Jude Hill as Buddy, brandishing his makeshift sword and shield as his pals look on.
Kenneth Branagh on set.
Alamy
KENNETH BRANAGH MADE HISTORY when he received three Oscar nominations for his work on Belfast, the often heartwarming — and occasionally heartbreaking — black-and-white, semi-autobiographical tale of Buddy (Jude Hill).
It’s the story of a young boy growing up in the Northern Irish capital at the tail end of the ’60s, just as tensions in the country were flaring up and on their way to turning into The Troubles.
Being something of an overachiever from a very young age, Branagh had been nominated for Best Director before, for his debut, Henry V, back in 1990, but the nominations for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay were brand-new, making him the first person in the history of the Oscars to receive nominations in seven separate categories. (It also brought him his first Academy Award, at the eighth time of asking.) That he should make history with a film that explores his own history is, of course, rather delicious. Here, Branagh takes time out from the post- Oscar euphoria to explore the metaphorical streets of Belfast with Empire’s own resident Northern Irishman, Chris Hewitt…