Colm O'Maonlai
In 1976 the British Government put an end to the special category status of prisoners from the Provisional Irish Republican Army, no longer treating them as prisoners of war, but as common criminals. Mairéad Farrell - on whose life much of the film seems to be loosely based - was the first woman Republican to be refused political status in 1976. By 1980, when the film is set, Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister and doggedly resolute: “There can be no question of political status for someone who is serving a sentence for crime. Crime is crime is crime.” Silent Grace seeks to capture the struggle for the restoration of political status that was at the heart of prison protests in Northern Ireland - not just by the more celebrated male prisoners - but by a smaller number of women prisoners, led by Farrell, at the Armagh Women’s Prison.
Two paranormal scientists attempt to document a spirit who lives at Hillside House. They find the murderer of a young boy, whose ghost is still alive. What they do not realize is that by discovering the murderer, they may be one step closer two people are becoming ghosts.
A mysterious, morbid professor who has suffered a number of horrid events in his life tries to help a young troubled man, whose girl friend was killed during an illegal abortion.
An Irish language short film, Aqua tells the tale of Nick and Laura, an enterprising young couple, who plan to record the sounds of Irish rivers and sell them to the Irish-American market claiming it has soothing powers. Directed by Edel O’Brien, this film looks at the flipside of Celtic Tiger Ireland when greed was good and at the tragedies that could happen when cultural links were broken. (Taken from IFI website)
