Belfast’s RENDR festival returns

Following the success of its debut last year, Belfast’s RENDR festival returns to the city next month with an extraordinary line-up of creative talent from the global gaming industry.

The two-day creativity and technology festival, supported by Northern Ireland Screen, the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Studio Ulster, Ulster University, Ulster Screen Academy and Belfast City Council, takes place from 29th February – 1st of March at Portview Trade Centre in East Belfast.

Over 30 speakers will deliver keynote talks across two evenings alongside live and interactive demonstrations of new technology, digital art and gaming experiences. For the first time, RENDR will also offer live virtual access to the event from anywhere in the world.

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; Emil Pagliarulo, Studio Design Director at Bethesda Game Studios, the award-winning creators of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Fallout 4 and Starfield; and HaZ Dulull and Paula Crickard from HaZimation, the animation and gaming studio that recently opened a new base in Belfast.

Emnet Mulugeta, Cinematic Director at Goodbye Kansas, will also speak at the event. Emnet worked in the commercial and TV industry in Europe and US before shifting into gaming in 2018. Some of his latest directing credits include Ubisoft’s Skull & Bones, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Arkane’s Redfall and PUBG Battlegrounds.

Also joining the line-up will be a broad range of game developers from across Northern Ireland presented both on stage and throughout the festival’s arcade. For the first time, a panel of industry leaders will bring a focus to E-Sports, with opportunities for competitive gaming at the event.

Festival director Michael Weir comments: “RENDR offers the opportunity to gain insight into unique perspectives within the fascinating worlds of film, gaming and animation, and to network with highly esteemed professionals in these industries. This is an important festival to the ever-growing creative industry in Northern Ireland and we’re proud to make a contribution. Building upon the success of last year, we hope RENDR can serve to inform, engage and challenge the creative community here to push the boundaries of technology in their work.”

To book tickets, visit RENDRfestival.com and stay up to date with the latest developments and speaker announcements on the festival’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

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