2026-10-06T16:52:48Z https://api.figshare.com/v2/oai

oai:figshare.com:article/32641878 2026-10-01T16:20:03Z portal_1172 item_type_8 month_year_10_2026

Mapping Belfast film locations: an exploration of the city and its architecture through cinema Ece Sila Bora (24170322) PUREID: 658136636 Cinematic georgraphy Belfast architecture and film urban representation In an era where visual media profoundly shape urban narratives, this thesis explores the reciprocal relationship between film and the built environment in Belfast. As the city moved from conflict toward regeneration, filmmakers documented its physical transformation and helped construct a collective imagination of the city. Through cinema, marginalised areas gained new cultural significance, contributing to debates on identity, memory, and urban change. In recent years, Belfast has also become a thriving film production hub, offering a unique case study of how cinema both reflects and shapes urban space. Focusing on the period from 1972 to 2024, the research investigates how films have portrayed Belfast’s evolving architecture and urban landscape, analysing the spatial distribution of film locations, representations of conflict architecture, and post-conflict regeneration. Employing a mixed-methods approach, it combines Geographic Information Systems (GIS) with close cinematic analysis. A dataset of 776 film locations across 94 fiction films is mapped to reveal shifting patterns of representation across religious, socio-economic, and historically contested spaces. This macro-level mapping is complemented by cinematic place analysis, which deconstructs selected scenes to examine how narrative and visual strategies mediate Belfast’s changing urban identity. Findings demonstrate a marked shift in cinematic geography following the Good Friday Agreement (1998). While pre-Agreement films focused on conflict-affected neighbourhoods and militarised infrastructures, later productions increasingly feature regenerated areas such as the Laganside waterfront and Titanic Quarter. The study’s implications extend beyond film studies, offering insights for urban planning, heritage, and cultural policy. By illustrating how cinema shapes perceptions of space, it advocates more inclusive approaches to regeneration that acknowledge cultural memory and community representation. Ultimately, the thesis contributes to cinematic urbanism by positioning film as both an archive of urban memory and an active agent in redefining place. <br><br><i>Thesis is embargoed until 31 December 2030.</i> 2026-10-01T16:20:03Z Text Thesis 10.17034/32641878.v1 https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/Mapping_Belfast_film_locations_an_exploration_of_the_city_and_its_architecture_through_cinema/32641878 All Rights Reserved Open Access after 2030-12-31