Vox Populi

Belfast Film Festival's special archival installation, celebrating Belfast street life.

The People of Ulster are nothing if not opinionated – they are more than happy to give you a piece of their mind. But what did people think of society in the 20th Century? And have the opinions of the masses changed now that we’ve moved into a new future? This selection of short ‘vox pop’ interviews from the UTV archive, show people on the streets of Northern Ireland volunteering their thoughts on a range of proletarian subjects from Mother’s Day and large families, to discrimination in the workplace and a particular kind of social uprising: bus strikes.

Belfast Film Festival was pleased to present this installation of archive film within the much-loved and little accessed Bank Of Ireland building on Royal Avenue. The screenings took the form of building tours of 14 people at a time, allowing participants to move around the space, reflect on the archive testimonies and view the city-centre from a unique vantage point.

This project was supported by the BFI Film Audience Network with National Lottery Funding as part of Film Feels: CURIOUS, part of Changing Times: the UK-wide Screen Heritage programme managed by Film Hub North.