[2022 Academy] 'Belfast' Kenneth Branagh Wins Best Screenplay

Highlighting Autobiographical Experiences of Catholic-Protestant Conflicts in the Late 1960s

Kenneth Branagh, director of the film 'Belfast,' won the Best Original Screenplay award at the 94th Academy Awards held on the 27th (local time) at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California, USA. He achieved this feat by surpassing Adam McKay of 'Don't Look Up,' Zach Baylin of 'King Richard,' Paul Thomas Anderson of 'Licorice Pizza,' and Joachim Trier of 'The Worst Person in the World.' 'Belfast' is a drama that depicts the experiences of Buddy (Jude Hill) and his family in Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland. Director Branagh wrote and directed the screenplay based on his autobiographical experiences of the riots caused by the conflict between Catholics and Protestants in the late 1960s. He described it as "a story about the barricades that confined people after the rioters who filled Belfast in 1969 left, and the lockdown that made a family contemplate whether to leave their home," drawing parallels to the pandemic situation where people had to worry about their family's safety amid restricted movement.