Bloody Sunday is a 2002 television film about the 1972 "Bloody Sunday" shootings in Derry, Northern Ireland. Although produced by Granada Television as a TV film, its cinematic potential was noted and it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on 16 January, a few days before its screening on ITV on January 20, and then in selected London cinemas from 25 January. The production was written and directed by Paul Greengrass. Though set in Derry city, the film was actually shot in Ballymun in North Dublin. However, some location scenes were shot in Derry City, in Guildhall Square and in Creggan on the actual route of the march of 1972.

Content

The drama shows the events of the day through the eyes of Ivan Cooper, the Protestant Stormont Member of Parliament (for the Social Democratic and Labour Party) who was a central organiser of the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association march in Derry on 30 January 1972. The march ended when British paratroopers fired on the demonstrators, killing thirteen instantly and wounding another thirteen, one of whom died 4½ months later from injuries he received on that day.

The soundtrack contains only one piece of music, a live version of "Sunday Bloody Sunday" by U2 which plays over the closing credits.

Casting & Production

Cooper is played by James Nesbitt, himself a Protestant from Northern Ireland, and a number of the military characters were played by ex-members of the British army. Gerry Donaghy was played by Declan Duddy, nephew of Jackie Duddy, one of those killed on Bloody Sunday. Big Brother 2007 (UK) housemate Seány O'Kane was in the film as well.

Responses

The film was critically acclaimed. It won the Audience Award at Sundance and the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival (tied with Spirited Away), in addition to the Hitchcock d'Or best film prize at the Dinard British Film Festival.

Bloody Sunday appeared a week before another TV film on the same subject, entitled Sunday (shown by Channel 4). The makers of Sunday criticised Greengrass's film for concentrating on the leadership of the march and not the perspective of those who joined it.

References

Further reading

• Blaney, Aileen "Remembering Historical Trauma in Paul Greengrass's Bloody Sunday". History & Memory 19 (2): 113–138.

External links