Film Festival offers a plethora of flicks

The organisers of the festival, which runs until Sunday, April 21, have lined up more than 110 screenings in a range of venues across the city as well as an eclectic mix of special events.

At the QFT tonight, Friday, April 12 is Tony Grisoni, screenwriter of Red Riding Trilogy and Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas, will be talking about his work.

And broadcaster and film critic Mark Kermode is at The Black Box tonight where he will be revealing his Desert Island Flicks.

Tomorrow’s big event is a screening of the Paul Newman classic Cool Hand Luke and other prison-themed movies at Crumlin Road Gaol.

Spoof Or Die, which is showing at the QFT tomorrow night, features Northern Ireland actor Ryan McParland and BAFTA winner Monica Dolan. It’s a film about growing up in Belfast and an obsession with its bloody past.

The Wall, dubbed a contemporary female Robinson Crusoe story, is also on at the QFT tomorrow night.

Much Ado About Nothing is showing at the QFT on Sunday night. Joss Whedon’s take on Shakespeare’s story of sparring lovers Beatrice and Benedick offers a dark, sexy and occasionally absurd view of the intricate game that is love.

On Monday, April 15 at the same venue a poetic documentary by Mark Cousins about the nature of happiness called What Is This Film Called Love? is being shown.

Other on-screen highlights include Jack Black as a funeral director in Richard Link’s latest film, Bernie, which is showing at QFT on Tuesday.

Last Tango In Paris, a film which outraged the city fathers in 1970s Belfast, is being screened on Tuesday, April 16 at the QFT as part of an event called Last Tango In Belfast. The film will be introduced by local writer Brian Henry Martin.

The QFT is also showing Like Someone In Love on Tuesday. Named after Ella Fitzgerald’s jazz standard, it’s a droll, elegant and playful film about a sociology student working as a high class escort.

On the same night there’s a celebration of Nina Simone, who is hailed as one of the greatest vocalists of the 20th century, at the Sunflower Bar.

Faraway, a story of intrigue and misadventure set in contemporary Northern Ireland, is being shown at the Movie House, Dublin Road, on Thursday, April 18.

Also on Thursday, Marilyn Monroe Songbook is being presented at the Black Box by Katie and the Carnival. It’s an evening of clips and music to honour Monroe’s movie legacy and unique voice.

Looking towards the end of next week, writer and script editor Terrance Dicks, most famous for his long association with Doctor Who, will be giving a talk at Waterstone’s in the city centre on Friday.

The previous night Doctor Who – The Mind Of Evil is being screened at the BFF microcinema.

The horror blockbuster The Evil Dead 2 will be screened in the city’s Ormeau Park on Saturday, April 20.

Full information on the 11-day extravaganza is now available through the 13thth Belfast Film Festival Programme, distributed at key venues around the city, or online at www.belfastfilmfestival.org

Tickets for the festival are available online at www.belfastfilmfestival.org, by phoning the Festival Box Office on 028 9024 6609 or from the Belfast Welcome Centre at 47 Donegall Place, Belfast.