Singer Brian Kennedy's film debut is to be played to delegates at this week's One Young World Summit in Belfast.
The former The Voice of Ireland judge plays himself in the UK government-funded short film, which celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.
The Cinemagic movie takes its title from Kennedy's 2001 hit So What If It Rains? and tells the story of brothers Jack and Johnny, who leave their farm to move to Belfast where they meet a music legend who takes them under his wing.
Speaking ahead of the film being played to delegates from more than 190 countries attending the One Young World Summit this week, Kennedy has described how he is "enjoying embracing life again" following several health battles.
“Oh man, what a weird five years," he said.
"I’ve had to go through cancer, chemotherapy, cardiac arrest, Covid. It’s been such a challenging and tricky time.
“I had cancer at the same time as my brother and he died after only five months. He had pancreatic cancer and unfortunately it was incurable.
Read more:
- Singer Brian Kennedy on celebrating 'multicultural Belfast' with film debut
- Brian Kennedy on cancer, the pluses of a urostomy bag and his Antrim GAA top
“It was very complicated because we were estranged from each other for a very long time.
"We managed to meet up again before he died and everything was calm in the end, but a loss is a loss and you never expect to lose a sibling before your parents go.
"He was only 54.”
He added: “This year will be my fifth year post cancer so I’m hoping for clear scans again and then I can really put it all behind me to march into the future and not really think about it".
Recalling his childhood growing up in Belfast during the conflict, Kennedy said he finds it "interesting being around people who did not live through the Troubles".
“I call them the ‘un-Troubled generation’ because thankfully - like my nephew and niece – they can live a life that did not exist when I was growing up," he said.
“I grew up on the Falls Road and it is extraordinary to me that it is now a tourist destination whereas back in the day, visitors were warned not to go anywhere near it.
"Now they can charge money to go there.
“My upbringing was during the worst of times. I saw someone shot dead more than once right in front of me.
“We were evacuated many times during the night from our homes into the local school. I remember seeing buildings bombed and the aftermath of that.
“The things I witnessed are not the sort of thing that makes for a happy childhood, is it? Even adults found it all difficult, never mind a child.
“So, it’s been lovely to work with young people whose lives have not been marred by all the violence.
“It’s been lovely for me to be a sort of soundtrack to that shift and things are really shifting.
"The film celebrates the vibrancy of Belfast and reflects on the bright future that is possible here.
“I never thought I would see it in my lifetime that we could find a completely new gear of the engine of Northern Ireland."
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said: “The Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement remains a historic achievement, which brought peace and continues to transform Northern Ireland for the better.
“Now on the world stage for all the right reasons, I’m proud that Belfast will host and inspire the peacebuilders and global leaders of the future at the One Young World Summit.
“A quarter of century of peace has boosted our economy and made Northern Ireland a world-leading centre of the film industry.
"Our short film, made in partnership with Cinemagic, celebrates an entire generation that has grown up in the peaceful and prosperous Northern Ireland that we see today.”
The One Young World 2023 Belfast Summit runs from October 2-5.
