The IFI Stranger Than Fiction Documentary Film
Festival (September 25th – 28th), now in its 11th
year, showcases the best documentary work from Ireland and around the globe. This
year’s line-up includes new Irish works from Blood Fruit’s exploration of the
Dunnes Stores workers’ stand against apartheid to Showrunners which examines the world of U.S.
television’s creative teams. In this month’s blog from the IFI Irish Film
Archive’s Tiernan MacBride
library we look back at five gripping Irish documentaries which have been
screened during the history of the festival.
The Family (1979)
Bob Quinn’s The Family
was shown as part of the Alternative
Communities archival strand of the 2009 IFI
Stranger Than Fiction Documentary Film Festival. It examines the Atlantis Commune
which was based in Donegal in the 1970s, whose members were labelled ‘The
Screamers’ because of the confrontational primal therapy they practised. [1] Quinn
has described how one shocking therapy scene in the film still has the power to
upset him over 30 years later and he called it “the most intimidating project
of my career.” [2] The Family was
commissioned by the fledgling RTE 2 but was not broadcast as intended in 1978
because it was “too disturbing.” [3] The film was finally shown on RTE over ten
years later as part of Lelia Doolan’s First
View series. [4]
Jenny James, founder
of the Atlantis Commune in The Family.
Copyright 1979 Cinegael.
Chavez: Inside the Coup (2003)
This documentary focuses on the events in Venezuela in 2002
leading up to an attempted revolutionary coup, which saw President Hugo Chavez deposed
for 48 hours. Kim Bartley and Donnacha Ó Briain’s footage of the events contradicted
the false story circulated internationally by Venezuela’s privately owned media
channels; that shots fired into the crowd originated from the pro-Chavez
supporters when in fact his supporters were the victims of the sniper attacks. Later, they film the removal of Chavez in
handcuffs from the presidential palace and finally, following dramatic protests
by his supporters and the backing of the army, his triumphant return. While it
is clear that the filmmakers’ sympathies lie with Chavez and his government,
the material is allowed to speak for itself and the result is a thrilling
examination of political machination and the manipulation of the media. The documentary
won multiple international awards, with one Canadian jury declaring it, “the
best television programme in the world this year.” [5]
Hugo Chavez addresses
the crowd in Chavez: Inside the Coup.
Copyright 2003 Power Pictures.
The Asylum (2005)
In this documentary series, set in St. Ita’s Hospital, Portrane,
acclaimed filmmaker Alan Gilsenan explores the subject of mental health in
Ireland. The films are moving and frightening in turns as we meet the
hospital’s residents and get a sense of the disenfranchisement they have
suffered because of mental illness. At the time, Gilsenan addressed criticisms
that his series had the potential to be exploitative in a live debate with
Mannix Flynn on RTE’s Liveline
programme. [6] He outlined the years taken to film the series, the sensitivity
shown to its subjects and the involvement of the patients’ doctors and family
members in every step of the process. [7] Watching the series, the humanity of both
the staff and residents is powerfully conveyed throughout and it remains an
important examination of a taboo subject, “a place which we dreaded to look at
before, in any shape or form.” [8]
Caroline Smith, a
patient interviewed in The Asylum,
who had spent over
50 years of her life in institutions. Copyright 2005 RTE.
Saviours (2007)
Saviours follows the
lives of three young fighters training in St. Saviour’s Olympic Boxing Academy
on Dublin’s Dorset Street. Over two years we experience the personal struggles
and triumphs of Abdul Hussein, an asylum seeker, Dean Murphy, a local fighter
and Darren Sutherland, whose bronze medal win in the 2008 Olympics secured a
cinematic release for the film. [9] Filmmakers Ross Whitaker and Liam Nolan convey
the humour, vulnerability and “spit and spirit” [10] of the boxers as well as
the source of hope and sense of community boxing gives to them and to their
trainers. Sadly, Darren Sutherland took his own life in 2009 and Saviours stands as a fitting testament
to the talent, courage and humility of an outstanding young man.
Darren Sutherland is declared
the winner of a boxing match in Saviours.
Copyright 2007 Nolan Whitaker Street Films.
The Liberties (2009)
The Liberties
captures the fascination filmmakers Tom Burke and Shane Hogan feel for this inner-city
enclave, sometimes referred to as “the real Dublin.” [11] Residents including
craftsmen, newspaper sellers and actress Brenda Fricker are profiled in a
series of vignettes which create a vivid snapshot of the area and its community.
The film avoids easy platitudes and the different characters speak with humour
and startling honesty about subjects including drug addiction, poverty and immigration.
The various portraits celebrate the ordinary lives decently lived in the
Liberties and in the words of one reviewer, “hang in the memory long after the
film has finished.” [12]
Newspaper seller
Sarah leans against a kiosk in The
Liberties.
Copyright 2009 Areaman Productions.
By Eilís Ní Raghallaigh
The
IFI
Irish Film Archive’s
clippings, image and document collections contain thousands of files and images
relating to all aspects of Irish and Irish-interest film and television
production. They are available to view in the Tiernan MacBride library within library opening hours, or by appointment with the librarian.
Please contact the IFI librarian, Fiona Rigney, for more information.
REFERENCES
[1]
Corbett, G. (2006, December 3). Keeping hope afloat in a harrowing world. The Sunday Tribune, p. 19.
[2]
Quinn, B. (2013, January). A note from the director on the making of the
Family. Irish Film Institute.
Retrieved September 16th, 2014 from http://www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-double-bill-jan-2013/
[3]
Quinn, B. (2006). The Family. Cinegael.
Retrieved September 16th, 2014 from http://conamara.org/index.php?page=the-family
[4]
Rockett, K. (2006, November). The Family. Irish
film & TV research online. Retrieved September 16th, 2014
from https://www.tcd.ie/irishfilm/showfilm.php?fid=37831
[5]
O’Mahony, C. (2003, June 15). Chavez film labelled ‘best in the world.’ The Sunday Business Post, p. 17.
[6]
Kehoe, E. (2005, September 18). Poignant and painful in Portrane. The Sunday Business Post, Agenda, p. 10.
[7]
Lavery, B. (2005, September 11). Television. The Sunday Times, pp. 20-21.
[8]
Lynch, D. (2005, September 25). A look at what we tried not to see. The Sunday Independent, p. 2.
[9]
Whitington, P. (2008, September 6). Darren Sutherland’s road to knockout
success. The Irish Independent, Review, p. 21.
[10]
Lynch, P. (2008, October 5). Sucker Punch. The
Sunday Tribune, Arts, p. 5.
[11]
Kehoe, E. (2009, September 20). Liberties taken in the heart of old Dublin. The Sunday Business Post, Agenda, p. 40.
[12]
Fannin, H. (2009, September 19). Rich Pageant. The Irish Times, Weekend Review, p. 18.
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