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Movies & TV

22nd Sep 2017

Clear your schedule, there’s a brilliant Bobby Sands documentary on TV this weekend

96% on Rotten Tomatoes makes this essential viewing.

Alan Loughnane

Bobby

96% on Rotten Tomatoes makes this essential viewing.

It’s rare to find a person in Ireland who hasn’t heard of Bobby Sands.

Brendan J. Byrne’s documentary about the famous hunger striker is set to air on BBC this weekend and if there’s one thing you should do this weekend, it’s take some time and watch this.

The feature length documentary will air on BBC 2 NI on Sunday at 9pm, and is based on extracts from Sands’ personal prison diary.

Directed by award winning filmmaker Brendan J Byrne and produced by Trevor Birney of Fine Point Films, this landmark non-fiction feature film was released to critical acclaim and large crowds back in 2016.

It received an IFTA nomination last year for the Feature Documentary category.

Video via HotDocsFest

The film was described by Empire as “one of the best on the Troubles yet made,” with The New York Times saying, “Although the tone of this documentary is judicious, its incendiary vintage footage of protesters and I.R.A. terrorist bombings can’t fail to stir emotions.”

Well, that’s your Sunday night viewing sorted.

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