IFI Blog

Blood Fruit director Sinead O'Brien talks about the making of her documentary aheads of its Dublin premiere at IFI Stranger Than Fiction on Sept 27th.

This series of blog posts will include interviews with directors who will be screening their films at this year's IFI Stranger Than Fiction Documentary Film Festival (Sept 25th - 28th).

Next up we have Sinead O'Brien whose documentary Blood Fruit will have its Dublin premiere at IFI Stranger Than Fiction on Saturday, September 27th at 6.30pm. (Book here)

Tell us about the film you have directed as part of IFI Stranger than Fiction Documentary Film Festival this month?

Blood Fruit is a documentary film set in the 1980s when Apartheid was at its height and millions of black South Africans were living under the brutal regime. While governments around the world refused to sanction this economically rich and influential country one young shop worker from Dublin, Mary Manning decided to take a stand by refusing to register the sale of two Outspan grapefruits. What at first appeared to be an insignificant action quickly escalated into a mass protest that spanned over three years. Blood Fruit is a timely and hopefully inspiring film that shows us when ordinary people decide take a stand against those in power change can be brought about.

How did you get involved in the project or did the project start with you?

Noel Pearson the producer had been thinking about making the project for a while and asked me to get involved. I did some initial research and was intrigued that something hugely significant has more or less been written out of history. But it was when I met the strikers that my mind was made up - their determination and passion with the regards to international human rights and the struggle there seems to be to put value on a human life before economic and self serving political decisions seems as relevant if not more now as it was back then.

How long have you been working on the project?

In all about two years from the starting point of research to raising the finance to finally completing the project earlier this summer.

What really excites, inspires or motivates you about documentary film?

The things that excite and motivate me most about documentary making is the fact that you have a starting point but you never know quite where the story is going to until close to the end. Unlike fiction stories there is no script - the story is drawn to together gradually and you will have aspects of the narrative changing and unfolding all the way through the process. What inspires me most is meeting new people with real and often difficult stories to tell. This is a business that you will never make you rich but at the same time you will never be left feeling bored or dissatisfied.

Who do you think will enjoy the movie you have directed?

I think anybody who has a genuine regard for those who are suffering or lacking in society both in Ireland and around the world. I would also like to think it will inspire anyone who respects the action of the underdog against those in power and hopefully give the individual some kind of motivation to do the same - no matter how small or insignificant their action may be it could help to bring about change for themselves and others.

What other films at the festival are you looking forward to seeing?

I am very excited about seeing Amir Amirani's We Are Manyand am also very much looking forward to seeing the latest work from emerging and very talented Irish filmmaker Mia Mullarkey 'In Search of a Ritual'.

Blood Fruitwill have its Irish premiere at IFI Stranger Than Fiction on Saturday, September 27th at 6.30pm.

The IFI Stranger Than Fiction Documentary Film Festival (September 25^th– 28^th), now in its 11^thyear, 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 Showrunnerswhich 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 Familywas 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.

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.

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 Livelineprogramme. [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

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.

The Liberties (2009)

The Libertiescaptures 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.

By Eilís Ní Raghallaigh

The IFI Irish Film Archive’sclippings, 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 16^th, 2014 fromhttp://www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-double-bill-jan-2013/

[3] Quinn, B. (2006). The Family. Cinegael.Retrieved September 16^th, 2014 from http://conamara.org/index.php?page=the-family

[4] Rockett, K. (2006, November). The Family. Irish film & TV research online. Retrieved September 16^th, 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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Taking hold of the truth: gripping Irish documentaries from the IFI’s Stranger Than Fiction Documentary Film Festivals