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film · Wednesday 26 August 2026 · TBD 
Colin Bateman Season: Watermelon
At The Court House · Bangor, Co. Down
At The Court House · Bangor, Co. Down
If you enjoy Irish storytelling on screen and the chance to hear directly from the person who wrote it, this evening at The Court House in Bangor is worth the trip. The Open House Festival dedicates a strand of its August programme to screenwriter Colin Bateman, and the final night of that season brings a screening of Watermelon - the 2003 television film he adapted from Marian Keyes’s debut novel. Bateman introduces the film himself and stays for a Q&A afterwards, so you leave knowing considerably more about the craft behind what you just watched. It suits anyone who reads Irish fiction, loves a good rom-com with some actual emotional weight, or is simply curious about how a beloved novel ends up on screen.
Watermelon follows a young Irish woman whose husband leaves her on the day she gives birth, sending her back to her family in Dublin to piece things together. The adaptation, starring Anna Friel and Brenda Fricker, keeps the warmth and sharp humour that made the Marian Keyes novel a hit. Colin Bateman is a Bangor-born writer with a long career across crime fiction, comedy, and screen adaptation - he knows this town and he knows this territory. His introduction before the film gives context on the adaptation choices, and the Q&A after typically covers the practicalities and politics of turning a beloved novel into something that works on screen. It is a genuine conversation, not a formality.
The screening is part of the broader Open House Festival, which fills Bangor each August with music, film, comedy, and spoken word events across several venues. The Colin Bateman Season runs on successive Tuesdays through the month, making this the closing night of that particular strand.
Bangor is on the Ards Peninsula coast, about 20 kilometres east of Belfast. By train it is one of the quickest runs in Northern Ireland - the journey from Belfast Great Victoria Street takes around 30 minutes, and Bangor train station is a 10-minute walk from The Court House on Quay Street. Ulsterbus services also connect Bangor with Belfast and surrounding towns. By car, the A2 from Belfast runs along the lough shore and into Bangor town centre. Street parking is available in the town; there are also car parks off Main Street and Hamilton Road a short walk from the venue.
Bangor has a solid seafront promenade and a marina worth a walk before the evening kicks off, and there are several good cafes and restaurants in the town centre if you want to eat before the screening. There is more to see in Bangor and across Co. Down.
Heading to The Court House in Bangor? Down has plenty more to see. Read the Bangor area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.