There are so many incredible Belfast Stories out there. We want to archive and preserve them so that others can learn from and enjoy the wisdom, humour and charm the city has in abundance.
I am delighted to be back in post as Project Coordinator for the second phase of the Northern Ireland Now Project in partnership with Northern Ireland Screen.
This time around we have a focus on ‘Belfast Stories on Screen’ and will be working with 15 new community partners across the city by June 2026.
It is a marker of the need for this work in diversifying our Digital Film Archive that partners from our first phase have kept in touch. We worked so well with the Black Box and the team there who help run ‘Express Yourself Social Cafe.’
This group got hooked on the archives and loved having their many creative projects be a part of the Northern Ireland Now collection. We recently worked with ‘Black Moon’, on a night for and by adults with learning disabilities run by the arts centre, to add their catalogue of films this summer.
We continue to add to our burgeoning collection of fantastic videos from the first phase of the project. Project cataloguer at Northern Ireland Screen, Stephen Newe, has been tirelessly adding new videos to the collection. Latest additions include films from Rainbow Youth in Derry.
Watch aliens invading their offices and hear from our young participants on the NI Screen Digital Film Archive.
Reflecting on the successes of the Northern Ireland Now Project, I am struck by the amount of exciting collaborations we made with festivals and venues.
Last November we partnered with Foyle Film Festival and hosted a special event celebrating LGBTQIA+ participants and their videos at Nerve Centre.
We have been in discussions with Belfast Film Festival about events during their programme in 2025 and are hosting Northern Ireland Now: Collecting Belfast On Screen on Friday 7 November at The Black Box.
A personal highlight last time around was our showcase exhibition at 2 Royal Avenue. For one month, we showcased video content from 12 community partners, and artist Louis Nelson designed beautiful film posters representing each group, which came to life through augmented reality.
We’re looking forward to delivering another showstopping creative response to celebrate this phase of the project — keep your eyes peeled!
It’s exciting to be out and about meeting groups and hearing so much about the incredible community work going on in Belfast. We are still looking for groups to take part in Northern Ireland Now.
If you, your community group, or anyone you know would be interested in finding out more please get in touch with Project Coordinator Elspeth Vischer.
Northern Ireland Now is increasing access to archival material with the support of the BFI, awarding funds from the National Lottery, and Belfast City Council, led by Northern Ireland Screen.
Find out more about Northern Ireland Now: Contemporary Collecting.
