Entertainment

Belfast’s RENDR festival returns with epic line-up of film, TV and gaming talent

Spider-Man. Harry Potter and Chicken Run creatives amongst the line-up so far...

Scene from the computer game Cyberpunk 2077
Belfast's RENDR festival welcomes Jakub Knapkik, Global Art Director at CD Projekt Red, the AAA studio behind The Witcher and Cyberpunk 2077.

Speakers from Netflix, Pixar and Sony Pictures Imageworks are amongst the creatives taking part in the two-day RENDR festival which returns to Belfast next month.

Over 30 industry leaders from the world of film, television and gaming will give the inside story in this creativity and technology festival on February 29 and March 1. There will also be live and interactive demonstrations of new technology, digital art and gaming experiences at Portview Trade Centre in East Belfast.

For the first time, RENDR will also offer live virtual access to the event from anywhere in the world.

Speakers include award-winning French costume designer Jany Temime, best known for her work on the Harry Potter film franchise for which she earned numerous Saturn Award nominations.

Pawel Grochola, FX and Look of Picture Supervisor at Sony Pictures Imageworks, whose most recent feature, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, which is nominated for Best Animated Feature in this year’s Oscars will be another keynote speaker at RENDR.



Unit stills photographer Chiabella James, who has worked on the sets of Dune, the recently released Saltburn and the upcoming Bob Marley biopic, One Love will share the secrets of her profession.

Scene from the movie Dune
Unit stills photographer Chiabella James, who has worked on the set of Dune, will speak at the event. (Chia Bella James/Chia Bella James)

Among the homegrown talent joining this year’s line-up is Laura Livingstone, the Armagh-born VFX Executive at Netflix who launched her visual effects career with Marvel’s Iron Man 2 and recently worked on the Addams’ Family spin-off series, Wednesday.

Wednesday Addams from the Netflix tv series
Armagh-born VFX Executive at Netflix, Laura Livingstone, who recently worked on Wednesday is among the homegrown talent joining this year’s line-up.

Representing the animation industry are: Dylan Sission, a Digital Artist at Pixar Animation Studios; Hal Hickel, from Industrial Light & Magic, who is currently supervising the animation for The Mandalorian series on Disney+ and Suzy Fagan Parr from Aardman, who served as a director and lead character animator on the recent Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget.

From the gaming industry, RENDR welcomes Jakub Knapkik, Global Art Director at CD Projekt Red, the AAA studio behind the globally acclaimed The Witcher series and Cyberpunk 2077; and HaZimation, the animation and gaming studio that recently opened a new base in Belfast.

For the full list of speakers and to book tickets, visit RENDRfestival.com.