Celtic Film & TV Festival gets underway

Stars of the film and television industry descended on Belfast’s Waterfront Hall today for the start of the 24th Celtic Film and Television Festival.
In Belfast for the first time, the Festival has attracted support from well-known actors Paul McGann and Adrian Dunbar, and also involved are cinematographer Seamus McGarvey, director Stephen Friers, and rugby legend Gareth Davies.
This year’s Festival is likely to be the largest ever, with 600 delegates in attendance from as far away as the United States and Scandinavia.
Festival Producer, Jude Sharvin, said: "This is Belfast at its most positive. It promises to be the most successful Festival in the history of the competition, and is a great tribute to the effort put in by so many people, both in the city and elsewhere. We are hugely grateful for the interest we have received from so many different sources, and to our sponsors for making this possible."
McGann will head a session today on how to get to the top in the industry. McGarvey returns home to Northern Ireland to take questions at the preview screening of Persistence of Vision, on the life of legendary Holywood cinematographer Jack Cardiff. Friers has agreed to attend sessions on identity in films on Saturday, following on from his own recent release 'Dirty Pretty Things'. Davies will join local rugby and boxing commentator Jim Neilly for a session on ‘Celtic Sporting Voices’ on Thursday.
Fermanagh-born Dunbar heads the judging panel for the competition, in which 88 productions from across the Celtic regions compete for prizes awarded in 16 categories.
Around five or six prizes will be awarded each afternoon, followed by three prizes to be presented at the Gala Dinner on Saturday evening.
(GB)