On 24th November 2024, the Foyle Film Festival hosted Northern Ireland Now, an event focused on storytelling and advocacy for LGBTQIA+ young people.
The event had two parts. First was Campfire Stories, a soundscape experience combining footage from the Digital Film Archive with recorded interviews featuring contemporary and historical queer voices. Created by Ulster University Cinematic Arts students Em McCaughey, Laurie Crothers, and Elizabeth Gibson, the project aimed to bridge the past and present.
This was followed by Queer Contemporary Collecting, hosted by Northern Ireland Now project coordinator Elspeth Vischer. The session featured a 30-minute screening of material collected throughout the project, highlighting contemporary queer history as it was being archived. The film showcased work from project collaborators, including the BeU group, Here NI Belfast, and the LGBTQIA+ Heritage Project. A 20-minute discussion followed the screening.
On 26th January 2025, the film was also shown in Cork in collaboration with Orla Egan (director of Cork LGBT Archives), filmmaker Carol O’Keeffe, Emma Bowell (Cork Community Media Hub), and Northern Ireland Now team members Elspeth Vischer and Stephen Newe.