Film as Art: Brian Desmond Hurst, Film Director exhibition

Black and white image of film director Brian Desmond Hurst, dressed in a dark suit, leaning on a side table with a vase of flowers on top, framed mirror on the wall and large gramaphone level with Hurst's head

Date

4th July to 11th January 2024

Event type

Temporary Exhibition

As Northern Ireland’s film industry thrives and continues to attract investment and creativity, now is an apt time to celebrate the life and work of a man who is often hailed as one of Northern Ireland’s best film directors, Brian Desmond Hurst (1895-1986).

Throughout his life, Hurst championed film as an art form. Born into a shipyard working-class family in east Belfast, Hurst went on to become a product of Hollywood’s Golden Age of Film. His filmmaking portfolio was extensive and well-respected internationally, with over thirty films in his portfolio ranging in themes from war to comedy, horror to historical fiction. He is perhaps best known for the 1951 'A Christmas Carol' adaptation Scrooge.

This exhibition will show film posters, invitations, lobby cards, original press clippings from Hurst’s own scrapbooks, film footage and photographs - all of which is on loan from the estate of Brian Desmond Hurst and other friends - all to showcase Hurst’s remarkable achievements.

The exhibition is sponsored by Quartertoten Productions Ltd in conjunction with the Brian Desmond Hurst Estate.

A picture of an exhibition through open doors — **Please note:** the museum is a shared space and at times, private events take place in the Belfast Room, where this exhibition is on display, which means the space will need to be closed to the public. If you are travelling specifically to view an exhibition in the Belfast Room, currently showing 'Film As Art', we advise contacting the museum in advance on 028 9044 0000 or emailing to check the exhibition will be open the day you plan to go see it.