Belfast Film Festival Launches on 10 April

8th Jameson Belfast Film Festival Launches packed programme and announces new Oscar nominated Patron.

Festival director Michele Devlin said "We are delighted to announce that director Terry George is the new Patron of the Belfast Film Festival and that his latest film Reservation Road starring Joaquin Phoenix, Jennifer Connolly, Mark Ruffalo and Mira Sorvino will have its Irish premiere at the Festival's opening night. Terry will be on hand to introduce the film and hopes to be bringing along some of the cast. He will also hold a screenwriting and directing masterclass."

Terry George was born in Belfast; he worked in the U.S. as a journalist (Rolling Stone, The Village Voice), writer and producer of several plays at the Irish Arts Centre in New York. There he met Jim Sheridan with whom he co-wrote the screenplays for In the Name of the Father (93) and The Boxer (97). Starring Helen Mirren, Some Mother's Son (96) was George's solo directorial debut, followed by the internationally acclaimed Hotel Rwanda, which received three Academy Award® nominations, including Terry George for best original screenplay.

The Festival Closing night premiere also focuses on local talent with the European premiere of Buy, Borrow, Steal. Starring Heather Graham, this film was shot in Belfast with the participation of local crew and cast.

Festival programmer Michael Besnard Scott said "The pleasure of programming this Festival in Belfast and hopefully in attending comes from the concentration and diversity of the work on offer, from the widely promoted and hugely anticipated to hidden gems tucked away throughout the programme, every film in the Festival has fought hard for its place."

Local talent is well represented with the UK premiere of Wave Riders directed by Joel Conroy and produced by Margo Harkin of Besom Productions. It features both local and international surfing talent riding some of the most exciting surf that Ireland has to offer. Local director, Alison Millar's recent IFTA award winner 'Best Documentary' At Home with the Cleary's will also premiere in a special feature length festival cut. This film gives a fascinating insight into the secret life of Father Michael Cleary who 'fooled her, his family and an entire nation.' Father Cleary's son Ross will introduce the film with Alison and participate in a Q&A afterwards.

The festival is delighted to be able to host the cast and crew screening of new feature Peacefire, directed by Macdara Vallely and starring local actor John Travers. Peacefire is a gritty and horrifically funny urban tale about a kid's experience of crime and punishment on his local housing estate and was shot on location in Craigavon. The festival is delighted to host this special screening before the film starts it worldwide festival tour.

Well known Belfast documentary filmmaker Gearoid Ó Cairealláin's new film Tomás Ó Fiaich The Controversial Cardinal will premiere in Culturlann as will Dambe: The Mali Project which follows Hothouse Flowers front-man Liam O'Maonlai and Uillean piper Paddy Keenan as they travel around music events in Mali. The film culminates in a unique performance at the world's most remote music festival - 'Festival au Desert' and is a must for all world music fans.

The World Cinema programme features brilliant new films from directors highly regarded for their imagination and originality, such as Francois Ozon's Angel, John Sayles Honeydrippers, Volker Schlondorf's Ulzhan, Catherine Breillat's The Last Mistress and Woody Allen's Cassandra's Dream. New emerging talent from around the world will also be celebrated such as the UK/Irish premiere of Teona Mitevska's I Am From Titov Veles, Felix Viscarret's Under the Stars , Peter Duncan's Unfinished Sky and from Bangladesh, Golam Rabbany Biplob's, UK/Irish Premiere of On the Wings of Dreams.

2008 is the third year of the Maysles Brothers Documentary Competition. A truly world class list of 17 films have been short listed this year including International Documentary Festival winner Hold Me Tight, Let Me Go by Kim Longinotto and Best documentary winner at Edinburgh Film Festival Billy The Kid. World politics are examined through Chilean film Calle Santa Fe by Carmen Castillo, wife of executed revolutionary leader Miguel Enriquez, in her film she brings us with her on her journey back from exile to the street in which she was shot. USA vs Al-Arian is a close portrait of an Arab-American family post 9/11 in the United States and the terrorism charges levelled at them by the U.S. Government. Other short listed documentaries include: Mike Mills Does Your Soul Have a Cold, Marc Isaac's All White in Barking and Every Seventh Person an uncensored look into the lives of three Chinese villages, a brilliant exposé into the land of the 2008 Olympics. These competition documentaries sit alongside the new panorama section of the programme which features documentaries bursting with passion and integrity, including Barbet Schroeders's Terror's Advocate and Grant Gee's meditation on Late 70's /early 80's legends Joy Division.

Turner Classic Movie events feature Blade Runner Final Cut and a celebration of the work of James Stewart in this his centenary year, including a special screening of Rear Window in the Strand Cinema.

In our 'Dialogues' section there will be a series of screenings and discussion entitled Memory, Truth and Transition. Looking at Chile, South Africa and Liberia, panelists will explore the international context and make connections to the experience of conflict and transition here; Chile - The Legacy Today, A Truth Commission Here: What Are the Problems and the Possibilities? and Transition, Women and Power will take place in Queens Film Theatre. Panel members will include Nuala O'Loan (Former Police Ombudsman), Inez McCormack (Human Rights Activist) Mark Thompson (Relatives For Justice), Brian Feeney (Historian and Commentator) Dawn Purvis (Progressive Unionist Party) and Jennifer McCann (Sinn Fein).

Special events are high on the agenda this year with the film festival holding 2 marine themed special screenings on the Lagan Boat. 80's classic Splash! Starring Tom Hanks and Darryl Hannah and Deep Blue Sea which takes man eating sharks to the next level.

The drive-in is back by popular demand at Titanic Quarter Paint Hall with Ferris Bueller's Day Off and When Harry Met Sally. Other special events include Celluloid Cuisine in La Boca, Fountain Street where audiences will be given a feast of foodie film clips while they tuck into a delicious celluloid themed 3 course meal. In a unique collaboration between the wonderful Duke Special and Belfast Film Festival. Duke will present a series of new songs to accompany a selection of Czech and Polish animations, early silent films and surrealist films from the 1940s. He will also introduce some other short films and talk about how they have inspired and influenced his visual style. This event will take place in the Waterfront Studio and tickets are limited so book early.

Budding film makers can get involved in the Jameson Movieoke project www.jamesonmovieoke.com. Impersonate your favourite actor, line from a film or recreate a movie scene, upload it to the Jameson Movieoke website and you could win a home cinema system for the Best Male entry, a trip for two to London for Best Female or a DVD player and annual subscription to www.lovefilm.com for the Best Group entry. This initiative is supported by Arts and Business.

Jameson also supports the festival's annual short film competition. 35 short film makers will vie for this coveted prize on the final day of festival with the very best short films from across the country.

There will be a series of industry masterclasses and workshops with participants including screenwriting with Ronan Bennett, Directing for film with Terry George and acting with Bernard Hill. Grant Gee (Joy Division) will talking about music documentary filmmaking and Phil Mulloy, one of the UK's most intriguing animators will present his work.

Events will take place in QFT, The Baby Grand, Storm Cinemas, Culturlann, The Strand, John Hewitt, La Boca Restaurant, Waterfront Studio, Black Box, Titanic Quarter Paint Hall and the Lagan Boat.

Tickets for the festival are available at www.belfastfilmfestival.org or by calling the festival box office on 028 9033 0443.

For further information relating to the 8th Jameson Belfast Film Festival contact Anne-Marie Murphy on 028 9032 5913 or 07817 850 175 or email anne-marie@belfastfilmfestival.org