Sands married geraldine noade while in prison on robbery charges on 3 march 1973. Sands death after 66 days marked a key turning point in the relationship between britain. Byrne, the film centres on the belfast ira activists fast to the death at the hblocks in the maze prisonlong kesh. Tommy mckearney ex hunger striker 53 days 1980 gave connolly media group an interview to discuss brendan j byrnes new film bobby sands 66 days and to reflect on his time on hunger strike. A film about ira hunger striker bobby sands has become one of the most lucrative northern irish films ever. This is a film full of unanswered questions, or to be precise, unasked questions. Seeking the right to be treated as political prisoners rather than common criminals, irish republicans led by bobby sands began a prison hunger strike that would draw international attention to the conflict.
Films, this landmark nonfiction feature film will have its world premiere at hotdocs in 2016. Sands remains an opaque figure, but brendan j byrnes film makes a persuasive case that his 1981 hunger strike lead directly to the good. In the spring of 1981 irish republican bobby sands 66 day hunger strike brought the attention of the world to his cause. Byrne on allmovie in his 1981 prison hunger strike, bobby sands put. New docs from rothwell, byrne head to hot docs a new documentary from how to change the world director jerry rothwell and brendan byrnes bobby sands. Enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing bobby sands. In 1981, an imprisoned irish republican army soldier went on a hunger strike that galvanized his movement and made him a controversial global icon. Drawing on an irish republican tradition of martyrdom, sands emotive, non. Byrnes film is a sober, evenhanded recapitulation of sands s imprisonment and death that places him in a historical. Drawing on an irish republican tradition of martyrdom, sands.
Filmmaker brendan j byrne explores the story of bobby sandss 66day hunger strike in the spring of 1981. The documentary film is bookended by quotes from fintan otoole. In the spring of 1981 irish republican bobby sands 66day hunger strike brought the attention of the world to his cause. But he looms large in the history of northern irelands decadeslong quest for selfgovernance, and brendan j. Biography, documentary, history by the early 1980s, after two decades of violence and unrest, the situation in northern ireland took a sudden and profound turn inside the infamous maze prison. It follows, then, that its us premiere would be in the fight the power programming segment of doc nyc. Controversy surrounding new bobby sands documentary bobby. A terminal hunger strike that caught the worlds attention and arguably helped shift the struggle for irish independence away from terroristic violence is recapped in bobby sands. The irish times awarded the film four stars out of five, calling it a comprehensive. Cast, plot, and what to know about the scifi horror film corey. Drawing on an irish republican tradition of martyrdom, sands emotive, nonviolent protest to be classified as a political prisoner became a defining moment in 20th century irish history. But 66 days is the first fulllength documentary about sands.
The spine of the film is comprised of sands own words, drawn from his hunger strike. Byrnes film is a salutary reminder of those grim and. In one he describes the 1981 hunger strike as drama at the absolute rawest edge it could possibly be. In the spring of 1981 irish republican bobby sands 66day hunger strike brought the attention. By the early 1980s, after two decades of violence and unrest, the situation in northern ireland took a sudden and profound turn inside the infamous maze prison. There isnt, then, much to say about sands life, apart from those nine years in which he was imprisoned, awaiting imprisonment, or engaged in activity that would lead to his imprisonment. Journalist fintan otoole, a contributor to the film, believes that the tragic events which it so skilfully and graphically surveys have marked every irish citizen who lived through them. New docs from rothwell, byrne head to hot docs realscreen. Bobby sands film 66 days a box office hit the irish news. The complete second season 2017, dvd new3 disc set.
The film made its north american premiere at tiff 2016 and is one of the most successful films to ever come out of northern ireland. With this documentary, director brendan byrne doesnt try to find the man behind the iconic figure, so much as he attempts to uncover the. I think in terms of ambition for a film a about bobby sands, and a factual one, there was probably a. Filmmaker brendan j byrne tells the story of the 66day hunger strike conducted by provisional ira member bobby sands during the spring of 1981. That concept is forcefully reiterated in brendan j. The nationalist conflict is unresolved to this day, making bobby sands 66 days a subversive film. Director brendan j byrne on new bobby sands doc 66 days. Hot docs has received filmmaker permission to upload this trailer to the hotdocsfest youtube channel.
F or those whose only awareness of bobby sands comes from hunger, bobby sands. Content media in 1981, bobby sands is a 27yearold member of the ira, doing a 14year sentence for weapons possession in northern irelands maze prison, when he leads fellow prisoners on a hunger strike demanding that they be treated as political prisoners. Tommy mckearney ex hunger striker 53 days 1980 gave connolly. Using extracts from bobby sandss diary, testimony and footage from the archives, the. Reflecting and further enhancing the films complicated agenda is an original score by edith progue. A gripping tale of terrible times structured around sandss decline, 66 days powers us through a sociopolitical maelstrom. The life and death of bobby sands in his own words, drawn from his hunger strike diary. The film mixes reenactment, animation, interviews and archive footage to relate the story of bobby sands and the 1981 irish hunger strike, as well as covering the events leading up to the hunger strike and its. Thirtyfour years ago, ira member bobby sands starved himself to death in a jail cell in northern ireland, protesting against the british governments removal of political prisoner status from. As subtle and eventempered as a documentary about a selfstarving political martyr can possibly be, brendan j. Byrnes film is a sober, evenhanded recapitulation of sandss imprisonment and death that. Also sign me up for fanmail to get updates on all things movies.
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