Belfast Media Festival unveils line-up of speakers and sessions
Date Posted: November 8, 2022
More than 1500 people are expected to descend on The Mac Belfast next week for the opening of the 13th Belfast Media Festival (BMF) which starts on Wednesday 16th November at 10.30am with hosts Kathy Clugston and William Crawley and runs until Thursday 17th November.
A jam-packed schedule of 16 sessions covering all aspects of the industry from TV commissioning to gaming and social influencers to work life balance was unveiled by the BMF committee today with workshops, skills training, panel discussions and keynote speeches by leading lights of the industry. Highlights include:
- The flagship RTS NI Dan Gilbert Lecture this year features BBC’s Head of Unscripted Kate Phillips in conversation with UTV’s Eden Wilson;
- BBC Three Controller Fiona Campbell will talk to The Wreck’s Ryan J. Brown & NI Director, Chris Baugh;
- Commissioners from Channel 4, Disney, BBC, ITV and more will give audiences an insight into what’s next in the pipeline for programming highlighting current trends in content.
- Babita Sharma talks to industry professionals about the demand for authentic and diverse voices in the creative industries;
- Local writers Declan Lawn, Adam Patterson, Mary McGuckian and Ciaran Bartlett advise on how to get your drama made;
- Producers of Irish crime documentaries talk about the popularity of true crime series in Scene of the Crime;
- BBC Director of Nations Rhodri Talfan Davies talks about his plans for the nations with William Crawley;
- BAFTA winning games developer Charles Cecil will discuss the evolution of gaming with Kevin Beimers;
- There’s a focus on Children’s and Irish language programming with the launch of a new Irish TV station Cula 4; and
- A special case study on what made Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast such a global success.
Plus the continued rise of podcasting, international distribution, designing for and attracting younger audiences, the future of animation in NI, co-commissioning and the return of BBC’s Two-Minute Masterpiece and much more.
BBC NI Head of Commissioning Eddie Doyle said: “This is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the amazing growth of Northern Ireland’s creative industries over the past decade and recognise our wonderful home-grown talent now operating on the global stage. For anyone interested in a career in broadcasting, film or gaming this is the place to be next week.”
Richard Williams, CEO at Northern Ireland Screen said: “Northern Ireland Screen is delighted to support another varied and diverse programme of workshops, training, panel discussions and keynote speeches at Belfast Media Festival. This is a fantastic opportunity for people working across film, tv and gaming to share knowledge with those interested in progressing or pursuing a career in our vibrant creative industries sector. We wish the festival good luck in bringing people together from across Northern Ireland and showcasing what our talent has to offer.”
The Belfast Media Festival is grateful to the support of its long running partners BBC Northern Ireland and Northern Ireland Screen along with many other industry sponsors who help to ensure the event remains free for attendees. These include BMF Platinum Sponsors – BAI, Ulster Screen Academy, Screenskills, Channel 4, Hat Trick & Hindsight Productions, Belfast City Council, Queen’s University Belfast and RTÉ. Gold Sponsors – Paper Owl Films, Waddell Media, TG4, RTS NI and Element Pictures. Silver Sponsors – Strident Media, Nice One Productions, Stellify Media, Poli Productions, Bectu, Pact, Below the Radar, Tyrone Productions, Clean Slate, Play Human, Big Mountain Productions, Green Inc, Jam Media and other BMF contributors – Film Hub NI, Prospect, Italic Pig and Doubleband Films.
For FREE Registration and to see the full schedule of events visit www.belfastmediafestival.co.uk.
