Troubles: The Life After

Mairéad Farrell: An Unfinished Conversation

2014

Mairéad Farrell was shot dead by the SAS in Gibraltar in 1988 along with two other unarmed members of the IRA in one of the most controversial incidents arising from the Troubles in Northern Ireland. She had just been released from prison the year before after serving ten years for causing an explosion at an hotel near Belfast. The killing of the three provoked an international outcry and eventual enquiry. Due to her youth, her gender and her stature within the IRA, Mairéad Farrell was, unsurprisingly, quickly subsumed into the pantheon of Irish republican martyrs. But behind the mythologizing and demonisation of the time, there was also a real person, a flesh and blood young woman who was prepared to kill and die for her beliefs.

Troubled

2023 · ★ 9

While the overt violence and conflict associated with the Troubles may have subsided since the Good Friday Agreement, it is true that many people in Northern Ireland continue to be affected by the legacy of the conflict. This includes individuals who were directly impacted by the violence, as well as those who continue to struggle with the social, economic, and political consequences of the conflict. While the actual violence and conflict may have ended, the legacy of the Troubles still lingers on in Northern Ireland; many are still struggling to come to terms with what happened and find a way to move forward.

The Brighton Bomb

2004

It was the most notorious terrorist incident since the Gunpowder Plot - an attempt by the IRA to wipe out the entire UK government on 12 October 1984 as it convened on the south coast. Award-winning journalist Peter Taylor remembers the carnage as special effects and emotional testimony from survivors combine in a tense reconstruction. Followed by The Hunt for the Bomber.

Whatever You Say, Say Nothing

1995

Caroline does not remember living in a time of peace; she has been a young child when the "troubles" in Belfast started. During the 25 years during which the war lasted, she got married and raised three children; and only a few weeks before the ceasefire started she was killed. Since the ceasefire, the situation in Northern Ireland has not changed much: the fear to talk is as big as ever before.

The Flats

2025 · ★ 6.7

In his tower-block apartment in New Lodge, Joe reenacts memories from his childhood amidst the “Troubles”. In this Catholic area of Belfast, the number of deaths was tragically significant. Joe is joined by neighbours Jolene, Sean, Angie, and others, all willingly participating in this process of revisiting the collective memories that shaped their lives and the district they live in.

Daughters of the Troubles: Belfast Stories

1996 · ★ 8

The women of Belfast played a unique role in holding together their families and communities during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Filmed during the fragile 17-month paramilitary cease-fire, Daughters of the Troubles: Belfast Stories looks at the challenges facing women trying to put their direct experience of grassroots problems on the agenda of the established political parties. Their strength, first exhibited on the community level, started to reach a wider public.

Keep It a Secret: The Story of the Dawn of Surfing in Ireland

2021

In the early 1970s, the world-class waves of Ireland were uncharted waters for the international surfing community. Amidst the ongoing conflict of the Troubles, pioneers in both Dublin and Belfast transcended political hostilities to host the 1972 Eurosurf championship. This look into the unsung history of the Emerald Isle’s now world-renowned surf scene details the power of sport to bridge any divide.

American Troubles: A Tale of Two Democracies

2026

America's democracy feels more divided than ever - but what if the problem lies in how we vote? "American Troubles" explores whether proportional representation could break the cycle of dysfunction, drawing comparisons from two striking case studies: Portland, Oregon, where a bold new voting system is reshaping local politics, and Northern Ireland, where proportional elections helped end decades of violent conflict. Blending history, reform, and human stories, the film shows how electoral rules can entrench division - or create space for compromise.

Fr Des - The Way He Saw It

Father Des Wilson was a priest with a socialist outlook. In trouble-torn Belfast he embedded himself in a community that needed help, where he lived and worked from 1969 onwards. An extraordinary man in extraordinary circumstances.

Hard Border

2018

Belfast-born actor Stephen Rea explores the impact of Brexit and the uncertainty of the future of the Irish border in a short film written by Clare Dwyer Hogg.

The Secret Peacemaker

2023

The story of Father Alec Reid’s complex and controversial peace plan to bring an end to violence in Northern Ireland, which eventually led to the historic Good Friday Agreement.

14 Days

2013

Over fourteen days in March 1988, a sequence of traumatic events shook Northern Ireland to its core and shocked the world. But it was also 14 days that compelled one man, Redemptorist priest Fr Alec Reid, to find a way out of the deadly cycle of violence.