'Prison Break: Escape from the Maze' film to reveal first hand accounts of IRA escapees and prison officers
A new documentary about the 1983 Maze prison break-out revealing first hand accounts from IRA prisoners and prison officers is to be screened at cinemas across Northern Ireland.
‘Prison Break: Escape from the Maze’ will also be broadcast on the BBC early next year.
The 1983 Maze escape saw 38 PIRA prisoners stage the biggest break-out in British prison history. During the escape they stabbed Prison Officer James Ferris, 43, with a chisel. He died shortly afterwards from a heart attack. Some prison officers suffered life changing injuries. Six of them suffered knife and gunshot wounds.
Fifteen escapees were swiftly recaptured, while another four were picked up within three days. But nineteen got away, including the PIRA leader in the H-Block, Brendan McFarlane, who was subsequently extradited from Holland in 1986.
The escape was a propaganda boost for the IRA and a serious embarrassment to NI ministers, and security was tightened as a result.
In 1988 eighteen of the original escapees were given sentences ranging from five to eight years on firearms and other charges. Sixteen of them were found not guilty of murdering a prison officer. Gerard Kelly, who like McFarlane had been extradited from Holland, was found not guilty of attempted murder. Both men got five years for the escape attempt and other offences.
Later, from 1987-1990, it was revealed that 180 prisoners at the Maze chose to break their paramilitary links and leave the segregated conditions in the H-blocks in favour of the integrated conditions at Maghaberry prison.
Sian McIlwaine, Director, Prison Break: Escape from the Maze, said: “The Maze Prison escape was a significant and controversial moment in the history of the Troubles, and its consequences are still being felt today.
“Through this documentary, we wanted to explore the events from all perspectives, giving a voice to people who were directly involved and affected, including those whose experiences have rarely been heard publicly.
Their testimonies, alongside previously unseen material, offer new insights into an event that remains an important part of Northern Ireland's history.
“Bringing these accounts together has been a fascinating and, at times, challenging process.
“We hope the film will give audiences a deeper understanding of what happened, the people caught up in the events and the lasting impact of that day. It has been particularly important to allow those who were there to tell their stories in their own words.”
The feature-length documentary is set to receive a cinema release across Northern Ireland following its premiere at the Belfast Media Festival.
Combining rare archival material with first-hand testimony, the film includes interviews with escapees and former prison officers – many of them speaking publicly for the first time. It describes the tensions within the prison that led to the escape, the story of what happened on the day and the wider political and security situation that followed.
Prison Break: Escape from the Maze, produced by Walk on Air, will premiere at the MAC in Belfast on 10 November as part of Belfast Media Festival, before receiving two screenings at Queen’s Film Theatre on 11 and 12 November.
The film will subsequently be screened at Omniplex cinemas in Newry, Derry, Downpatrick, Craigavon and the Kennedy Centre in Belfast. It will then be broadcast on the BBC early next year.