Northern Ireland's Connections programme launches Game On!
25 August 2009
Queens Film Theatre and Jameson Belfast Film Festival are proud to announce the launch of Game On!, a special weekend season of sports-themed films and events which will take place from Thursday 24th – Sunday 27th September.
The weekend will feature a series of free sports and Olympic themed screenings, culminating in a large scale film event at Queen’s Physical Education Centre (PEC). Game On! has been funded by Legacy Trust UK, an independent charity set up to help build a lasting cultural and sporting legacy from the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Game On!is funded by the Legacy Trust UK Connections Programme which is managed by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.
The season opens on Thursday 24th September with a special primary schools screening of BMX Bandits, an Australian adventure film which features a seventeen year old Nicole Kidman in her first major film role. BMX expert bikers become entangled with a group of bank robbers after discovering a carton of contraband walkie-talkies. The screening will be followed by a BMX demonstration and a tour of the state of the art sports facilities at Queen’s PEC.
The award-winning basketball documentary Hoop Dreams follows on Friday 25th September in a screening for post-primary schools. One of the best sports documentary films ever made, the film follows the lives of two African American boys who struggle to become college basketball players. Pupils can also enjoy a practical hands-on basketball skills taster workshop with top Irish basketball player Gavin Longlands, Development Officer for the Queen’s Basketball Club, as well as a tour of Queen’s PEC.
Bend It Like Beckham, starring Parminder Nagra and Keira Knightley as aspiring young footballers, takes to the screen on Saturday 26th September, in an event for community groups which will be followed by a tour of Queen’s PEC.
The Olympic spirit of 1924 is brought to life once again as the multi-Oscar winning classic Chariots of Fire takes to the starting blocks on Sunday 27th September. Produced by QFT favourite David Puttnam and open to all, this screening will be introduced by an athletics expert and will be followed by a tour of Queen’s PEC.
Don your water wings for our grand finale on the evening of Sunday 27th September as our special event Sync or Swim dives in to the newly refurbished swimming pool at Queen’s PEC. We're definitely making a splash with this unique one-off event, which will feature a synchronised swimming exhibition and a specially created presentation of memorable movie moments with an aquatic theme.
To prove that nothing is impossible - in true Olympic tradition! - organisers will be setting up a cinema screen in the PEC pool especially for the event. So, if you’re feeling adventurous you can watch the film and swim – all at the same time! Audience members can also watch from the pool’s viewing gallery, while wearing sports-themed fancy dress.
