Doc Fest Ireland – a new industry focussed, all-Ireland documentary film festival.
Belfast Film Festival has recently announced a brand new annual festival, ‘Doc Fest Ireland’ which will take place in Belfast from Wednesday 12th June – Sunday 16th June this year. Doc Fest Ireland will showcase only documentary films, presenting new Irish and international feature length and short documentaries.
The festival will provide a platform to showcase the Irish documentary filmmaking industry, promoting a dynamic programme of events that are both entertaining and provocative.
The last five years have seen a surge in feature-length documentaries from the island of Ireland, with many securing theatrical releases.
Hard-hitting post-conflict legacy films such as Sinead O’Shea’s A Mother Brings Her Son To Be Shot, and Belfast-based Sean Murray’s Unquiet Graves are making waves in the industry. Belfast based Fine Point Films filmography includes Emmy-nominated Elián, Alex Gibney’s No Stone Unturned and Bobby Sands: 66 Days, which is currently streaming on Netflix.
The success of Belfast Film Festival’s sold-out pilot Irish Documentary Festival in 2018 highlights the strong interest in documentary film and the need for film festivals on the island of Ireland that focus on this type of film.
Doc Fest Ireland will also host a series of industry events and master classes, pitching sessions and information sessions for new and emerging filmmakers including the BFI/Doc Society New and Emerging Talent Day.
The festival is now seeking submissions for Doc Market (deadline Friday 19th April), an opportunity for filmmakers to meet with industry professionals including international funders, broadcasters, distributors and exhibitors from across the UK, ROI, US and EU.
Decision Makers in attendance at Doc Market to date, will include:
Arte France | Arte Germany | Broadcasting Authority of Ireland | BBC Arts | BBC Northern Ireland | BBC Storyville | Creative Europe | European Documentary Network | EO / IKON Docs Netherlands | The Kennedy / Marshall Company | Northern Ireland Screen | USA PBS | RTÉ | Screen Ireland | SWR Germany | TG4 Ireland | TRT Turkey | the WRAP Fund Ireland | TV Poland
Doc Market will be a hub for funding, sales and distribution of Irish and international documentaries and a place where local talent can continue to thrive. Find out more about Doc Market here.
Chair of Doc Fest Ireland, internationally renowned documentary filmmaker Mark Cousins, said:
“Belfast is one of the most interesting cities in the world. It’s in transition and, because of Brexit and Belfast’s rapid social change. It is a fascinating place to take the temperature of the UK and Ireland. Add in the fact that the team behind Doc Fest Ireland is passionate and experienced, and that Ireland has a great tradition of documentary film, and it’s hard to think of a better place to launch a dynamic new documentary festival”.
Doc Fest Ireland’s principal funders are Northern Ireland Screen, TG4 and Arts & Business with additional funding from Queen’s University.
