NORTHERN IRELAND SCREEN 2023 YEAR IN REVIEW
Date Posted: January 2, 2024
2023 proved to be another great year for Northern Ireland Screen with many successes across film, TV, animation, games and interactive content. Despite the challenges brought about by the writers’ and actors’ strikes in the US the industry was kept incredibly busy. Productions continued to boost our economy and provide employment and training opportunities for hundreds of local people, while content made in Northern Ireland beamed out on big and small screens all across the globe. We round off 2023 with much to look forward to including Sky’s Christmas film The Heist Before Christmas airing on Christmas Eve and Netflix’s Lift, starring Kevin Hart, streaming from 12th January.
Reflecting on the past twelve months, Richard Williams Chief Executive of Northern Ireland Screen commented: “In 2023, our vibrant screen industry once again demonstrated its resilience and creativity, overcoming challenges and delivering outstanding content across film, TV, animation, games, and interactive media.
“Our local talent shone bright, earning accolades, breaking records, and captivating audiences worldwide. From the historic success of An Irish Goodbye to the continued triumphs of Derry Girls, Lyra and Nothing Compares our storytellers excelled on every front.
“2024 is already shaping up well with Universal’s How to Train Your Dragon getting ready to shoot and Netflix’s Lift streaming globally, as well as an exciting slate of new projects across all genres.
“We remain committed to fostering new talent, supporting innovation, and ensuring that our stories continue to resonate with audiences everywhere. We are grateful for the ongoing support from of our funders, the Department for the Economy and the Department for Communities and our many partners and stakeholders. In the spirit of collaboration and creativity, we press on, united in our pursuit of making Northern Ireland a global hub for screen excellence.”
Like 2022, 2023 got off to an award-winning start with Ross White and Tom Berkley following in Ken Branagh’s footsteps by picking up an Oscar. Ross and Tom alongside James Martin and Seamus O’Hara who starred in An Irish Goodbye wowed global audiences when they accepted the Academy Award for Best Live Action short film. Having also won the BAFTA and IFTA, the duo has sealed its place in history with An Irish Goodbye being the first film to do the treble. Ross and Tom’s latest short film The Golden West premiered at Galway Film Fleadh in July and has had an impressive run on the festival circuit picking up awards at Raindance, Aesthetica and Norwich Film Festivals making it eligible for the 2024 Oscars, BAFTAs and IFTAs.
Lisa McGee’s Derry Girls kept the awards rolling in, not only did it recently win the Comedy Award at the International Emmys, throughout the year the hit sitcom also picked up three BAFTA TV Awards (Best Scripted Comedy, Best Writer Comedy and Best Female Performance in a Comedy), two RTS Awards (Best Scripted Comedy and Best Writer Comedy), an IFTA (Best Script Drama), two Broadcast Awards (Best Comedy Programme and Timeline TV Moment of the Year) and was named Edinburgh TV Festival’s Best Comedy Series.
Although the show has come to an end it still lives on in the city that inspired it, a new Derry Girls experience opened in the Tower Museum in July and features sets, props and memorabilia from the comedy as well as some personal artefacts donated by Lisa McGee. By September the visitor attraction had amassed over 10,000 visitors from all over the world.
The documentary sector continued to make waves during 2023 with Kathryn Ferguson’s Nothing Compares picking up the Rose d’Or Award for Arts, these prestigious awards define the gold standard for excellence and achievement in International TV. The film also won the George Morrison Feature Documentary Award at IFTA. Kathryn has recently been named as part of BAFTA’s 2023 Breakthrough cohort. The charity’s flagship talent initiative in partnership with Netflix, provides a springboard to creatives and is awarded to those in the midst of, or on the cusp of their breakthrough moment. Nothing Compares was broadcast on Sky Documentaries in July, just days after the sad passing of Sinead O’Connor.
DoubleBand’s Ukraine: Holocaust Ground Zero aired on Channel 4 in September to great critical acclaim. Margo Harkin’s insightful and heartfelt documentary Stolen was released in cinemas in November.
Alison Millar’s Lyra won Best Single Documentary at the Grierson Trust’s 2023 British Documentary Awards and Best European TV Documentary at the Prix Europa Awards. Earlier in the year Northern Ireland Screen partnered with Hidden Light, Channel 4 and Erica Starling on a special event on Lyra’s legacy and the Good Friday generation. The event, marking the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, saw Hillary Clinton in conversation with Alison Millar and Monica McWilliams.
Once Upon a Time in Northern Ireland from KEO Films and Walk on Air Films won two British Documentary Awards for Best Documentary Series and Best History Documentary. Lyra and Once Upson a Time in Northern Ireland are both nominated for the 2024 Broadcast Awards.
Paramount and eOne’s Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves brought the rich world and playful spirit of the legendary roleplaying game to the big screen when it was released in March. The hilarious and action-packed adventure starring Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page and Hugh Grant, filmed at Titanic Studios and on location across Northern Ireland in 2021. It was a big hit with cinema goers and took over $208m worldwide at the box office.
Netflix’s mid-air action comedy, Lift starring Kevin Hart, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Vincet D’Onofori, Úrsula Corberó, Billy Magnussen, Vivek Kalra, Yun Jee Kim and Sam Worthington lands on Netflix on 12th January. Directed by F. Gary Gray Lift filmed in Harbour Studios and on location across Northern Ireland in 2022. Universal’s How to Train Your Dragon, a live-action feature adaptation of the 2010 animation of the same name, will film in Northern Ireland in early 2024.
2023 has been a prolific year for independent film in Northern Ireland with 12 independent films shooting across the year. Pierce Brosnan was spotted out and about all over the country when he filmed Four Letters of Love here alongside Helena Bonham-Carter in early 2023. Based on Niall Williams bestselling novel, the film will see Brosnan and Bonham-Carter starring as the parents of fated lovers. Gabriel Byrne will also star in the film.
Lucy Liu (Strange World, Shazam! Fury of the Gods) and Cooper Hoffman (Licorice Pizza) joined two-time Oscar winner Christoph Waltz (No Time to Die, Big Eyes, Inglourious Basterds) in Belfast to film Old Guy. Old Guy follows aging contract killer Danny Dolinski (Waltz), who still believes he’s the best at what he does. Stuck at a dead end but vying for the love of club manager Anata (Liu), Danny is thrilled when The Company pulls him back into the field, but only to train Gen Z newcomer Wihlborg (Hoffman), a prodigy assassin with an attitude. The action comedy is directed by Simon West (The Expendables 2, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider).
The Wise Guy, filmed over the summer, is the debut feature from writer-director Sam O’Mahony and tells the story of Francis Burns, a lonely boy (and devout atheist) who desperate for guidance and protection, finds an unconventional mentor hiding in the nearby woods; an American Gangster. The Wise Guy was one of three New Talent Focus films supported by Northern Ireland Screen this year, the others being Housejackers and Nothing Lasts Forever. The scheme aims to support at least one debut feature by a Northern Ireland resident creative team (writer, director and producer) each year.
Another New Talent Focus film, Lie of the Land which filmed in 2022 won Best Irish First Feature at Galway Film Fleadh in July.
Ballywalter, a bitter-sweet comedy written by Stacey Gregg and starring Seána Kerslake (Bad Sisters) and Patrick Kielty in his first dramatic role opened in cinemas across the UK and Ireland in September, just as Kielty took over as the new host of The Late Late Show.
In the Land of Saints and Sinners, from a script written by Mark McNally which came through Northern Ireland Screen’s New Writer Focus scheme, premiered at the prestigious Venice Film Festival in September.
The Last Rifleman, a drama starring Pierce Brosnan and directed by Terry Loane (Mickybo and Me) and written by Kevin Fitzpatrick was released on Sky Cinema in November to coincide with Remembrance Day. Inspired by true events, it is a moving and heartfelt drama that follows Artie Crawford, a World War II veteran living in a care home in Northern Ireland who has just lost his wife. On the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy, Artie decides to secretly escape his care home and embarks on an arduous but inspirational journey to France, to pay his final respects to his best friend and find the courage to face the ghosts of his past.
The Heist Before Christmas is a brand-new, Christmas special airing on Sky at 8pm on Christmas Eve. Filmed and set in Northern Ireland and written by local Oscar nominee Ronan Blaney (Boogaloo and Graham) the film stars James Nesbitt and Timothy Spall alongside two NI newcomers; Bamber Todd and Joshua McLees. Twelve-year-old Mikey Collins (Bamber Todd), who’s dirt-poor and hates Christmas, finds two Santa Clauses in the woods. One has just pulled off a bank heist (James Nesbitt), the other Santa (Timothy Spall) claims to have fallen out of his sleigh. Unlike his little brother Sean (Joshua McLees), Mikey has long stopped believing in the magic of Christmas, but he certainly believes in the magic the thief’s loot could bring to his family.
Another film penned by Ronan Blaney, Sunrise filmed in Northern Ireland earlier in the year. Alex Pettyfer (Magic Mike, Elvis And Nixon) plays Fallon, a man who roams the land as a creature of the night while he comes to terms with the loss of his family at the hands of the brutal demagogue Reynolds (Guy Pearce). Sunrise is directed by Andrew Baird (Zone 414).
Colum Eastwood’s second feature film The Morrigan recently finished filming in Northern Ireland. Starring Saffron Burrows (BagHead, The Deep Blue Sea, Troy) the film concerns a successful archaeologist but absentee mother (Burrows) who travels to Ireland to excavate a centuries old tomb. But within the site lurks a danger hidden from mankind for centuries. Once it is unleashed she must battle to save her rebellious teenage daughter from possession by a vengeful Pagan War Goddess, The Morrigan.
TV drama made in Northern Ireland kept audiences enthralled during 2023. Blue Lights, written by local men Declan Lawn and Adam Patterson launched on BBC One and iPlayer in March and was a huge ratings and critical success. Unsurprisingly the commission of a second series was announced and has just recently wrapped shooting. Viewers down under also got to enjoy the police drama when it launched on SBS Australia. The series was nominated for Best New Drama at the 2023 National Television Awards and is up for Best Drama Series at the 2024 Broadcast Awards.
BBC One’s primetime 9pm Sunday evening was dominated with Northern Ireland drama over the summer; World on Fire S2 broadcast from 16th July for 6 weeks with The Woman in the Wall taking over that slot from 27th August. Sky Original drama The Lovers launched on Sky Atlantic at the beginning of September. The series filmed on location in Belfast and was written and created by award winning Belfast playwright David Ireland (Cyprus Avenue, Ulster American).
In April filming began on the third series of the BBC Daytime, BBC Northern Ireland and BritBox International police drama Hope Street. The new series returned to our screens in Autumn. A second series of BBC Three comedy-horror Wreck, directed and executive produced by local man Chris Baugh recently filmed in Northern Ireland. Wreck series 1 is nominated for a Broadcast Award for International Sales.
New Mammoth TV drama Tom Jones launched on ITVX in May. ITV’s Breathtaking, starring Golden Globe Award-winning actress Joane Frogatt is a searing, thought-provoking and poignant account of an NHS doctor in the eye of the storm during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic. Filmed in Northern Ireland at the beginning of the year and written by Rachel Clarke, Jed Mercurio and Prasanna Puwanarajah the three-part series is due to air in 2024.
BBC announced the return of hit drama Showtrial, with a brand-new cast and explosive murder investigation. Made by World Productions (Vigil, Line of Duty, Anne) the new Showtrial is currently filming in Northern Ireland and stars BAFTA award-winner Adeel Akhtar (Sherwood, Ali & Ava, Utopia), Nathalie Armin (Home, Unforgotten, The Batman), and Michael Socha (The Gallows Pole, Chernobyl, This Is England) and will once again centre around a hotly contested criminal trial that divides the nation and takes place in the full glare of the media spotlight.
Animation and children’s content continues to be big business for the Northern Ireland screen industries and 2023 marked the release of the first ever animated feature film to be produced in Northern Ireland; Puffin Rock and the New Friends. Made by Derry~Londonderry-based Dog Ears, the film celebrates Ireland’s magnificent natural environment with themes of belonging, courage, and friendship the film follows family favourites from the animated TV series Oona, Baba, May, and Mossy who are joined by a new cast of characters as Isabelle, Phoenix, and Marvin arrive on the island. The film had its premiere in Derry~Londonderry in July ahead of its theatrical release. An Irish language version, Puffin Rock agus Cairde Nua was screened as part of Belfast Film Festival and Foyle Film Festival.
A new series of Paper Owl Films’ Ladybird and Bee launched on RTEjr in March. The second series of popular kids’ drama Silverpoint launched on CBBC and iPlayer in May. Two new CBBC children’s drama series; A Kind of Spark 2 and Pickle Storm recently filmed in Northern Ireland.
Sixteen South’s funny, fast, farcical, and feathery series The Coop Troop debuted on France télévisions and Tencent Video in China in 2023.
Belfast-based Retinize Ltd, one of Europe’s fastest-growing creative technology companies, launched Animotive, an immersive real-time animation tool, in July. Animotive aims to transform the way creatives work together by enabling remote collaboration in a virtual space with virtual reality.
Brand new quiz show The Finish Line from Potato TV and Nice One Productions aired on BBC One from August, Roman Kemp and Sarah Greene watched eager contestants compete in quiz-fuelled races across a unique racetrack set. After a successful first series which was a huge hit with viewers, BBC One confirmed the return of The Finish Line for an extended series two. Series two will film in Belfast in early 2024.
Mastermind and Celebrity Mastermind continue to be made in Northern Ireland with contestants facing a series of challenging questions interrogation-style from Clive Myrie when they take to the iconic ominous black chair.
BBC Three viewers got a behind the scenes look at what goes on in the world of global cosmetics company BPerfect in Made Up in Belfast. The new docu-reality show unveiled the lives, loves and friendships of a dynamic young team working at a global cosmetics company based in County Antrim. A special Christmas edition will air on Thursday 21 December on BBC One NI & BBC iPlayer, at 10.40pm. The series was produced by Afro-Mic Productions who won Small Indie of the Year at the 2023 Edinburgh TV Festival.
Having posted his life on social media, James Blakes’ face and name was stolen and used in scams. In a fight to get his identity back, he uncovered a world of organised crime. Hunting The Catfish Crime Gang produced by Strident Media aired on BBC NI and BBC Three in October.
There’s lots more to look forward to in the fact-ent world with BBC commissioning five new unscripted programmes as part of a Hot House initiative, with support from Northern Ireland Screen; Below the Radar’s Anna Haugh – No Place Like Home, Stellify Media’s The Art Game, DoubleBand Films’ Ride or Die, Walk on Air Films’ Communion Stories and Stellify Media’s Chosen Ten. Disney+ UK and Northern Ireland Screen also announced a collaboration to help support and grow the production sector in Northern Ireland.
The profile of Irish language content continues to rise on the international stage with Kneecap, based on the origin story of the riotous and ground-breaking Irish-language rap trio of the same name, due to have its world premiere at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival in January. Produced by Fine Point Films it stars the band’s Mo Chara, .Móglaí Bap and DJ Próvaí in their acting debuts alongside Academy Award® nominated Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs, 12 Years a Slave), Simone Kirby (Hidden Assets, Jimmy’s Hall) and Josie Walker (Belfast, The Wonder). Set in west Belfast in 2019, it chronicles how fate brings the trio together and how they then go on to “change the sound of Irish music forever”. Kneecap is the first non-US film to ever be selected for the NEXT section of the festival. The festival describes selections for this section as “pure, bold works distinguished by an innovative, forward-thinking approach to story-telling”.
Below the Radar’s Rúin na bPortach (Secrets in the Peat), a series exploring the role of bogs and peatlands in the world’s ecosystem, history and culture was a co-production with Canada and Scotland and was broadcast on TG4.
Imagine Media’s An Buachaill Gealgháireach (The Laughing Boy) won the much-coveted Audience Award at Thessaloniki International Documentary Film Festival in Greece in March. The film tracks the evolution of a song about Michael Collins, written by Brendan Behan, as it journeys into the hearts and minds of the Greek people in a translation by Vassilis Rotas and set to music by one of the great composers of all time, Mikis Theodorakis.
Armagh-born, Pulitzer Prize winner Paul Muldoon was the focus of Paul Muldoon: Laoithe’s Liricí which broadcast on TG4 and BBC NI and had a special screening at Doc NYC. Through words specially written by the poet himself, it featured collaborations with a stellar line-up from the world of music, film and TV including Paul Simon, Bono, Ruth Negga, Liam Nesson, Van Morrison, Moya Brennan and Iarla Ó Lionáird.
In September TG4 launched Cúla4, the first ever Irish language children’s channel. The launch featured content supported by Northern Ireland Screen’s Irish Language Broadcast Fund including Paper Owl Films’ Uisce, Uisce! And Ronin Films’ M’Ainm Mo Scéal.
Macha Media’s Séamus Mac Murchaidh: Díolta Faoina Luach won television programme of the year at the 2023 Oireachtas Media Awards. The prestigious awards celebrate the high standards and excellence of the Irish language media sector every year.
In September the Irish Language Broadcast Fund (ILBF) celebrated the graduation of nine talented individuals who have completed various ILBF training schemes – 6 on the New Entrants scheme; one on the Trainee Producer scheme; two on the Trainee Assistant Producer scheme. A further seven trainees joined the New Entrants scheme in September 2023.
Ulster-Scots Broadcast Fund programming continued to charm audiences with a second series of DoubleBand’s A Stitch Through Time in July and the retuen of Mahon’s Way from Westway Films in August. Paula McIntyre’s Hamely Kitchen returned for a third series in November and she’ll be serving up a festive feast in a special Hamely Christmas episode airing on Friday 22nd December at 7.30pm on BBC One NI.
The Woven Word, produced by Virtual Visit in partnership with Hidden Ulster Tours is a series of ten short episodes provides an interactive virtual reality experience immersing viewers in the world of Ulster’s Rhyming Weavers – Ulster-Scots poets who flourished over the last few centuries.
Two Ulster-Scots digital projects launched in September; Granda’s Fir Aff, an online teaching resource for young children in Ulster-Scots features ten short animated films that follow the adventures of a grandad and his dog as they visit some of Northern Ireland’s best-known locations and landmarks. The other project features some of the best contemporary Ulster-Scots poets including Charlie Gillen, Anne McMaster, Angeline King, Angela Graham and Liam Logan, it was curated Negative Waves and Sub-Culture Productions highlighting and preserving their important work.
Two new Ulster-Scots Broadcast Fund Production Trainees started in September and will spend the next 18 months on placements with various NI production companies creating Ulster-Scots programmes and digital content. In March, three trainees graduated from the scheme and are now working for local production companies.
Italic Pig’s highly anticipated Paleo Pines was released in September on various platforms including Nintendo Switch, PlayStation and Xbox. A collection of cheeky dinosaurs roams the wild areas of Paleo Pines, waiting to become your friends. Coax them to your farm by mimicking their calls with your flute, then give them a tasty treat and trustworthy nose boop to keep them by your side! Gain a multitude of dinosaur friends by building trust and creating cozy pens for your newfound buddies.
Studio Ulster, a state-of-the-art virtual production studio is currently under construction at Belfast’s Giant’s Park. The collaborative effort between Belfast Harbour, Ulster University, and Northern Ireland Screen is on track to open in 2024. This pioneering virtual production stage will be Northern Ireland’s first of its kind, serving industry professionals and students alike, thereby nurturing the next generation of talent in the creative industries. Northern Ireland Screen has launched a suite of Virtual Production courses in partnership with Ulster University to ready the screen industry for Studio Ulster and the opportunities it offers.
Skills development and training remains key to the creative and screen industries growth in Northern Ireland. Throughout 2023 Northern Ireland Screen supported hundreds of individuals through a number of skills development initiatives across all areas of its activity from animation and games to TV drama and independent film to name just a few.
The CINE (Creative Industries New Entrants) scheme continues to broaden access to the screen and creative industries at entry level expanding our growing creative industries sector and creating a more diverse generation of ‘New Entrants’ of all ages. Since it launched in 2022 CINE has taken on 92 new entrants. One CINE trainee, Tolu Ogunware, was named as one of TV trade publication Broadcast’s Hot Shots 2023. The emerging talent initiative seeks out the brightest and most promising individuals from across the UK television industry.
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. In November 20th anniversary showcase events in Derry~Londonderry and Belfast were attended by over 600 students, teachers, and industry experts to celebrate the students’ success.
Education charity Into Film, with support from Northern Ireland Screen, launched Story Builder: Games on National Video Games Day. This free educational resource was developed in close consultation with BAFTA and the Family Gaming Database. Story Builder: Games allows students to merge their enthusiasm for gaming with education by creating characters, relevant settings, and meaningful stories based on their research and understanding of their focus area. It also gives educators the tools to integrate game narratives and structure into any curriculum topics.
Into Film also continues to help young people shape their career paths and encourage them to consider a career in the screen industry via its incredibly popular Screen Works programme – 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.
Since it was established in 2000 Northern Ireland Screen’s Digital Film Archive is constantly updated and expanding, it is home to hundreds of hours of moving image titles, spanning from 1987 to the present day. However, recognising that the archive lacks contemporary material related to several key themes and communities – including ethnic minorities, diversity of religious belief, disabled people, neurodivergent people, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and working-class communities, especially young men – Northern Ireland Screen recently launched Northern Ireland Now: Contemporary Collecting, an initiative calling for contemporary content submissions to ensure the Digital Film Archive is a more accurate and representative reflection of contemporary life in Northern Ireland. The archive team continues to facilitate many outreach events sharing topical footage and classic clips taking viewers down memory lane.
