Hunger strike film 'harps back to past'
A CONTROVERSIAL film about the 1980s republican hunger strikes has swept the nominations for this year's Irish Film and Television Awards.
Hunger, directed by English filmmaker Steve McQueen, is nominated eight times across seven categories.
The film was shot entirely in Northern Ireland, and was financed through the Northern Ireland Screen Fund supported by Invest NI.
But amid the praise for the film, local Protestant playwright Gary Mitchell claimed films such as Hunger are stopping cinema-goers from seeing "the other side of the story".
He said: "If you approach people about movies set in the Protestant community in the 70s, 80s, 90s, you're told you're just dragging up badness and you're harping back to the bad old days.
"But when a film like Hunger comes out its nominated for awards everywhere.
"If it's not harping back to the Troubles, or is going to start trouble, what is?"
Hunger is in the race for Best Feature Film, competing alongside 32A, The Escapist, Kisses and A Film with Me in It.
Belfast-born actor Stuart Graham, who plays Maze prison officer Ray Lohan in the film, is nominated as Best Actor in a Supporting Role.
Stuart's Hunger co-stars Liam Cunningham and Michael Fassbender, who plays Bobby Sands, are also up for acting awards.
And the film is nominated in the script, original score, production design and sound categories.
Congratulating the nominees, NI Screen's CEO Richard Williams said: "We are delighted at the strong showing of both talent and product from Northern Ireland."
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