Foyle Film Festival shows Oscar-winning movies for food bank

Kenneth Branagh's film, Belfast, which stars Dame Judi Dench is being screened on 20 November

Northern Ireland's only Academy Award-affiliated film festival is asking cinema-goers to donate to a local food bank instead of paying to see two Oscar-winning movies.

The Foyle Film Festival is asking people attending Kenneth Branagh's Belfast and Pixar's Inside Out to bring items for Foyle Food Bank rather than pay for admission.

Organisers say it is part of the festival's wider community ethos.

The festival opens on 18 November.

"In the programme [for the festival] there is a list of food items, a suggested list of those items requested most by the food bank," festival programmer Christopher Morrison told BBC Radio Foyle's Mark Patterson Show.

"They can bring in a need item instead of the ticket price. We are always looking for ways to include within the festival programme; ways of contributing to the wider community.

"We felt this was a format that would fit in perfectly".

A number of Irish films are to be shown during the festival including Noah, starring Derry Girls actor Louisa Harland

The use of food banks in Northern Ireland has risen by more than a third in the last year, according to the UK's largest food bank network, The Trussell Trust.

The trust had previously warned its food banks were likely to get busier in Northern Ireland due to rises in the cost of living.

'Diverse Mixture'

The 2022 Foyle Film Festival opens with the Northern Ireland premiere of Strange World, the latest movie from Walt Disney Animation Studios.

It will close with a preview screening of Empire of Light, starring Olivia Coleman and Colin Firth and directed by Oscar winner Sir Sam Mendes.

Mr Morrison said the festival promises a "diverse mixture of international cinema, documentaries, special screenings and industry events".

Nothing Compares, a documentary charting Sinéad O'Connor's rise to international fame and Palme D'or winner Triangle of Sadness, also feature in an eclectic festival programme.

Now in its 35th year, the Londonderry festival's reputation has grown over the decades, gaining international recognition and a reputation for nurturing emerging film-makers.

Brendan Gleeson, Danny Boyle, Julie Christie, Richard E Grant, Neil Jordan, Ray Winstone, Stephen Rea, Wim Wenders, and Kenneth Branagh have all graced the festival's red carpet over the past three decades.