Presented In Partnership with Belfast Film Festival
Martin McGuinness – I Fought, I Made Peace, I Made Politics
Directed by Sonia Nic Giolla Easbuig
Wednesday 25 November 2020 at 6pm | Online | Free But Ticketed
Martin McGuinness was a man that divided opinion. He also brought people together through his negotiating skills. He was a fighter and a leader, a father and a grandfather, a son and a husband.
He was deeply concerned by the plight of his community in the City of Derry and gave up his job to defend his city and the rights of its people. He continued throughout his life to fight for peoples right to govern themselves and have control over their own lives, starting with the voilence that rocked Derry and Ireland in the 1970’s and 80’s and concluding with being the joint leader of the devolved government of Northern Ireland for almost 10 years before his death in 2017.
This new feature documentary traces Martin McGuinness’ life from his days defending the Bogside, to his days defending the Peace Process. We hear testimonies from friends, foes, colleagues and Martin himself, as we trace this eventful and unique life of an Irish Revolutionary.
New and exclusive interviews with the people who knew and worked alongside him tell the story of this Derry icon. People who knew him from youth, Nell McCafferty & Terry Crossan tell of stories of living in Derry during the 60’s and 70’s. His collegues from Sinn Fein who tell exclusive stories of day to day encounters with Martin and how he steered the Sinn Fein party in the North towards the peace that is there today. Journalist Peter Taylor recounts on Martin being pointed out to him in the early 1970’s by John Hume as someone he should watch. Johnathan Powell, The Labour Party Negotiator, telling of Martins unique ability to get people to engage and fight his side. Tony Blair remarks on the strong sense of duty he had towards all the people of Ireland. David Trimble and Ian Paisley Jr tell of the distrust that the Unionist people had towards Martin McGuinness, but that they were able to realise that the road to Peace was to walk alongside McGuinness. Included in this documentary is the last ever interview filmed with Martin McGuinness.
Martin McGuinness was a complicated person, he led a complicated life. He was in the media spotlight for over 40 years. He started as a revolutionary, then became a politician and then held the office of Deputy First Minister. This documentary tells his story, the story of the man, not the fight. It is an insight into how one man went from a terraced house in a rundown part of a disregarded city, to being the man who helped bring peace and true government to this troubled corner of Ireland.
This is a bilingual, Irish/English language film. A landmark documentary by LIGID Léiriúcháin commissioned for TG4, S4C with support from the BAI and the ILBF.
This event is in partnership with TG4, Belfast Film Festival and Foyle Film Festival.
Statement from TG4:
TG4 are incredibly proud to be the broadcast partner of this film and to enable the online premiere of a work of such cinematic scale and ambition. We want to thank the makers and contributors of this film. It is a fine example of our commitment to develop and fund ambitious, narrative driven documentaries that resonate both in Ireland and across the globe. We look forward to the premiere TV broadcast on TG4 and on the TG4 player in January 2021.
Is cúis bróid dúinn a bheith inár bpáirtí craolta ar an scannán seo agus saothar chomh uailmhianach ar scála pictiúrlanna a chur ar fáil ar líne ar fud an domhain. Buíochas le déantóirí agus rannpháirtithe an scannáin araon. Is sampla é seo do thiomantas na seirbhíse le fáisnéis láidir scéalaíochta a fhorbairt agus a mhaoiniú, scéalta tábhachtacha do lucht féachana na hÉireann agus ar fud an domhain. Táimid ag súil le céad chraoladh teilifíse an scannáin ar TG4 agus ar sheinnteoir TG4 i Mí Eanáir 2021.
