Previously unseen footage of republican prisoners, who were released on parole in 1990, is set to be screened as part of this year’s Belfast Film Festival.
Tapes containing almost 16 hours of footage were recently uncovered in the attic of a house in Dublin. Belfast Film Festival will air the footage at Queen’s Film Theatre on November 11.
The footage was taken when prisoners were released for a week’s Christmas parole in December 1990. Almost 16 hours of footage was recorded by Art O’Laghaoire, Danny Devenny and Orla Walsh as part of the 10 Years On project, which reflected on the anti-H-Block/Armagh campaign and the 1981 hunger strike.
Amongst those interviewed are Bernadette McAliskey, Mary Nelis and Gerry Adams, as well prisoners Jennifer McCann and Síle Darragh, who were in Armagh women’s Prison during the hunger strike.
Belfast Film Festival founder and former hunger striker, Laurence McKeown, is also featured in the footage.
Speaking ahead of the screening, Mr McKeown said: “The footage was recorded primarily because we were moving into the tenth anniversary of the hunger strike.
“We were going to be out that Christmas, so myself, Leo Green - who had been the camp OC (Officer Commanding) - and Leonard Burn from North Belfast sat down and wrote up a loose script. We knew who was going o be out on parole and we approached them and asked if they could talk about particular issues so we wouldn’t be saying the same things.
“We filmed it down in Conway Mill, which was freezing in December. That was basically how it came about, and the idea was to put together a film for 1991, but nothing really happened after that.”
Ahead of the 40th anniversary of the 1981 hunger strike, which occurs this year, an appeal had gone out to recover the tapes, which were subsequently found in the attic of filmmaker Art O’Laghaoire.
After restoration and digitisation, the tapes will be screened and followed by a Q&A focusing on the women in Armagh Gaol.
“The tapes are historical artefacts and they capture people who were still very young and alive to the issues at the time,” Mr McKeown said.
“What we want to do in November is not just rehearse the whole hunger strike period. We will show that in the clip and we’ll show what people did."
“Ten men died so there was a big focus on that, but I think this is a good opportunity for women on the big screen to have their own say on their experience of the time.”
He added: “You need to focus on more than the hunger strike, because there were people on the outside running protests, making placards, writing letters – it was a mass protest and struggle.”
Tapes from the Attic will be screened as part of the 21st Belfast Film Festival on November 11. All tickets are sold via the Belfast Film Festival box office.
For more information about the festival visit belfastfilmfestival.org
