B elfast is a beautiful and sensitively shot film about a Northern Ireland family that gets caught up in the " Troubles " between Catholics and Protestants, forcing them to decide whether they should stay or leave. It is also a shining example of collaboration between a director and a cinematographer who seem to read each other's minds. Based on the early life of writer-director Kenneth Branagh, the black-and-white picture marked the seventh collaboration in 15 years between the director and cinematographer Haris Zambarloukos, BSC, GSC. The duo's eighth collaboration is set to premiere in 2022. Branagh has called Belfast his " most personal film, " and the close relationship between the director and the cinematographer underpins the entire picture, illustrating the visual support from Zambarloukos that allowed Branagh to retrieve very personal memories from his childhood years in Northern Ireland and recraft them into a fictional narrative. " The Irish are made for leaving, " one of Belfast's minor characters says, referring to the Irish diaspora - the constant stream of emigrants FEBRUARY 2022 / 25