I am absolutely thrilled to be able to share in the announcement of a new crime fiction festival which takes place in Belfast Friday 27 – Sunday 29 October, 2017.
NOIRELAND International Crime Fiction Festival is getting off to an incredible start with some of the greatest names in crime fiction. The festival takes place from 27-29 October 2017 at Belfast’s iconic Europa Hotel.
NOIRELAND is a celebration of Ireland’s love of crime fiction. We have the best in local talent, guest appearances by international crime-writing stars, and in-depth conversations with some of the greatest screenwriters to put crime dramas on the screen.
In our inaugural year we have set the bar very high. Among our many guests this year include the team behind Line of Duty,Robert Crais, Benjamin Black, Graeme Macrae Burnet, Adrian McKinty, Arne Dahl, Liz Nugent and Sophie Hannah.
NOIRELAND is not afraid to address some of the big topics of the day. We have panels discussing how crime fiction can be used to address issues around identity, gender, religion and race. We look at borders and what might happen in a post-Brexit world. We ask if rural life is as cosy as the tourist boards like to suggest.
NOIRELAND is the brainchild of David Torrans who established the No Alibis Book Store twenty years ago and has been at the forefront promoting Irish crime fiction and bringing the greatest international crime writers to Belfast.
Tickets for NOIRELAND International Crime Fiction Festival go on sales at midnight on Friday 1 September, 2017
NOIRELAND takes place Friday 27 October – Sunday 29 October, 2017
Here is a sneak peek at what you can expect!
FRIDAY 27 OCTOBER
9:30-11:00 Crime writing workshop 1 Crime screenwriting workshop 2 11:30:1:00 Crime writing workshop 1 Crime screenwriting workshop 2 2:00-3:30 Crime writing workshop 1 Crime screenwriting workshop 2 4:00-5:30 Crime writing workshop 1 Crime screenwriting workshop 2
6.30pm-7:15pm OPENING NIGHT PARTY Join us for a celebration of crime fiction. You will be in the company of some of the legends of crime writing, along with hottest new talent around.
7:30pm-8:30pm LINE OF DUTY in the spotlight The BBC’s award-winning crime drama Line of Duty has been voted one of the best cop shows of all time. Its creator Jed Mercurio, Adrian Dunbar who plays Superintendent Ted Hastings and the show’s producer Stephen Wright talk about working on one of the greatest crime series on the small screen.
9-10pm BENJAMIN BLACK in conversation with David Torrans John Banville, one of Ireland’s greatest novelists talks about his other life as crime novelist Benjamin Black. From his misanthropic pathologist Quirke, who first appeared in Christine Falls, to his latest historical crime novel Prague Nights, fans will get an insight into what it takes to juggle two separate identities and genres.
SATURDAY 28 OCTOBER
10am-11am A SAFE FEAR What makes you really scared? Caz Frear, Jo Spain, Ali Land and Steve Mosby discuss why we use crime fiction to explore our deepest fears.
11.30am-12.30pm IDENTITIES Adrian McKinty, Abir Mukherjee, Stella Duffy and Louise Welsh reflect on questions around identity and how crime fiction explores sexuality, gender, race, culture and religion.
2pm-3pm BORDERLANDS Borders have shaped the people who live near them for centuries – the culture, politics and the crime that arise because of them. Brian McGilloway, David Young, Arne Dahl and Claire McGowan discuss with Craig Robertson how borders across Britain, Ireland and Europe have inspired their crime writing. They also take a look into the future at what opportunities Brexit might pose for a crime writer.
3.30pm-4:30pm THE DARK SIDE OF COUNTRY LIFE Beneath the chocolate-box façade, for many crime writers the countryside is a deadly place. From murder mysteries to claustrophobic thrillers, rural life can be a dark and threatening existence. Graeme Macrae Burnet, Anthony J. Quinn, Andrea Carter and Ruth Ware discuss their latest dark tales from the countryside.
5pm-6pm AMERICANA Stuart Neville (who also writes as Haylen Beck), Helen Callaghan, Ray Celestin discuss why the USA attracts so many crime writers as a setting for their novels – whether they’re American or not. Is America just the perfect location for a crime and, if so, why?
8pm-9pm ROBERT CRAIS in conversation International bestseller Robert Crais is one of crime fiction’s most influential writers. His career started in television where he was one of Hollywood’s hottest screenwriters, working on legendary shows including Hill Street Blues, Cagney & Lacey and Miami Vice. He then became a full-time novelist, creating one of crime fiction’s most loved partnerships Elvis Cole & Joe Pike.
10pm-late HALLOWEEN PARTY A criminally good Halloween party! Live music and an award for the best crime-themed costume.
SUNDAY 29 OCTOBER
10.30am-11.30am TELLING A CRIME STORY Steve Cavanagh, Craig Robertson and Eoin McNamee talk to Diana Bretherick about our fascination with real crime and why some people find criminals so fascinating. They discuss the constraints and morality of constructing a narrative around a real crime, either through fiction, or through journalism.
12pm-1pm VIKING v CELT It’s been over a millennium since the first Viking invasion of Ireland and crime fiction fans are enjoying the current invasion a lot more! But are the Celts and the Vikings so very different? We explore the similarities between Scandinavian and Irish crime fiction with two of the greatest proponents from each side: bestselling novelists Arne Dahl and Liz Nugent.
2:30pm-3:30pm CHRISTIE FOR THE 21ST CENTURY The whodunit has been hugely popular for well over a century. Three contemporary crime novelists Ruth Ware, Martin Edwards and Andrew Wilson, discuss how the murder mystery is being re-invented for modern audiences.
4pm-5pm SOPHIE HANNAH The multi-talented, bestselling novelist Sophie Hannah talks to journalist Jake Kerridge about her writing career. From her gripping psychological thrillers to the internationally bestselling Hercule Poirot follow on novels, Sophie is one of Britain’s best-loved crime novelists.