Below is an incomplete list of feature films, television films or TV series which include events of The Troubles and the Dissident Irish republican campaign . This list does not include documentaries, short films. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]
| Year | Country | Main title (Alternative title) | Original title (Original script) | Director | Subject |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | United Kingdom | The Violent Enemy | Don Sharp | Crime, Drama, Thriller. Based on a novel A Candle for the Dead. |
| Year | Country | Main title (Alternative title) | Original title (Original script) | Director | Subject |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Canada | A Quiet Day in Belfast | Milad Bessada | Drama. Based on the play A Quiet Day in Belfast. | |
| 1975 | United Kingdom United States | Hennessy | Don Sharp | Action, Drama, Thriller. | |
| 1979 | United States Netherlands | The Outsider | Tony Luraschi | Drama, History, Thriller. Based on a novel The Heritage of Michael Flaherty. |
| Year | Country | Main title (Alternative title) | Original title (Original script) | Director | Subject |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | United Kingdom | The Long Good Friday | John Mackenzie | Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller. | |
| 1981 | United Kingdom | Looks and Smiles | Ken Loach | Drama. | |
| 1981 | Ireland | Traveller | Joe Comerford | Drama. | |
| 1981 | United Kingdom Ireland | Maeve | Pat Murphy | Drama. | |
| 1983 | United Kingdom | Acceptable Levels | John Davies | Drama. | |
| 1983 | Belgium France | The Writing On The Wall | Nous étions tous des noms d'arbres | Armand Gatti | Drama. |
| 1984 | United Kingdom Ireland | Cal | Pat O'Connor | Drama, Thriller, Romance. Based on a novel Cal. | |
| 1985 | United Kingdom | No Surrender | Peter Smith | Comedy. | |
| 1987 | United Kingdom | Boy Soldier | Milwr Bychan | Karl Francis | Drama. |
| 1987 | United Kingdom | A Prayer for the Dying | Mike Hodges | Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller. Based on a novel A Prayer for the Dying. | |
| 1988 | United Kingdom United States | For Queen and Country | Martin Stellman | Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller. | |
| 1989 | United Kingdom United States | Elephant | Alan Clarke | Drama. |
| Year | Country | Main title (Alternative title) | Original title (Original script) | Director | Subject |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | United Kingdom | Hidden Agenda | Ken Loach | Drama, Thriller. | |
| 1992 | United Kingdom | The Railway Station Man | Michael Whyte | Drama, Romance. Based on a novel The Railway Station Man. | |
| 1992 | United States | Patriot Games | Phillip Noyce | Action, Thriller. Based on a novel Patriot Games. | |
| 1992 | United Kingdom Japan | The Crying Game | Neil Jordan | Crime, Drama, Romance, Thriller. Based on the short story Guests of the Nation. | |
| 1993 | Ireland | High Boot Benny | Joe Comerford | Drama. | |
| 1993 | Ireland United States | In the Name of the Father | Jim Sheridan | Biography, Crime, Drama. Based on an autobiography Proved Innocent: The Story of Gerry Conlon of the Guildford Four. Guildford pub bombings, Guildford Four and Maguire Seven | |
| 1994 | United States | Patriots | Frank Kerr | Thriller. | |
| 1994 | United States | Blown Away | Stephen Hopkins | Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller. | |
| 1995 | United Kingdom Ireland | Nothing Personal | Thaddeus O'Sullivan | Drama. | |
| 1996 | Lebanon Germany Ireland | Warshots | Kriegsbilder | Heiner Stadler | |
| 1996 | Ireland United States | Some Mother's Son | Terry George | Drama, History. 1981 Irish hunger strike | |
| 1997 | Ireland | This Is the Sea | Mary McGuckian | Drama, Romance. | |
| 1997 | United Kingdom | The Eliminator | Enda Hughes | Action, Comedy. | |
| 1997 | United States | The Devil's Own | Alan J. Pakula | Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller. | |
| 1997 | United Kingdom Spain Germany Ireland Japan | A Further Gesture | Robert Dornhelm | Drama, Romance, Thriller. | |
| 1997 | Ireland United States | The Boxer | Jim Sheridan | Drama, Romance, Sport. | |
| 1997 | United States United Kingdom France Germany Japan | The Jackal | Michael Caton-Jones | Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller. Based on a novel The Day of the Jackal. | |
| 1997 | United States | My Brother's War | James Brolin | Action, Thriller. | |
| 1998 | United Kingdom | Crossmaheart | Henry Herbert | Drama. Based on a novel Cycle of Violence. | |
| 1998 | United States United Kingdom | Ronin | John Frankenheimer | Action, Crime, Thriller. | |
| 1998 | United Kingdom Ireland | The General | John Boorman | Biography, Crime, Drama, Thriller. Based on the book The General. Martin Cahill | |
| 1998 | United Kingdom | Divorcing Jack | David Caffrey | Thriller, Comedy. Based on a novel Divorcing Jack. | |
| 1998 | United Kingdom | Titanic Town | Roger Michell | Drama. | |
| 1998 | United Kingdom | Resurrection Man | Marc Evans | Crime, Drama, Thriller. Based on a novel Resurrection Man. Shankill Butchers | |
| 1999 | Ireland | Sunset Heights | Colm Villa | Action, Thriller. | |
| 1999 | United Kingdom United States | Shergar | Dennis Lewiston | Crime, Drama, Romance, Sport. Shergar |
| Year | Country | Main title (Alternative title) | Original title (Original script) | Director | Subject |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Ireland United States | Moving Target | Paul Ziller | Action. | |
| 2000 | United States | An Everlasting Piece | Barry Levinson | Comedy. | |
| 2001 | United Kingdom Ireland | Mapmaker | Johnny Gogan | Thriller. | |
| 2001 | Ireland | Silent Grace | Maeve Murphy | Drama. Based on the plays The Armagh Women, Now and at the hour of our Death. Dirty protest | |
| 2001 | Ireland | H3 | Les Blair | Drama. 1981 Irish hunger strike | |
| 2002 | United Kingdom Ireland | Boxed | Marion Comer | Drama. | |
| 2004 | United Kingdom France Ireland | Mickybo and Me | Terry Loane | Comedy, Drama. Based on the play Mojo Mickybo. | |
| 2005 | Italy | The Silence of the Skylark | Il silenzio dell'allodola | David Ballerini | Drama. |
| 2005 | Ireland United Kingdom | The Mighty Celt | Pearse Elliot | Drama. | |
| 2005 | Ireland United Kingdom | Breakfast on Pluto | Neil Jordan | Comedy, Drama. Based on a novel Breakfast on Pluto. | |
| 2006 | United States Ireland | I.R.A.: King of Nothing | Damian Chapa | Action, Drama. | |
| 2006 | United Kingdom Ireland | Johnny Was | Mark Hammond | Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller. | |
| 2007 | United Kingdom Canada United States | Closing the Ring | Richard Attenborough | Drama, Romance. | |
| 2008 | Ireland | Anton | Graham Cantwell | Action, Crime, Drama, History, Romance, Thriller. | |
| 2008 | Ireland | Peacefire | Macdara Vallely | Drama. | |
| 2008 | United Kingdom Ireland | Hunger | Steve McQueen | Biography, Crime, Drama, Thriller. 1981 Irish hunger strike | |
| 2008 | United Kingdom Canada | Fifty Dead Men Walking | Kari Skogland | Crime, Drama, Thriller. Based on Martin McGartland's autobiography. | |
| 2009 | United States | Disappearing in America | Erik Rodgers | Drama. | |
| 2009 | United Kingdom Ireland | Five Minutes of Heaven | Oliver Hirschbiegel | Drama, Thriller. |
| Year | Country | Main title (Alternative title) | Original title (Original script) | Director | Subject |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | United States | No Saints for Sinners | Nathan Frankowski | Action, Crime. | |
| 2012 | United Kingdom Ireland | Shadow Dancer | James Marsh | Drama, Mystery, Thriller. Based on a novel Shadow Dancer. | |
| 2013 | United Kingdom | The Best Years | Danny Patrick | Comedy, Crime, Drama, Romance. | |
| 2013 | Ireland | A Belfast Story | Nathan Todd | Crime, Drama. | |
| 2014 | United Kingdom | Shooting for Socrates | James Erskine | Comedy, Drama, Sport. 1986 FIFA World Cup | |
| 2014 | United Kingdom | '71 | Yann Demange | Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller, War. | |
| 2016 | United Kingdom | The Truth Commissioner | Declan Recks | Crime, Drama, Thriller. | |
| 2016 | United Kingdom | The Journey | Nick Hamm | Biography, Drama, History. Ian Paisley, Martin McGuinness, St Andrews Agreement. | |
| 2017 | United Kingdom China United States India | The Foreigner | Martin Campbell | Action, Thriller. Based on a novel The Chinaman. | |
| 2017 | United Kingdom Ireland Sweden Germany | Maze | Stephen Burke | Biography, Crime, Drama, History, Mystery, Thriller. Maze Prison escape | |
| 2018 | Ireland United Kingdom | Penance | Aithrí | Tommy Collins | Action, Romance. Based on the story Seacht mBua an Éirí Amach. |
| 2019 | United Kingdom | Cyprus Avenue | Rhodri Huw Vicky Featherstone | Comedy, Drama, Thriller. |
| Year | Country | Main title (Alternative title) | Original title (Original script) | Director | Subject |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | United Kingdom Ireland | Wildfire | Cathy Brady | Drama. | |
| 2021 | Ireland | A Bend in the River | Colin Broderick | Drama. | |
| 2021 | United Kingdom | Belfast | Kenneth Branagh | Biography, Drama, Romance. 1969 Northern Ireland riots | |
| 2022 | Ireland | The Troubles: A Dublin Story | Luke Hanlon | Crime, Drama. | |
| 2023 | United Kingdom | Dead Shot | Tom Guard Charles Guard | Action, Thriller. Based on the book The Road to Balcombe Street. | |
| 2023 | Ireland United Kingdom | Baltimore | Joe Lawlor Christine Molloy | Thriller. Rose Dugdale | |
| 2023 | Ireland | In the Land of Saints and Sinners | Robert Lorenz | Action, Crime, Thriller. | |
| 2023 | United Kingdom | The Sniper's Daughter (Stranger with a Camera) | Oorlagh George | Mystery. | |
| 2024 | Ireland United Kingdom | Kneecap | Rich Peppiatt | Comedy, Drama. Kneecap |
| Year | Country | Main title (Alternative title) | Original title (Original script) | Director | Subject |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Italy | Mondo candido | Gualtiero Jacopetti Franco E. Prosperi | Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy. Based on a novel Candide. | |
| 1976 | France Italy West Germany Canada | Born for Hell | Die Hinrichtung | Denis Héroux | Drama, Horror, Thriller. Richard Speck |
| Year | Country | Main title (Alternative title) | Original title (Original script) | Director | Subject |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | United States United Kingdom | A War of Children | George Schaefer | Drama. | |
| 1980 | United Kingdom | Murphy's Stroke | Frank Cvitanovich | Drama. | |
| 1980 | United Kingdom | The Long March | Chris Parr | Drama. | |
| 1981 | United Kingdom | Nailed | June Howson | ||
| 1982 | United Kingdom | Giro City | Karl Francis | Drama, Thriller. | |
| 1983 | United Kingdom | Across the Water | Paul Seed | Drama. | |
| 1984 | United Kingdom | Killer Waiting | Michael Ferguson | Thriller. | |
| 1984 | United States Ireland | Children in the Crossfire | George Schaefer | Drama. | |
| 1984 | United Kingdom | Four Days in July | Mike Leigh | Drama. | |
| 1985 | United Kingdom | We'll Support You Evermore | Douglas Livingstone | Drama. | |
| 1986 | Canada | In This Corner | Atom Egoyan | Drama. | |
| 1987 | United Kingdom | Rat in the Skull | Glyn Edwards Max Stafford-Clark | Drama. | |
| 1988 | New Zealand | The Grasscutter | Ian Mune | Crime. | |
| 1989 | Ireland United Kingdom | Hush-a-Bye Baby | Margo Harkin | Romance. | |
| 1990 | Ireland | Dear Sarah | Frank Cvitanovich | Drama. Guildford Four and Maguire Seven | |
| 1992 | United Kingdom | You, Me and Marley | Richard Spence | Drama. | |
| 1995 | Canada United Kingdom | Beyond Reason | Jim O'Brien | Drama. | |
| 1997 | Ireland United States | The Informant | Jim McBride | Drama. Based on the book Field of Blood. | |
| 1999 | United Kingdom | Vicious Circle | David Blair | Crime, Drama. Based on the book The General. Martin Cahill | |
| 2002 | United Kingdom | As the Beast Sleeps | Harry Bradbeer | Drama. Ulster Defence Association | |
| 2002 | United Kingdom Ireland | Sunday | Charles McDougall | Drama. Bloody Sunday | |
| 2002 | United Kingdom Ireland United States | Bloody Sunday | Paul Greengrass | Drama, History, War. Based on the book Eyewitness Bloody Sunday. Ivan Cooper, Bloody Sunday | |
| 2003 | United Kingdom Ireland | Holy Cross | Mark Brozel | Drama. Holy Cross dispute | |
| 2004 | Ireland United Kingdom | Omagh | Pete Travis | Drama. Omagh bombing | |
| 2006 | United Kingdom | Cracker | Antonia Bird | Crime, Drama. | |
| 2018 | United Kingdom | Mother's Day | Fergus O'Brien | Drama. Warrington bombings |
| Year | Country | Main title (Alternative title) | Original title (Original script) | Director | Subject |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | United Kingdom | Harry's Game | Lawrence Gordon Clark | Thriller. Based on a novel Harry's Game. | |
| 1985 | United Kingdom | Confessional | Gordon Flemyng | Thriller. Based on a novel Confessional. | |
| 1985 | United Kingdom Ireland | The Price | Peter Smith | Drama, Thriller. | |
| 1988 | United Kingdom | Crossfire | Ken Hannam | Thriller. | |
| 1988 | Ireland Australia | Act of Betrayal | Lawrence Gordon Clark | Drama, Thriller. | |
| 1989-90 | United Kingdom | Frederick Forsyth Presents | Tom Clegg Lawrence Gordon Clark Ian Sharp James Cellan Jones | Action, Thriller. Based on a novel The Deceiver. | |
| 1991 | United Kingdom | Children of the North | David Drury | Thriller. Based on a novels The Killing of Yesterday's Children, Lonely the Man Without Heroes and A Darkness in the Eye. | |
| 1992 | United Kingdom | Civvies | Karl Francis | Drama. | |
| 1993-96 | United Kingdom | Circles of Deceit | Geoffrey Sax Nicholas Laughland Alan Grint Peter Barber-Fleming | ||
| 1995 1998-2007 2016 2018-2023 | United Kingdom Ireland | Give My Head Peace | Comedy. | ||
| 2001 | United Kingdom | The Bombmaker | Graham Theakston | Action. Based on a novel The Bombmaker. | |
| 2005 | United Kingdom | The Rotters' Club | Tony Dean Smith | Drama. Based on a novel The Rotters' Club. | |
| 2012 | United Kingdom | White Heat | John Alexander | Drama. | |
| 2014 | United Kingdom | From There to Here | James Strong | Drama. 1996 Manchester bombing | |
| 2018-22 | United Kingdom | Derry Girls | Michael Lennox | Comedy. | |
| 2022 | Netherlands | The Spectacular | Pieter Kuijpers Willem Bosch | Crime, Drama, Thriller. Donna Maguire | |
| 2024 | United Kingdom | Say Nothing | Michael Lennox | Drama. Based on the book Say Nothing. |
Belfast is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel. It is the second-largest city on the island of Ireland, with an estimated population of 348,005 in 2022, and a metropolitan area population of 671,559.
Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland that is variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares an open border to the south and west with the Republic of Ireland. At the 2021 census, its population was 1,903,175, making up around 3% of the UK's population and 27% of the population on the island of Ireland. The Northern Ireland Assembly, established by the Northern Ireland Act 1998, holds responsibility for a range of devolved policy matters, while other areas are reserved for the UK Government. The government of Northern Ireland cooperates with the government of Ireland in several areas under the terms of the Belfast Agreement. The Republic of Ireland also has a consultative role on non-devolved governmental matters through the British–Irish Governmental Conference (BIIG).
The Troubles were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted for about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it is sometimes described as an "irregular war" or "low-level war". The conflict began in the late 1960s and is usually deemed to have ended with the Good Friday Agreement of 1998. Although the Troubles mostly took place in Northern Ireland, at times violence spilled over into parts of the Republic of Ireland, England, and mainland Europe.
Sir Kenneth Charles Branagh is a British actor and filmmaker. Born in Belfast and raised primarily in Reading, Berkshire, Branagh trained at RADA in London and served as its president from 2015 to 2024. His accolades include an Academy Award, four BAFTAs, two Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and an Olivier Award. He was appointed a Knight Bachelor in the 2012 Birthday Honours, and was given Freedom of the City in his native Belfast in 2018. In 2020, he was ranked in 20th place on The Irish Times' list of Ireland's greatest film actors.
The Omagh bombing was a car bombing on 15 August 1998 in the town of Omagh in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It was carried out by the Real Irish Republican Army, a Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) splinter group who opposed the IRA's ceasefire and the Good Friday Agreement, signed earlier in the year. The bombing killed 29 people and injured about 220 others, making it the deadliest incident of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Telephoned warnings which did not specify the location had been sent almost forty minutes beforehand, and police inadvertently moved people toward the bomb.
David Holmes is an Irish musician and composer. He worked as a DJ before releasing several solo albums that have incorporated elements of trip hop, big beat, electronic and rock. In the late 1990s, he also began composing film scores, establishing a long-standing collaboration with director Steven Soderbergh that includes Out of Sight (1998) and the Ocean's trilogy.
The Falls Road is the main road through West Belfast, Northern Ireland, running from Divis Street in Belfast City Centre to Andersonstown in the suburbs. The name has been synonymous for at least a century and a half with the Catholic community in the city. The road is usually referred to as the Falls Road, rather than as Falls Road. It is known in Irish as the Bóthar na bhFál and as the Faas Raa in Ulster-Scots.
The culture of Northern Ireland relates to the traditions of Northern Ireland. Elements of the Culture of Ulster, the Culture of Ireland as a whole, the Culture of Scotland and the Culture of England are to be found.
Ciarán Hinds is an actor from Belfast, Northern Ireland. Hinds is known for a range of screen and stage roles. He has starred in feature films including The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989), Persuasion (1995), Oscar and Lucinda (1997), Road to Perdition (2002), The Sum of All Fears (2002), Munich (2005), Amazing Grace (2007), There Will Be Blood (2007), Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (2008), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011), Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011), Silence (2016), First Man (2018) and Belfast (2021). He was nominated for an Oscar and BAFTA for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Belfast.
Bronagh Gallagher is an Irish singer and actress from Northern Ireland. She had her first acting role in the 1989 television movie Dear Sarah. In 2020, she was listed at number 33 on The Irish Times' list of Ireland's greatest film actors.
Nell McCafferty is an Irish journalist, playwright, civil rights campaigner and feminist. She has written for The Irish Press, The Irish Times, Sunday Tribune, Hot Press and The Village Voice.
Divis Tower is a 20-floor, 200-foot (61 m) tall tower in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is located in Divis Street, which is the lower section of the Falls Road. It is currently the fifteenth-tallest building in Belfast.
Zoe Salmon is a television presenter from Northern Ireland who hosted the children's television programme Blue Peter from 23 December 2004 to 25 June 2008. She also appeared on Dancing on Ice in early 2009. She was the 1999 Miss Northern Ireland.
Brian Desmond Hurst was an Irish film director. With over thirty films in his filmography, Hurst was hailed as Northern Ireland's best film director by BBC film critic Mike Catto. He is perhaps best known for the 1951 A Christmas Carol adaptation Scrooge.
Five Minutes of Heaven is a 2009 Irish film directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel from a script by Guy Hibbert. The film was premiered on 19 January 2009 at the 25th Sundance Film Festival where it won the World Cinema Dramatic Directing Award for Hirschbiegel, and the World Cinema Screenwriting Award for Hibbert. As a television film it was broadcast on BBC Two on 5 April 2009, and also had an international feature film release.
Maeve Murphy is an Irish director-screenwriter. In 2011, as director for her short film Sushi, she won the Sub-ti short film competition, co-judged by Venice Days, Venice Film Festival. In 2020, the Irish Times listed Murphy's Silent Grace as no 38 in their 50 Best Irish Films Ever Made.
Saoradh is a far-left political party and pressure group formed by dissident Irish republicans in 2016. It is active in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The Police Service of Northern Ireland and independent commentators describe the party as being close with the New IRA, although Saoradh themselves deny this.
Belfast is a 2021 British coming-of-age drama film written and directed by Kenneth Branagh. The film stars Caitríona Balfe, Judi Dench, Jamie Dornan, Ciarán Hinds, Colin Morgan and Jude Hill. The film, which Branagh has described as his "most personal", follows a young boy's childhood in Belfast, Northern Ireland, at the beginning of The Troubles in 1969.
Martin Lynch is a playwright and theatre director from Belfast.
Holy Cross is a Northern Irish drama television film, directed by Mark Brozel and written by Terry Cafolla, and starring Zara Turner and Bronagh Gallagher. It premiered on RTÉ One on 8 November 2003, before receiving its broadcast on BBC One on 10 November 2003.
