern Ireland and features an inspirational childminder on a mission to help kids to be confident, kind and inclusive and to take ownership of their emotions. From feeling excited to feeling ‘hangry’, or feeling like you just need a quiet minute, Happy the Hoglet from Paper Owl Films models emotional resilience for pre-schoolers. The series is currently being shown on ITV Be’s littleBe and RTÉjr with young fans and parents alike delighting at how Happy is building inner strength by tackling big feelings and growing positive ones.
As the value of the UK video games market continues to rise so too does our investment in the local games industry. In August we supported eight companies to attend Gamescom, Europe’s leading trade fair for digital games culture, a fantastic opportunity to demo, pitch and showcase their games. It was a momentous year for local creative-tech company Retinize who closed a £2 million seed round to help develop its new virtual reality (VR) product in March. Local neuro-technology company INCISIV launched a virtual eality goalkeeping simulator called Cleansheet to the global market following consumer interest on TikTok translating into continued download success. Outsider Games founder Stephen Downey and a team of remote designers working across Northern Ireland in locations including Belfast, Lisburn and Lurgan released a new game, Jennifer Wilde: Unlikely Revolutions in which players receive the help of Oscar Wilde’s ghost in solving an occult spy mystery. Northern Ireland Screen has teamed up with Kippie to support its Girls Make Games programme which runs in early 2023 n Belfast and Derry~Londonderry. This educational programme is designed to inspire the next generation of designers, creators and engineers and aims to address the gender imbalance in one of Northern Ireland’s fastest growing creative industries. Open to girls aged between 10 and 13, the free course introduces students to the skills needed to make their own computer game.
It was a busy twelve months for Northern Ireland Screen’s Irish Language Broadcast Fund, supporting the production and broadcast of quality Irish language content for audiences in Northern Ireland and beyond and helping grow the local Irish language production sector. There was a wide range of new content on our screens, including Le Chéile, a new series about the remarkable story of East Belfast GAA during their first full year of play in 2021. Bog Amach, a six-part series produced by Strident Media saw presenter Tessa Fleming introduce viewers to six different families in some of Ireland’s most stunning locations and explores with them what their new life could be like in rural Ireland. Plenty of old favourites returned too – a fourth series of Beidh Aonach Amárach, a fifth series of Turas Bothar and a sixth series of An Focail Scor. Content was not just confined to the small screen with the aforementioned Doineann hitting the big screen in March and Paul Muldoon: Laoithe’s Liricí premiering at Cork International Film Festival in November. This new bi-lingual feature documentary from Below The Radar sees the poet explore life and language in a series of musical collaborations with a stellar array of artists including Paul Simon, Liam Neeson, PJ Harvey, Bono, Ruth Negga, Paul Brady, and Iarla Ó Lionáird. Paul Muldoon: Laoithe’s Liricí will air on TG4 on 28th December.
The Ulster-Scots Broadcast Fund continued to support the Ulster-Scots independent production sector in Northern Ireland and to fund high quality Ulster-Scots cultural TV and radio programmes for Northern Ireland audiences such as Paula McIntyre’s Hamely Kitchen, a series two return from Clean Slate Television with the popular chef celebrating local produce and cooking up mouth-watering traditional recipes. DoubleBand Films’ Motorcycle Mavericks followed road racing photographer and journalist Stephen Davison as he delves into this rich history of how our connection with road racing has been shaped since the wheels of industry put Ulster on the map. Continuing with the historical theme, Belfast’s Victory in Vienna: A Football Odyssey saw presenter Holly Hamilton and author and lifelong Glentoran Football Club fan Sam Robinson explore the fascinating story of the 1914 football team who won the inaugural Vienna cup. Joe Mahon returned to our screens with Mahon’s Way. Travelling the length and breadth of Northern Ireland (and sometimes a bit further), he explored the rich veins of heritage, history and culture which makes this place so unique.
Northern Ireland Screen’s Digital Film Archive is constantly updated and expanding with hundreds of hours of moving image titles, spanning from 1897 to the present day. In 2022 footage was showcased by an eclectic selection of artists in a series of projects collectively titled The Looking Glass Anthology. The project invited artists to develop creative responses to 160 hours of UTV cine film, captured during its first decade of broadcasting from 1959 to 1969. Yer Men in Spain, a new documentary created by the archive team utilising never-before-seen footage of the Northern Ireland football squad at the 1982 World Cup was shown to coincide with the 40th anniversary of Northern Ireland reaching the prestigious tournament. The archive team continues to facilitate many outreach events sharing topical footage and classic clips taking viewers down memory lane.
Skills development and training remains key to the creative and screen industries growth in Northern Ireland. Throughout 2022 we supported hundreds of individuals through a number of skills development initiatives.
By introducing the innovative Creative Industries New Entrants (CINE) scheme Northern Ireland Screen aims to broaden access to the screen and creative industries at entry level. Funded by the Department for Communities and working in partnership with BBC Northern Ireland, the scheme is helping to identify new talent. In line with UK-wide screen industry initiatives we are prioritising applicants from underrepresented ethnic minority, socio-economic, and disabled communities, to expand our growing creative industries sector and create a more diverse generation of ‘New Entrants’ of all ages.
Engaging and helping young people shape their career paths and encouraging them to consider a career in the screen industry continues to be of utmost importance to Northern Ireland Screen. To-date we have reached over 1,000 young people through Into Film and ScreenWorks – a school age careers work experience model which offers young people unparalleled access to industry professionals on 3-5 day work placements across film, TV, animation, games and visual effects. Establishing regional creative hubs will create further momentum in 2023 with the varied training, mentorship and exposure to the film, TV, animation, games and VFX industry programmes for young people aged 16-19 who are not currently at or enrolled in university through Screen Academies. These Academies are delivered by the Nerve Centre in Derry~Londonderry, Nerve Belfast and the AmmA Centre in Armagh with local industry professionals sharing their expert knowledge and leading hands-on industry standard training.
We continue to work with the Education Authority and CCEA on nurturing an environment that supports skills development including the CCEA’s Moving Image Arts qualification at GCSE and A-Level, the only qualification in digital filmmaking at these levels in the UK. The course is designed to help young people develop their creative and critical abilities through hands-on learning in the craft of filmmaking. While also continuing to partner with the Further Education Colleges and Universities in the development of industry focused, screen related courses such as Ulster University’s new Games Design degree course on the Magee campus.
