Community story of Bloody Sunday to be shown in Palestine

national | miscellaneous | news report Tuesday March 18, 2003 19:34 by Stephen Gargan - Gaslight Productions sgargan at gofree dot indigo dot ie

Derry produced film'Sunday' to screen in Ramallah

Jimmy McGovern’s film ‘SUNDAY’ to screen at the Al Kasaba Theatre, Ramallah, Palestine.

Next Sunday 23rd March will see Derry based company Gaslight Productions film ‘Sunday’ open in Ramallah, Palestine. Since it screened on Channel 4 Television in January 02, the film has won several prestigious accolades for its depiction of the devastation visited on Derry on Bloody Sunday by the British Army. These include: ‘Prix Italia’ for Best Drama, ‘International Emmy’ nomination, also for Best Drama and ‘SUNDAY’ recently won the Irish Film Television Academy (IFTA) award for Best Single Drama.

Speaking about the timing of the film’s screening in Palestine, Gaslight’s Stephen Gargan said: “We are really honoured to have the opportunity to screen ‘SUNDAY’ in Palestine. The screening was organised a number months ago before the situation there further deteriorated but in a sense its timing is even more poignant now.” Gargan commented. “ The depiction of brutal military force in the film will be all too familiar to a Palestinian audience. ‘SUNDAY’ in our view strikes a universal chord in its portrayal of human rights abuse and adds its voice to the ongoing struggle for truth and justice internationally. If you think about it the frontline is always shifting, in 1972 for us it was the Bogside but for many in Derry today it is in places like Ramallah, Jenin and Bethlehem. The film’s potential lies in its ability to bridge the two communities experience.”

Gargan also commented. “What might also be of interest to a Palestinian audience as the armies of Britain and America struggle to portray themselves as liberators and protectors of the Iraqi people is to gain an insight into the cold reality of Britain’s ‘peace keeping’ role in Derry on 30th January 1972.”

‘SUNDAY’ opens in Ramallah, Palestine on Sunday 23rd March 03.

ENDS

Gaslight Productions – PH/Fax 0044 2871 308980 – www.sundayfilm.net