Starting, returning & switching - Belfast Film Festival, Primeval & The Boat Race

Belfast’s Film Festival – the 9th Jameson Belfast Film Festival to give it its full title – kicked off on Thursday night. Over 130 screenings from over 30 countries. Feature length films as well as shorts. Documentaries as well as drama. New Irish cinema, Indian films, World cinema.

Screenings that I’d like to get along to – but probably won’t! – include:

• David Hammond - The Music of Film – Tuesday 31 March at 8pm – a tribute to the life and work of the late David Hammond, including a showing of The Magic Fiddle followed by a performance by Arty McGlynn (guitar) and Nollaig Casey (fiddle).
• Place/Lives of Spaces – Wednesday 1 April at 7pm – a talk about curating and communicating architecture through film followed by the screening of the films from The lives of Spaces exhibition which looks at nine very different spaces. [reviewed]
  
• Urban Hymns: The Movie – Thursday 2 April at 8pm - showcasing the local musical talent that performed one night during the Queen’s Festival in May Street Presbyterian Church. [reviewed]
  
• Prods and Pom Poms – Saturday 4 April at 5pm – documenting the journey of a cheerleading squad from Belfast’s Sandy Row as they head towards the regional championships in Glasgow. [reviewed]
  

Primeval is back on ITV tonight. While I normally get drawn in for a couple of episodes, there are just too many dinosaurs for my liking. Roaaaaaaaar.

When it comes to watching sport, I don’t. With only two exceptions: the London Marathon and the University Boat Race between Cambridge and Oxford. Two sporting events where the participants put in a lot of training and expend an enormous amount of energy pounding around the familiar streets and pulling themselves through the water along the Thames. Two events in which I don’t break sweat as I watch them! Revelling in other people’s preparation and team work. Wonder what that says about me?!

I normally blog about the University Boat Race after the event. This year, I’ll warn you know in advance that the 155th meeting between Cambridge and Oxford is on ITV1 (UTV) on Sunday from 2.20pm to 4.30pm. As usual, watch out for the sleight of hand as the presenters transfer from the start line to the finish (on a fast boat up the river) just before the race starts. ITV are giving up their rights to broadcast the boat race twelve month early, and it was announced a couple of weeks ago that the race will switch back to the BBC from 2010.

PS: Clocks go forward tonight.