It Used to be Witches: Under the Spell of Queer Cinema + Appropriate Behaviour

Schedule

Tue, 28 Oct, 2025 at 06:00 pm

UTC+00:00

Location

Queen's Film Theatre, Belfast | Belfast, NI

Advertisement
Film critic Ryan Gilbey presents It Used to Be Witches, his new book mapping a non-linear path through queer cinema history, in a special in conversation with Cian Smyth. Followed by a screening of Appropriate Behaviour.
It Used to Be Witches is a playful blend of memoir, criticism and candid interviews with filmmakers from across the LGBTQ+ spectrum. Andrew Haigh, Cheryl Dunye and Isabel Sandoval are among the directors who reveal how queer artists use film to express personal truths—and to challenge a world that would rather they didn’t exist.
Gilbey asks whether cinema can be an effective weapon of resistance and celebrates an outlaw spirit which refuses to die.
After the talk, Gilbey will introduce a screening of Appropriate Behaviour (2015). Writer-director-actress Desiree Akhavan’s debut is a witty, Iranian, hipster date movie. After her girlfriend dumps her, Shirin (Akhavan) scrambles to hold her life together in modern-day Brooklyn.
This event is part of the Belfast International Arts Festival, taking place throughout Belfast from 14 Oct - 9 Nov 2025.
Advertisement

Where is it happening?

Queen's Film Theatre, Belfast, United Kingdom

Event Location & Nearby Stays:

Icon
Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.
Queen's Film Theatre, Belfast

Host or Publisher Queen's Film Theatre, Belfast

Ask AI if this event suits you:

Discover More Events in Belfast

13th Annual Conference of the Society for Music Education in Ireland 2025
Tue, 28 Oct at 12:00 pm 13th Annual Conference of the Society for Music Education in Ireland 2025

St Mary's University College Belfast

BUSINESS CONFERENCES
Halloween Clay Art Workshop
Tue, 28 Oct at 02:30 pm Halloween Clay Art Workshop

Wee'uns World, 2 Rosetta Road, BT6 0LT Belfast, United Kingdom

WORKSHOPS ART
Lewis Barr Halloween Camp
Tue, 28 Oct at 05:00 pm Lewis Barr Halloween Camp

Seaview Stadium. Crusaders F.C

SPORTS FOOTBALL
Tarot and Pottery Painting
Tue, 28 Oct at 05:00 pm Tarot and Pottery Painting

32 Botanic Ave

ART FINE-ARTS
Spirits of Belfast - historical ghost walking tour
Tue, 28 Oct at 06:30 pm Spirits of Belfast - historical ghost walking tour

The Crown Liquor Saloon

DOG
First Drams - The Angels' Share. Tales of Terror in the Crum
Tue, 28 Oct at 07:00 pm First Drams - The Angels' Share. Tales of Terror in the Crum

McConnell's Distillery, Crumlin Road Gaol, Crumlin Road, Belfast

ART LITERARY-ART
Smorgasbord Pres. Better Lovers + Guests - Belfast
Tue, 28 Oct at 07:00 pm Smorgasbord Pres. Better Lovers + Guests - Belfast

Oh Yeah Music Centre Belfast

Tony Todd Tribute Night
Tue, 28 Oct at 07:00 pm Tony Todd Tribute Night

Accidental Theatre

ART THEATRE
PRINCE2\u00ae Foundation & Practitioner Training & Exam in Belfast, NIR - UK
Tue, 16 Sep at 09:00 am PRINCE2® Foundation & Practitioner Training & Exam in Belfast, NIR - UK

Regus - Belfast, Cathedral Quarter

WORKSHOPS NONPROFIT
East Belfast District Leaders & E X P L O R E R S Meeting
Mon, 20 Oct at 07:30 pm East Belfast District Leaders & E X P L O R E R S Meeting

65-69 Oakland Avenue, Belfast, BT4 3DW, United Kingdom

MEETUPS TRIPS-ADVENTURES
Big Data Belfast 2025
Wed, 22 Oct at 09:00 am Big Data Belfast 2025

ICC Belfast

BUSINESS WORKSHOPS
Belfast Youth Assembly
Wed, 22 Oct at 06:00 pm Belfast Youth Assembly

Forthspring Inter-Community Group

NONPROFIT CHARITIES
Cultural Governance Conference 2025
Thu, 23 Oct at 09:00 am Cultural Governance Conference 2025

The Duncairn

ART BUSINESS
Beyond the Pale: Black Lives and Hidden Histories in Ireland
Thu, 23 Oct at 01:00 pm Beyond the Pale: Black Lives and Hidden Histories in Ireland

2 North Queen Street , BT15 1ES Belfast, United Kingdom

Curtisy
Fri, 24 Oct at 07:00 pm Curtisy

Ulster Sports Club

Huartan
Fri, 24 Oct at 07:00 pm Huartan

Mandela Hall

ART
NICSSA and EBAC WRS, WA 18
Sat, 25 Oct at 09:30 am NICSSA and EBAC WRS, WA 18

Belfast Royal Academy

CONTESTS
Grow your sales: Tell Your Business Story
Tue, 28 Oct at 10:00 am Grow your sales: Tell Your Business Story

Ulster Bank Entrepreneur Accelerator

WORKSHOPS BUSINESS
13th Annual Conference of the Society for Music Education in Ireland 2025
Tue, 28 Oct at 12:00 pm 13th Annual Conference of the Society for Music Education in Ireland 2025

St Mary's University College Belfast

BUSINESS CONFERENCES

What's Happening Next in Belfast?

Discover Belfast Events