What is the Irish border to its inhabitants? A checkpoint? A marker of identity? A memory?

The Reel Borders research project, in cooperation with the Nerve Centre in Derry, commissioned a participatory filmmaking workshop in which nine border-dwellers from Donegal and Derry explored their personal stories. Some used amateur archival collections filmed in these areas provided by the IFI Irish Film Archive and the Northern Ireland Screen’s Digital Film Archive.

Derry, the Oak Grove
Molly Phillips & Tom Hannigan, 11 mins

Crossing Lines, Margaret Gordon, 13 mins

Triang Times, Emer O’Shea, Manus Brennan
& Michael McMonagle, 13 mins

Connecting Borders, Gemma Gfeller, 13 mins

These films will be followed by Q&A with filmmakers: Tom Hannigan, Emer O’Shea, Michael McMonagle, Seamus Gordon, and Reel Borders participatory filmmaking coordinator, Irene Gutiérrez Torres.

This programme is free but ticketed, with tickets for collection from IFI Box Office. This event is now sold out.

This programme is suitable for families. IFI age recommendation 8+

Notes by Sunniva O’Flynn