Belfast in movies

'71 is a 2014 British historical action thriller film written by Gregory Burke and directed by Yann Demange (in his feature directorial debut). Set in Northern Ireland, it stars Jack O'Connell, Sean Harris, David Wilmot, Richard Dormer, Paul Anderson and Charlie Murphy, and tells the fictional story of a British soldier who becomes separated from his unit during a riot in Belfast at the height of the Troubles in 1971. Filming began on location in Blackburn, Lancashire, in April 2013 and continued in Sheffield, Leeds, and Liverpool. The film was funded by the British Film Institute, Film4, Creative Scotland and Screen Yorkshire. The film had its premiere in the competition section of the 64th Berlin International Film Festival, held in February 2014. The film was praised, particularly for O'Connell's performance and Demange's direction.

Gary Hook, a new recruit to the British Army, is sent to Belfast in 1971 during the early years of the Troubles. Under the leadership of the inexperienced Second Lieutenant Armitage, his platoon is deployed to a volatile area where Irish Catholics (largely Republicans) and Ulster Protestants (largely Loyalists) live side by side. The unit provides support for the Royal Ulster Constabulary as it inspects homes for firearms, shocking Hook with their rough treatment of Catholic civilians. A crowd gathers to protest and provoke the British troops who, though heavily armed, can only respond by trying to hold the crowd back...