Kenneth Branagh has been taking a trip down memory lane lately; partially because of the pandemic, and yes, also because he is entering the seventh decade of his life. His childhood memory piece, "Belfast," which opens in theaters on Friday, Nov. 12, is his most personal film yet. For that reason, he was bound and determined to travel to last month's Mill Valley Film Festival to present it in person. He premiered his directorial debut, "Henry V," the film that made him an international star, there in 1989. "I had a lovely flash(back) at this very hotel, from over 30 years ago," said Branagh, 60, during a chat at San Francisco's Ritz-Carlton Hotel. "I'd never been on a publicity tour — I'd never directed a film before. I was a stranger in a strange land. "That morning, I woke up, and we had a really good review from your compadre, Judy Stone. The paper was under the door, so I could see it. So there was this moment in San Francisco, at this hotel, where people were telling me, 'We just did something. This movie's gonna work. There'll be a future for it.' " Wait, you remember Judy Stone, the late, longtime Chronicle critic? "Oh, yeah, yeah," Branagh smiled. "Legend. Legendary figure." "Belfast," shot mostly in black-and-white, is based on Branagh's memories of 1969, when he was 9. The film begins on Aug. 15 with a violent riot, part of the Troubles, a conflict between Protestants and Catholics over Northern Ireland's identity. But it gently settles into warm memories of a loving mother, father and siblings, and a summer and fall of childhood adventures. Young Buddy (Branagh's stand-in, played by Jude Hill) becomes obsessed with girls and movies ("Chitty Chitty Bang Bang"), TV ("Star Trek") and comic books. There is tension as Buddy's father (Jamie Dornan) is pressured to take sides during a conflict that is upending the peace of their neighborhood and family life. Branagh said what happened to him and his family — which caused much pain and eventually led them to move to England — was seared into his memory. "That moment haunted me. I knew when that riot happened my life changed forever," Branagh said. "On that day, a Catholic boy died, 3 miles away. I was the same age. … I also came to realize that as a family, we had never spoken about that time.