#BelfastLough - A surprise visit by Sir Kenneth Branagh was made to HMS Caroline in Belfast Harbour on Tuesday - surprising a group of movie-goers who were on board to watch his turn in the Oscar nominated Dunkirk.

The actor reports The Belfast Telegraph is in the city to be awarded the Freedom of Belfast at a special ceremony at the Ulster Hall.

Ahead of the event, the Belfast-born star visited the historic vessel which was screening the movie as part of the pop-up Branagh in Belfast film festival.

Mr Branagh enjoyed a short tour of the HMS Caroline, before giving a very special welcome to those on board for the movie screening.

Jamie Wilson, General Manager for HMS Caroline, The National Museum of the Royal Navy spoke of the team’s delight to welcome Mr Branagh to the WW1 vessel.

He said: “It has been a pleasure welcoming Mr Branagh to see this piece of living history, and of course, give our visitors today a fantastic surprise ahead of their special Dunkirk screening.”

The celebration event at the Ulster Hall will highlight Branagh’s long and productive artistic and charitable connection to the city, where he was born and lived until the age of nine.

Writing in the programme for the ceremony, Branagh said: “My Belfast childhood was characterised by Freedom. Here was a city, a big city to my child’s eyes that always felt like a village.

“It seemed like you couldn’t get lost. Everyone knew you or someone who knew you. In the landscape, the Cavehill seemed to wrap itself around you protectively from one side, and the shipyard raised the strong arms of its cranes from the other.

“You could see and feel the limits of where you lived, and you knew exactly who you were – Belfast, working class, proud.”

To read much more on the visit by the actor and film director to his beloved city, click here.

#BelfastLough - A pop-up film festival will form part of Belfast City celebrations to mark Sir Kenneth Branagh being made a freeman of the city on Tuesday January 30.

The ‘Branagh in Belfast’ programme of events reports The Irish News will be delivered in partnership with Film Hub NI (see filmhubni.org) and will be staged in venues across the city.

Fans will also have the opportunity of being in the audience at a special ceremony in the Ulster Hall that evening, when the Belfast-born actor will officially receive the honour. Applications can be made online via the council website belfastcity.gov.uk/branaghinbelfast – free tickets will be allocated to Belfast residents via computerised draw. The deadline to apply for tickets is 5pm on Friday January 19.

Festival highlights include screenings of Cinderella at Belfast Castle – where the audience is being encouraged to dress up as their favourite princess – and Dunkirk, which is being shown onboard the HMS Caroline.

Into Film and Cinemagic are also coordinating screenings in schools across the city so children and young people can enjoy some of Branagh’s work.

The actor and director has described being made a freeman of his home city as an “incredible honour".

For more on the film-director actor click here.

In addition to Afloat's coverage of an Irish Sea ferry with an on board Orient Express Lounge Bar following the release last year of Branagh's film 'Murder on the Orient Express'.