specialcolls

special collections

AUGUSTO BOAL IN BELFAST In memory of our friend, Augusto Boal, 1931-2009. An extraordinary day in the life of the Brazilian theatre director, writer and political activist as he is taken on a whirlwind tour sampling Belfast life with all its contradictions, humour and political diatribe. Includes an exclusive interview on the theory of theatre in a community context.
Watch this video
Buy DVD Transcription

NOAM CHOMSKY CREATING A NEW WORLD ORDER OR EVERYTHING YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY...BUT WERE TOO TERRORISED TO ASK Noam shares his views on the political situation in America, the Gulf War, Bush (the elder) and his former ally Saddam Hussein and the conflict in Yugoslavia at a meeting in Belfast in May 1993.
Watch this Video (Part One) (Part Two) (Part Three) Buy DVD

ARCHBISHOP TUTU SPEAKS IN BELFAST In November 2002 Desmond Tutu was invited by the Committee on the Administration of Justice to speak on the Bill of Rights. Enjoy his memories of the struggle against apartheid in South Africa, his humour and wisdom, plus some advice for the Northern Ireland peace process.
Watch this Video Buy DVD

BRIGADISTA A documentary centered around two Irish members of the International Brigade and their accounts of the time. Bob Doyle fought against Franco in the anti-fascist war in Spain, 1936-39. He followed socialist republican Kit Conway to fight in Spain and was captured along with Frank Ryan, expecting to be executed at any time.
Watch this video Buy DVD

UNBOWED UNBROKEN As part of commemorations for the 25th anniversary of the Hunger Strike and the publication of ‘Hunger Strike: Reflections on the 1981 Hunger Strike’, Danny Morrison, Brendan McFarlane & Pat Sheehan reflect on one of the most remarkable prison protests in recent history. Also includes footage of the national rally held at Casement Park.
Watch this video Buy DVD

1981: LOYALIST RECOLLECTIONS Former Loyalist prisoners David Ervine, Billy McQuiston, and Sam Courtney offer their views on the prison protest of 1976-1981 which led to the deaths of 10 men on hunger strike.

Watch this video Buy DVD

INSIDE LONG KESH The Maze Prison ranks alongside prisons such as Alcatraz and Sing Sing. It became the scene for protests, hunger strikes and a dramatic escape in 1983. It was a focal point of the conflict in Northern Ireland. It played a significant role in the peace process negotiations and was finally closed on 29th September 2000. An ex-Loyalist and ex-Republican prisoner return to the Compounds and H-Blocks. Watch this video Buy DVD

IRELAND'S FIRST VIDEO DIARY - Circus Exposé  Filmed by the artist, playwright and pirate radio broadcaster - Margaretta D'Arcy in 1986. An activist since the 1950s, she was a member of the Committee of 100, a group of artists influencing politics through their art. Margaretta and her partner John Arden were briefly imprisoned in Assam for performing agitprop theatre in 1969. Their play, the Non-Stop Connolly Show, toured Ireland in 1975. With Arden, she has produced over 10 plays and a series of political and cultural essays. Watch this Video Buy DVD

CONVERSATIONS at the Women’s Health Fair Belfast 1985 Documenting the first ever Women’s Health Fair in Belfast, the camera rolls informally around the Fair talking to women - Ballybeen Women’s Drop In Centre, Rape Crisis Centre, Royal College of Midwives, Northern Ireland Abortion Campaign, Women’s Aid, Lesbian Line plus much more!
Watch this video Buy DVD

OUR WEDDING VIDEO Set on either side of the peace line at Short Strand/East Belfast, this “fly on the wall” documentary, gives a unique insight into community theatre in Belfast. The film charts the highs, the lows, as community theatre groups from all over Belfast merge in a theatrical pilgrimage performing in terraced houses, a church and an hotel. The community play explores the issues of a marriage between a Catholic and a Protestant. Watch this video Buy DVD

TIME TRAP
Production by Amanda Dunsmore & prisoners at Long Kesh/H.M.P. Maze Amanda Dunsmore was invited to Long Kesh/HMP Maze in 1999 as a visiting artist by the Prison Arts Foundation. Trained as a sculptor, Amanda decided to take a risk and create a work using a creative language she had never used before – animation. Prisoners always had the final say as to the content and edit of the work.  Watch this video Buy DVD Amanda’s Web Site

MULTI CULTURAL FOOD & ARTS FESTIVAL 1997 A look back to 1997 and the Food and Art Festival to celebrate European Year Against Racism which offered 25,000 portions of home cooked food cuisine from more than 30 different cultures living in Belfast (Chinese, Colombian, Dutch, Hare Krishna, Indian, Indonesian, Iranian, Iraqi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Pakistani, Filipino, Singaporean, Thai, Austrian, Nigerian, Sudanese, South African, Jamaican, Barbadian, Zimbabwean, Rwandan, Croatian and Polish), dances and music from around the world.
Watch this video Buy DVD

SECRET HISTORY A visit to Fernhill House Museum, the People’s Museum. Opened officially in July 1996, the museum depicted the social, industrial and labour history of the greater Shankill. The museum was situated in Fernhill House, one of the most deprived areas in Belfast. The museum closed down in 2007.
Watch this video Buy DVD

I REMEMBER MY DEATH SENTENCE A Medi-Able Production A rare interview with Peter Pringle who talks about his experience as the last person sentenced to death in Ireland, how he struggled to clear his name while dealing with the trauma of serving time for a crime he didn’t commit. He also talks about the problems he faced when he was eventually rehabilitated into a changed society.
Watch this video Buy DVD

MARY ROBINSON - How Universal are Human Rights?'
The 2008 Amnesty International Annual Lecture sees the return of Mary Robinson, the first woman President of Ireland, to Northern Ireland.

Watch this video Buy DVD

THE LISNASHARRAGH STORY
Lisnasharragh will be remembered because George Best went there, and as this film shows it was the best school for George. But it was also the best school for many other pupils. We discover there were a great number of special things about this school including being one of the first in the country to introduce work experience. Designed to take 11+ failures, the dedicated staff tell how they strove to do their very best for each child.
Watch this video Buy DVD

Welcome to our special collections!

In this section you will find many weird and wonderful videos made over the years. We are currently digitising our archive collections and, where possible, making them available on the web for viewing.

There are no themes in the Special Collections, just a collection of works from talks given by Noam Chomsky, Augusto Boal, Desmond TuTu and others, works by Irish artists, experimental projects such as the Wedding Video with community theatre groups in Belfast, recollections of the Spanish Civil War, the Irish Hunger Strike and a rare short interview with Peter Pringle, the last man sentenced to death in Ireland.

media centre

studio discussions

contact details

television station

what's on this week

watch on iTunes

watch music on youtube

submitting & making films

blogs & albums

now & then blog

access

watch youth videos

heritage

our generation

current projects

east belfast

people's heritage

outreach projects

ww2 stories

special collections

shipyard stories

community relations

creative legacies

training

beginners video

sound recording

final cut pro intro

final cut pro intermediate

making the short film

making documentary

hd camera systems

production management

summer film camp

august docx week

arts

now and then project

music

kick out the jams

watch music videos

irish language

training apprenticeships

ulster scots

about us

current partners

current funders

exchange place resources

cathedral quarter