Branagh draws on 'other lockdown' of Troubles for Oscar frontrunner 'Belfast'
Los Angeles (AFP) - "Belfast," a hot favorite to become the first Oscar best picture winner made during the pandemic, was inspired by the "other lockdown" of Northern Ireland's Troubles, its writer-director Kenneth Branagh said Tuesday. The critically acclaimed black-and-white drama -- out Friday -- received its glitzy Los Angeles premiere at the newly minted Academy Museum this week, as its studio Focus Features gears up for a lengthy award season campaign for the movie based on Branagh's childhood. "It came out of that silence that a lot of us stared into at the beginning of the lockdown and...