On November 6-18, the 20^th anniversary for the Northern Irish peace agreement and the 50^thanniversary for the civil rights movement will be marked in Cinemateket where Centre for Irish Studies and the Embassy of Ireland present a film series on Troubles Cinema. The film series presents cinematic interpretations of the conflict in Northern Ireland.   

Programme

19.00 Screening of Hunger with an introduction by Dr. Laura McAtackney

Context 

In the course of the conflict in Northern Ireland, tens-of-thousands of people were imprisoned on the grounds of politically motivated violence and terrorism. The prisons came to appear as an important front both in the fight for and against a united Ireland, and the prisoners from both sides became important actors in the conflict as well as the peace process. People have attempted to burn down the Maze Long Kesh, and the prison has been the pivotal point of a massive hunger strike, the source of mass escape of prisoners, and has been the hearth of paramilitary truce. Ever since the violent conflict ended and the prisoners were released in 1998, there has been a great discussion on what the now empty but historically important buildings should be used for. Laura McAtackney from Sustainable Heritage Management at Aarhus University has performed an archaeological uncovering of the prison before it was torn down, and in the introduction to the award-winning Hunger, which takes place exactly in that place, she will discuss how the physical fragments from the conflict play an important role today.

About the film

Director: Steve McQueen, 2008 / English dialogue, Swedish subtitles / 96 min. + 25. min. intro/Q&A

In his first feature film Hunger, the internationally recognised video artist Steve McQueen has created an intense portrait of two men and an powerful, painful depiction of a riot in the Maze prison in Northern Ireland, with the IRA in the lead. The conflict results in brutal violence and a hunger strike with the charismatic Bobby Sands in the lead (played by Michael Fassbender in the role of his life). McQueen’s eye for the artistic cannot be denied: He continuously zooms in on details which speak for the characters. One of the characteristics of McQueen’s film is that it mediates its historical and political matters through space and the bodies of people; Bodies that are touched, suffering, and quivering. A confoundedly beautiful and different prison film.

Practical information

Place: Cinemateket, Gothersgade 55, Kbh K
Time: 6. November 2018 - 18. November 2018
Tickets: (80 DKK, only 50 DKK for the members of Cinemateket. Tickets are ordered by phone (+45) 33 74 34 12 or via Cinemateket's website: https://www.dfi.dk/cinemateket/biograf/filmserier/serie/17097.
For more information on Cinemateket and benefits of membership, please  visit: http://www.dfi.dk/Filmhuset/Cinemateket/medlemssite.aspx