Bloody Sunday is a 2002 docudrama film written and directed by Paul Greengrass based around the 1972 "Bloody Sunday" shootings in Derry, Northern Ireland. Although produced by Granada Television as a TV film, it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on 16 January, a few days before its screening on ITV on 20 January, and then in selected London cinemas from 25 January.
Bloody Sunday is an international co-production of the United Kingdom and Ireland. Though set in Derry, the film was mostly shot in Ballymun in North Dublin. Some location scenes were shot in Derry, in Guildhall Square and in Creggan on the actual route of the in 1972.
Content The film was inspired by Don Mullan's politically influential book Eyewitness Bloody Sunday (Wolfhound Press, 1997). The drama shows the events of the day through the eyes of Ivan Cooper, an SDLP Member of the Parliament of Northern Ireland who was a central organiser of the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association march in Derry on 30 January 1972. The march ended when British Army paratroopers fired on the demonstrators, killing thirteen and wounding another who died four and a half months later. In addition to the deaths, fourteen other people were wounded.
A live version of "Sunday Bloody Sunday" by U2 plays over the closing credits, being this the only musical arrangement of the film.
Casting and production Cooper is played by James Nesbitt, himself a Protestant from Northern Ireland. In recognition of the role his book played in achieving the new Bloody Sunday Inquiry, his book's role as inspiration for the movie, and the fact that he was a schoolboy witness to the tragedy, Don Mullan was asked by director Paul Greengrass to appear in the film as a Bogside Priest. A number of the military characters were played by ex-members of the British Army, including Simon Mann. Gerry Donaghy was played by Declan Duddy, nephew of Jackie Duddy, one of those killed on Bloody Sunday. Big Brother 2007 housemate Seány O'Kane was also in the film.
Notable actors James Nesbitt as Ivan Cooper Tim Pigott-Smith as Major General Robert Ford Nicholas Farrell as Brigadier Patrick Maclellan Gerard McSorley as Chief Supt. Lagan Kathy Kiera Clarke as Frances Cooper Allan Gildea as Kevin McCorry Gerard Crossan as Eamonn McCann Simon Mann as Col Derek Wilford Mary Moulds as Bernadette Devlin Carmel McCallion as Bridget Bond David Clayton Rogers as Dennis
Reception The film was critically acclaimed.UKTV Drama Stars uktv.co.uk. Retrieved 14 July 2007. It won the Audience Award at Sundance and the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival (tied with Spirited Away), in addition to the Hitchcock d'Or best film prize at the Dinard Festival of British Cinema.French award for Bloody Sunday BBC News Online, 6 October 2002. Retrieved 14 July 2007.
Bloody Sunday appeared a week before Jimmy McGovern's TV film on the same subject, entitled Sunday (shown by Channel 4). McGovern subsequently criticised Greengrass's film for concentrating on the leadership of the march, and not the perspective of those who joined it.
It holds a 92% approval rating on aggregate review site Rotten Tomatoes, based on 102 collected reviews, with an average score of 7.9/10. The site's consensus reads: "Bloody Sunday powerfully recreates the events of that day with startling immediacy." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 90 out of 100 based on 31 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".
Accolades Year Award Category Nominee Result Berlin International Film Festival Golden Bear Paul Greengrass Prize of the Ecumenical Jury British Independent Film Awards Best British Independent Film Bloody Sunday Best Director Paul Greengrass Best Actor James Nesbitt Best Screenplay Paul Greengrass Best Technical Achievement Ivan Strasburg European Film Awards Best Film Bloody Sunday EFA People's Choice Award - Best Director Paul Greengrass Best Screenwriter Best Cinematographer Ivan Strasburg Independent Spirit Awards Best International Film Bloody Sunday IFTA Film & Drama Awards Best Feature Film Best Director – Film Paul Greengrass Best Actor – Film James Nesbitt Best Actress – Film Kathy Kiera Clarke Best Script Paul Greengrass Best Photography Ivan Strasburg Best Editing Clare Douglas Best Sound Albert Bailey Sundance Film Festival World Cinema Audience Award Bloody Sunday 2002 Sundance Film Festival sundance.org British Academy Television Awards Best Single Drama Mark Redhead, Paul Greengrass Alt URL Best Actor James Nesbitt British Academy Television Craft Awards Best Editing: Fiction/Entertainment Clare Douglas Best Photography and Lighting: Fiction Ivan Strasburg Best Sound: Entertainment Sound Team Royal Television Society Programme Awards Serials and Single Drama Bloody Sunday Writing Paul Greengrass
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