Frame within a Frame

What happens when our memories disappear?  What if we all could transport ourselves in our happiest days and memories… Time Shelter , written by Georgi Gospodinov , invites all of us to have a conversation about the world of yesterday and the world of tomorrow. The unnamed narrator of the book alongside his partner in crime Gaustine , take us on a journey like no other. Their idea is to open “a clinic of the past” and create a safe space for those who have forgotten their own past, those with Dementia and Alzheimer ’s disease. Gaustine’ s clinic slowly becomes a shelter for all those lost memories - every patient could now experience their favorite moment in time.   “According to Gaustine, for us the past is the past, and even when we step into it, we know that the exit to the present is open, we can come back with ease. For those who have lost their memories, this door has slammed shut once and for all. For them the present is a foreign country, while the past is their homela...

Just a few hours before the start of her nationwide tour, I had the great pleasure of being backstage and meeting one of the most promising country singers, the music star from Country Tyrone Cliona Hagan . Although I truly felt all the nerves of sharing the same space with someone who has achieved so much in such a short time, I w as eager to find out more about the “The Dolly Songbook ” tour . Cliona has a long list of achievements to date – she was awarded Female Vocalist of the Year four times at the Sunday World Entertainment Awards, she even reached the final of RTE’s Dancing with the Stars in 2019. Well now she has all her sparkly outfits ready to pay tribute to one of the most iconi c and successful country singers of all time – Dolly Parton . Cliona’s love for music was from an early age, and one of her childhood p erformances was at the very venue we were at the moment: the Grand Opera House in Belfast.   Q – Cliona , this will be your second time perfor ming a...

The Double Olivier Award-Winning West End and Broadway Hit returns to the UK as part of a big international tour and I’m so happy that the people of Belfast have the chance to experience the moving and original story that Girl From The North Country has to offer. Being set in 1934 during the Great Depression in America, we meet characters living in a time-weathered guesthouse in Minnesota. They all stand at a turning point in their lives, as they realize that nothing is what it seems, while their stories painfully intertwine - they are all looking for new brighter beginnings but they all seem, unfortunately, very unlucky. The musical is written by an Irish writer and director – Conor McPherson , who created such a moving, warm but at times quite dark atmosphere for all. The musical first opened in London in 2017 to big acclaim. Girl from the North Country also boldly reimagines some of the legendary songs of Bob Dylan . Even though I was unfamiliar with his discography, I really enjoy...

Did you hear that the highly anticipated Broadway and UK hit musical Sister Act is on tour? After two years of disruption, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the musical is raising the curtain, bringing all of us this joyous show to many venues across the UK and Ireland…and the first stop of the show is   The Grand Opera House in Belfast! Sister Act did play in the West End way back in 2009 and on Broadway in 2011. It features original music by Tony and Oscar winner Alan Menken , lyrics by Glenn Slater , and a book by Bill and Cheri Steinkellner with additional book material by Douglas Carter Beane . Having been first scheduled to run in 2020, COVID–19 saw theatres across the country shut down. The original plan was that Whoopi Goldberg would be the star of the show, branded with her own style of comedy, of course. When the production was still in the pre-production stages, the producer of Sister Act, Jamie Wilson , met with Whoopi over in America. She then agreed to be the c...

Everyone has read the children's novel Matilda and it is loved by many, myself included. This is why the book has been adapted in various media, including audio readings, films, programmes and musicals. Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical is directed by Tony-Award-winning director Matthew Warchus , the film is produced by Eric Fellner and screenwriter Dennis Kelly adapts the Royal Shakespere Company's production for the big screen, with original music and lyrics by Tim Minchin . I had the great pleasure of attending the media preview screening of Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical at Movie House Cityside . The film has been getting some rave reviews from critics… but can we say it’s better than the actual book?  The musical tells us the story of an extraordinary girl, with a vivid imagination, who dares to change her story with miraculous results. Alisha Weir plays Matilda, the little girl with a strong sense of justice and the courage to make a difference. Despite her par...

At BFF’s Closing Night Gala, all attendees got to see one of the most lauded British films of the year - Aftersun , starring Paul Mescal (Calum) and Frankie Corio (Sophie). The director of the film, Charlotte Wells , is a Scottish director and producer, whose shorts have screened at different festivals worldwide. Earlier this year, the film also premiered as part of the “International Critic’s Week” during the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, where it won a jury prize. To date, Aftersun has 11 wins and 27 nominations and it has been receiving praising reviews from critics ever since.

We are all bombarded with marketing messages about mainstream films, but what about independent cinema? Film festivals are the places where you can discover and explore cinema from all over the world. 

I attended one of Queens Film Theaters' special screenings showcasing Lyra (Leer-rah), a beautiful and heartfelt doc, directed by BAFTA-winning current affairs filmmaker Alison Millar . Later in the evening there was a post-screening discussion where Alison was joined by Lyra’s sister - Nichola McKee Corner.