Oscar nominee and filmmaker Lenny Abrahamson (Room, The Little Stranger) and Clare Daly TD are among special guests to discuss Feargal Ward’s acclaimed new Irish film The Lonely Battle of Thomas Reid
Release tomorrow – October 19th – the award-winning documentary will be accompanied by a series of panel discussions after selected screenings to reflect on the timely and controversial issues raised in the film. The panels will take place at the Irish Film Institute, Omniplex, Rathmines and the Eye Cinema, Galway.
Ward’s film investigates Kildare farmer Thomas Reid’s long struggle to resist a Compulsory Purchase Order from IDA Ireland who had identified his 72 acre farm as having prime industrial development potential. Reid vowed to resist the sale under any circumstances and at any price. His story and the Irish Government’s subsequent response asks searching questions of how much one individual can be asked to sacrifice for the ‘national interest’.
“What is so excellent about The Lonely Battle of Thomas Reid, is that, despite Reid’s deep peculiarity and quiet dysfunction, it is not the world of his crumbling Leixlip farm but the Ireland which surrounds it which comes to seem most in need of explanation and redemption,” said Abrahamson in a statement. “It’s our world, not his, which is the more troubling. I would urge anyone who values creative documentary film making to seek out this excellent, haunting and original film.”
Meanwhile, Independents 4 Change TD Daly said in Dáil Éireann during the debate on the Industrial Development (Amendment) Bill on 28th March 2018: ‘I compliment Thomas Reid. In many ways he has been inspirational, a lone wolf taking on a giant single-handedly and winning, with five Supreme Court judges agreeing with him. However, that was not good enough. A multinational had to be given the land from under him and the law had to be changed to facilitate it. One can talk about selling and prostituting ourselves and giving it away, but today is a new low in that regard.’
See below for details on the screenings including panel discussions and special guests.
Panel Details
IFI – Friday Oct 19 – 6.30pm Clare Daly TD; Feargal Ward, director; Tadhg O’Sullivan, filmmaker and editor; Colin Murphy, playwright & journalist (moderating). Book here.
Omniplex Rathmines – Sunday Oct 21 – 6.30pm
Lenny Abrahamson, Oscar-nominated director; Feargal Ward, director &
Tara Brady, journalist Irish Times (moderating). Book here
Thursday, Oct 25 – Eye Cinema Galway 6.50pm Lelia Doolan, filmmaker and activist; Luke McManus, producer & Dr. Tony Tracy, (Huston School of Film & Digital Media, NUIG) (moderating) Book here
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