{"id":346302,"date":"2021-09-29T23:16:38","date_gmt":"2021-09-29T20:16:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/the-true-story-behind-kenneth-branaghs-belfast\/"},"modified":"2021-09-29T23:16:38","modified_gmt":"2021-09-29T20:16:38","slug":"the-true-story-behind-kenneth-branaghs-belfast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-true-story-behind-kenneth-branaghs-belfast\/","title":{"rendered":"#The True Story Behind Kenneth Branagh&#8217;s Belfast"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3843b05cdb3\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3843b05cdb3\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-true-story-behind-kenneth-branaghs-belfast\/#The_Troubles_in_Northern_Ireland\" >The Troubles in Northern Ireland<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-true-story-behind-kenneth-branaghs-belfast\/#Fleeing_Belfast_Amidst_the_Troubles\" >Fleeing Belfast Amidst the Troubles<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-true-story-behind-kenneth-branaghs-belfast\/#The_Branagh_Family\" >The Branagh Family<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-true-story-behind-kenneth-branaghs-belfast\/#A_Love_for_the_Movies\" >A Love for the Movies<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>#The True Story Behind Kenneth Branagh&#8217;s Belfast<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<pre><code>     &lt;span class=\"mx-1\"&gt;The award-winning film is based on the years before Branagh\u2019s family fled Northern Ireland amidst the violence known as the Troubles.&lt;\/span&gt;\n&lt;\/p&gt;&lt;div id=\"\"&gt;&lt;figure class=\"sf-entry-featured-<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">media<\/a> \"&gt;&lt;img width=\"800\" height=\"521\" src=\"https:\/\/filmschoolrejects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Belfast-<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/watch-movies-tv-seriess\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Watch Movies &amp; TV Series\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">movies<\/a>-true-story.jpeg\" class=\"articlethumb wp-post-image\" alt=\"Belfast Movies True Story\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmschoolrejects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Belfast-movies-true-story.jpeg 800w, https:\/\/filmschoolrejects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Belfast-movies-true-story-768x500.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\"\/&gt;&lt;p&gt;\n                    &lt;span class=\"sf-entry-flag sf-entry-flag-creditline\"&gt;Focus Features&lt;\/span&gt;\n\n                        &lt;\/figure&gt;&lt;!-- START BYLINE --&gt;&lt;div class=\"row align-items-center justify-content-center my-4 text-center medium dark-gray\"&gt;\n        By\u00a0Will DiGravio\u00a0\u00b7 Published on September 29th, 2021 \n        &lt;\/div&gt;\n    &lt;!-- END BYLINE --&gt;\n\n    &lt;em&gt;Real Stories is an ongoing column about the true stories behind movies and TV shows. It\u2019s that simple. This installment focuses on the true story behind Kenneth Branagh\u2019s autobiographical coming-of-age drama, Belfast.&lt;\/em&gt;\n<\/code><\/pre>\n<hr\/>\n<p><strong>Sir Kenneth Branagh<\/strong> has portrayed some of the most iconic men in British history and culture. He played the titular characters in film adaptations of Shakespeare\u2019s <em>Hamlet\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0<em>Henry V. <\/em>He starred as Victor Frankenstein opposite Robert De Niro\u2019s Monster in <em>Mary Shelley\u2019s Frankenstein<\/em>. More recently, in 2018, he played the Bard himself in <em>All Is True. <\/em>Branagh also directed all four films.<\/p>\n<p>Others may know him best for his role as Gilderoy Lockhart in <em>Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. <\/em>And also as Commander Bolton in Christopher Nolan\u2019s\u00a0<em>Dunkirk.\u00a0<\/em>Bolton is based in part on Sir William Tennant, who served as an admiral in the Royal Navy. In 2011, Branagh played another British icon, actor Sir Laurence Olivier, in <em>My Week with Marilyn.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p>But in <em><strong>Belfast<\/strong><\/em>, Branagh\u2019s work takes a turn inward. The film, which Branagh wrote and directed, depicts a coming-of-age story based on his own life in Northern Ireland in the 1960s (watch the first trailer for <em>Belfast <\/em><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/Ja3PPOnJQ2k\">here<\/a>). At the time of the project\u2019s announcement, Branagh called it his \u201c<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/2020\/film\/news\/kenneth-branagh-belfast-focus-features-1234863903\/\">most personal film.<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s a look at the true story that inspired <em>Belfast <\/em>and what Branagh and his family have said about making the film:<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Troubles_in_Northern_Ireland\"><\/span>The Troubles in Northern Ireland<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Branagh was born on December 10, 1960, in Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland. His childhood coincided with the beginning of a violent period known as <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Troubles\">the Troubles<\/a>, which lasted for decades. A quick geography lesson: the island of Ireland includes both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, the latter of which is typically referred to as just Ireland. The Republic of Ireland is a sovereign state, while Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom.<\/p>\n<p>Northern Ireland contains a large concentration of Protestants, while the Republic of Ireland is a predominantly Catholic state. <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">General<\/a>ly speaking, the conflict occurred between Catholics who identified as Irish (nationalists) and Protestants who resisted joining a majority-Catholic state and identified as British (unionists).<\/p>\n<p>Facing discrimination, Catholics began to organize for civil rights in Northern Ireland, but the government responded with \u201c<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/peacebuilder\/2009\/02\/a-brief-history-of-the-troubles\/\">brutal force.<\/a>\u201d This resulted in new movements within the Catholic community to end the partition of the island. Protestant groups, not wanting to end their ties with Britain, resisted the efforts. And the conflict became more turbulent.<\/p>\n<p>While most people did not advocate for violence, many groups \u2014 including the British army and police \u2014 caused it to escalate. More than 3,500 people were killed during the period. In 1998, the conflict came to an end with the signing of the Good Friday Agreement. However, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/04\/12\/world\/europe\/Northern-Ireland-Brexit-Covid-Troubles.html\">as the <em>New York Times\u00a0<\/em>reported<\/a> as recently as April 2021, the legacy of the Troubles lingers and the threat of violence remains to this day.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Fleeing_Belfast_Amidst_the_Troubles\"><\/span>Fleeing Belfast Amidst the Troubles<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Kenneth Branagh\u2019s parents, William and Frances, raised three children in \u201c<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20120927054756\/http:\/\/www.talktalk.co.uk\/entertainment\/film\/biography\/artist\/kenneth-branagh\/biography\/71\">relative poverty<\/a>\u201d and lived \u201cin the shadow of a tobacco factory.\u201d William worked as a plumber and woodworker. During the early years of the Troubles, in 1969, the Branagh family left Belfast for Reading, in England.<\/p>\n<p>Childhoods were not spared by the Troubles. Branagh once said (via TalkTalk):<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cThe Sectarian thing was never far beneath the surface, all this thing of being stopped by kids in the park and asked \u2018are you a Catholic or a Protestant?\u2019 and it was always a trick question so that they could beat you up.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Branagh <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vanityfair.com\/hollywood\/2021\/08\/awards-insider-kenneth-branagh-gets-personal-with-belfast?+utm_social-type=owned&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;+utm_brand=vf\">recently told\u00a0<em>Vanity Fair<\/em><\/a>\u00a0of those early years in Belfast:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cIn a way, innocence was lost, things would never be the same again. It\u2019s something I\u2019ve been trying to understand, as I grow older, that it was a moment when the world tried to insist that you put away childish things, and demanded that you are dragged into this perilous adulthood.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Branagh_Family\"><\/span>The Branagh Family<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The main cast of characters in\u00a0<em>Belfast\u00a0<\/em>is based on members of Branagh\u2019s family. <strong>Jude Hill\u00a0<\/strong>plays a young boy named Buddy, while\u00a0<strong>Jamie Dornan\u00a0<\/strong>and <strong>Caitriona Balfe\u00a0<\/strong>play Pa and Ma. Branagh told\u00a0<em>Vanity Fair\u00a0<\/em>of the personal considerations he took while casting both characters. Of Dornan, who grew up in Northern Ireland, Branagh said:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cHe greeted the <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">script<\/a> like it was an old friend. You could feel the excitement in his voice, that he felt he knew this person.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>As for Balfe, she was born in Dublin and eventually moved to the border of Northern Ireland. So she, Branagh said, \u201cknew about the challenges of uprooting.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>At the center of the film is the family struggling to decide whether they should leave the country amidst the conflict. During the Toronto International Film Festival, where <em>Belfast <\/em>won the coveted People\u2019s Choice Award, Dornan jokingly <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/belfast-kenneth-branagh-jamie-dornan-caitriona-balfe-freedom-parents-roles-video\/\">told The Wrap<\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201c[Branagh\u2019s] siblings were pleased with the casting, especially Caitriona, probably less so with me.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>Dame Judi Dench <\/strong>(a regular collaborator of Branagh\u2019s) and <strong>Ciar\u00e1n Hinds<\/strong>\u00a0play Granny and Pop. Branagh told\u00a0<em>Vanity Fair\u00a0<\/em>that he had a deep relationship with both of his grandparents, whom he would often spend time with after school. He said Hinds, who grew up down the street from Branagh\u2019s home in Belfast, \u201ckind of recognized his own father in this character.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Branagh said he wanted to make a film about his childhood for years, but the onset of COVID gave him the push he needed. When he showed the script for\u00a0<em>Belfast\u00a0<\/em>to his siblings, the filmmaker said they were supportive. He also told <em>Vanity Fair<\/em>:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cMy sister said to me, \u2018Wow, for a very, very private, quiet man, you really put it out there, haven\u2019t you?\u2019 So I guess I did. Sometimes it has to happen that way. Sometimes I think things have to come out.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_Love_for_the_Movies\"><\/span>A Love for the Movies<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>During <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/culture\/2011\/oct\/09\/kenneth-branagh-the-painkiller-interview\">a 2011 interview with\u00a0<em>The Guardian<\/em><\/a>, Branagh said of returning to Belfast:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"dcr-1m34hpq\">\u201cThere\u2019s a much stronger sense that Northern Ireland is more part of the world now. I used to get the sense that there was a kind of slight siege mentality for whatever reason, a slightly chippy thing going on sometimes. But it feels there\u2019s a very, very positive energy about the place.\u201d\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Perhaps one of the few ways young Branagh felt connected to the world in Belfast was by going to the movies. The <em>Vanity Fair\u00a0<\/em>interview with Branagh ends by noting that moviegoing was one of his few comforts as a child, and the film is partially \u201can ode to the movies.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Some of the filmmaker\u2019s childhood favorites, including <em>One Million Years B.C.<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0<em>Chitty Chitty Bang Bang<\/em>, feature in <em>Belfast<\/em> when Buddy and his family go to the movies. Of the cinema, Branagh said:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cIt felt like the movies, and that experience of big-screen movies, they gave me a new home \u2014 in fact, the home that I\u2019ve been living in for a large part of my adult life. When I started to write this movie, it felt like it\u2019s about time to go back to my real home.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong><em>Belfast hits theaters in the United States, United Kingdom, and around the world on November 12, 2021.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<pre><code>    Related Topics: Real Stories\n    &lt;!-- AUTHOR BOX --&gt;\n<\/code><\/pre>\n<div class=\"gray-bg p-4 border small mb-5\">\n<div class=\"row align-items-center text-md-center\">\n<div class=\"col-md-2\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmschoolrejects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/will.jpg\" class=\"circle img-fluid\" width=\"100px\" height=\"100px\"\/><\/div>\n<p>            Will DiGravio began writing for Film School Rejects in 2018. He also hosts The Video Essay Podcast and owns a TV.\n    <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<pre><code>    &lt;!-- START RECOMMENDED READING 1 --&gt;\n                                &lt;section class=\"recommended py-5\"&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Recommended Reading&lt;\/h3&gt;\n\n\n        &lt;\/section&gt;&lt;!-- END RECOMMENDED READING --&gt;\n\n\n&lt;\/div&gt;\n<\/code><\/pre>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more Like this articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/social-media\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Social Media category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/filmschoolrejects.com\/kenneth-branagh-belfast-true-story\/#utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=kenneth-branagh-belfast-true-story\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#The True Story Behind Kenneth Branagh&#8217;s Belfast&#8221; &lt;span class=&#8221;mx-1&#8243;&gt;The award-winning film is based on the years before Branagh\u2019s family fled Northern Ireland amidst the violence known as the Troubles.&lt;\/span&gt; &lt;\/p&gt;&lt;div id=&#8221;&#8221;&gt;&lt;figure class=&#8221;sf-entry-featured-media &#8220;&gt;&lt;img width=&#8221;800&#8243; height=&#8221;521&#8243; src=&#8221;https:\/\/filmschoolrejects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Belfast-movies-true-story.jpeg&#8221; class=&#8221;articlethumb wp-post-image&#8221; alt=&#8221;Belfast Movies True Story&#8221; loading=&#8221;lazy&#8221; srcset=&#8221;https:\/\/filmschoolrejects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Belfast-movies-true-story.jpeg 800w, https:\/\/filmschoolrejects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Belfast-movies-true-story-768&#215;500.jpeg 768w&#8221; sizes=&#8221;(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px&#8221;\/&gt;&lt;p&gt; &lt;span class=&#8221;sf-entry-flag sf-entry-flag-creditline&#8221;&gt;Focus Features&lt;\/span&gt;&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":346303,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/filmschoolrejects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Belfast-movies-true-story.jpeg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-346302","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-social-mediaa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/346302","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=346302"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/346302\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/346303"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=346302"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=346302"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=346302"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}