Aug 12, 2016 the 66 days film goes back to the bobby sands story after 35 years, prepared for another perspective. 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. Bobby sands 66 days, a new film on the hungerstrike of. It went on general release in ireland on 5 august 2016, where it set a record for the highestgrossing opening weekend for an irish documentary film 50,933 or gb. Hunger striker bobby sands has died in prison 66 days after first refusing to eat. 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. The day will dawn when all the people of ireland will have the desire for freedom to show. With gerry adams, michael alison, humphrey atkins, aram bakshian. Aug 21, 2016 his death in 1981 after 66 days on a prison hunger strike made headlines around the world. Robert gerard sands 9 march 1954 5 may 1981, commonly known as bobby sands, was a member of the provisional irish republican army who died on hunger strike while imprisoned. The 66 days film goes back to the bobby sands story after 35 years, prepared for another perspective. There are moments of terrible sadness in 66 days, brendan j byrnes profoundly moving account of bobby sands hunger strike in the socalled h blocks of long kesh prison.
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. Byrne, the film centres on the belfast ira activists fast to the death at the hblocks in the maze prisonlong kesh. Sometimes, without really thinking about it, when we talk about friends who have gone before us, we use the past tense. Dougie adams, jane adams, cathy gormleyheenan and ronan heenan are pictured at the film premiere of bobby sands. Using extracts from bobby sands s diary, testimony and footage from. At 17, bobby sands was interested in girls, soccer and music. Mark dujsik has been writing about film since 2001. The nationalist conflict is unresolved to this day, making bobby sands 66 days a subversive film. Byrne, the film centres on the belfast ira activists fast to the death at the hblocks in the. There is archive and fresh remembrances, input from comrades, a prison officer, a medical expert, diplomats and various stripes of political analysis. Controversy surrounding new bobby sands documentary bobby.
A film about ira hunger striker bobby sands has become one of the most lucrative northern irish films ever. Its a fairly straightforward doc, counting down the last 66 days of sandss life via expert testimony from historians and colleagues, with lots of eyeopening archive footage. Please visit the pov hot docs hub for more coverage on this years festival. The film sets events firmly in context but the critique of the hunger strike, the decisions of the uk government and the protests long.
Its neither an apologetic nor a rosetinted documentary. Sands married geraldine noade while in prison on robbery charges on 3 march 1973. Using extracts from bobby sandss diary, testimony and footage from. Telling both sides of bobby sands story irish examiner. Byrne director previous cast members more cast members. Though the mechanic is suppose to be this actual cleaver assassin in his capacity to get in and develop a demise trap for his victims, i have to say, the traps go by as well quickly to appear cleaver at all, but i did not go to this movie to see statham be cleaver, i went to see him be bad ass, and he. Uk health secretary urges public on isle of wight to download. Sands died on may 5 1981, at the age of 27, after refusing food for the 66 days of the title. A gripping tale of terrible times structured around sandss decline, 66 days powers us through a sociopolitical maelstrom. Nov 30, 2016 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.
Bobby sands 66 days takes a sympathetic look at this man, who became a symbol at 27. 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. His death in 1981 after 66 days on a prison hunger strike made headlines around the world. Drawing on an irish republican tradition of martyrdom, sands emotive, nonviolent protest to be classified as a political prisoner became a defining. He spent 48 hours in a coma before being pronounced dead by medical staff at long kesh. Reality of hunger striker bobby sands lost in the myth. Hot docs has received filmmaker permission to upload this trailer to the hotdocsfest youtube channel. In the spring of 1981 irish republican bobby sands 66day hunger strike brought the attention of the world to his cause. Oct 31, 2017 over 66 days, bobby sands hunger strike caused a ripple effect across the globe. In 1981, bobby sands started a hunger strike to draw attention to deplorable conditions in the maze prison and to get the british government to. He had been in a coma for 48 hours before being pronounced dead by medical staff at the maze prison in northern ireland. And the clich s begin genuine quick properly the movie really commences with statham kicking some a lot essential ass in a boss action sequence employing the backdrop of brazil. Bobby sands film 66 days a box office hit the irish news. This clip from the feature length documentary bobby sands.
Bobby sands bobby sands was 27 and 66 days on a hunger strike when he died in the hblocks of long kesh prison on, may 6, 1981. I am using the present tense very deliberately when i write bobby is one of my friends. Aug 17, 2017 hot docs has received filmmaker permission to upload this trailer to the hotdocsfest youtube channel. In one he describes the 1981 hunger strike as drama at the absolute rawest edge it. Nov 30, 2016 as subtle and eventempered as a documentary about a selfstarving political martyr can possibly be, brendan j. Sands s sister, bernadette sands mckevitt, is also a prominent irish republican. Bobby sands was the first of 10 northern irish republican hunger strikers who lost their lives in a bid. Seeking the right to be treated as political prisoners rather than common criminals, irish republicans led by bobby sands began a prison hunger strike.
Bobby sands starved for 66 days in an irish prison in an attempt to gain rights for his fellow political prisoners. This is a film full of unanswered questions, or to be precise, unasked questions. Reality of hunger striker bobby sands lost in the myth, says. Journalist fintan otoole, a contributor to the film, believes that the tragic. Drawing on an irish republican tradition of martyrdom, sands emotive, non.
Filmmaker brendan j byrne explores the story of bobby sandss 66day hunger strike in the spring of 1981. By august 1981, nine other blanket menfrancis hughes, raymond mccreesh, patsy o hara, joe mcdonell, martin hurson, kevin lynch, kieran doherty, thomas mcelwee and micky devin also died on hunger strike. Protest icon a rare snap of bobby sands, shown in the documentary 66 days. Drawing on an irish republican tradition of martyrdom, sands. Telling the factual story of sands life for the first time, this unique film sets out how he became the. This clip from the upcoming feature length documentary bobby sands. Nov 16, 2016 bobby sands starved for 66 days in an irish prison in an attempt to gain rights for his fellow political prisoners. 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. Filmmaker brendan j byrne explores the story of bobby sands s 66 day hunger strike in the spring of 1981.