Bobby Sands: 66 Days
Martin Scorsese Teaches Filmmaking
The hunger strike of Irish Republican Bobby Sands is recounted in Bobby Sands: 66 Days. By 1981, the troubles in Northern Ireland have been going on for more than two decades. Imprisoned IRA members, such as Bobby Sands, demanded to be considered political prisoners, rather than common criminals. Inspired by ancient Gaelic laws, Sands and others began a 66 days hunger strike, which would mark a key turning point in the relationship between the UK and Northern Ireland.
Bobby Sands: 66 Days uses diary entries and interviews to tell the story of Bobby Sand’s hunger strike, which was previously dramatized in the 2008 film Hunger. The film as a whole is general history lesson of the troubles in Northern Ireland, as it breaks down the events leading towards and after Bobby Sand’s incarceration. With the knowledge that the hunger strike would eventually kill him, this non-violent protest would mythologize Bobby Sands as a martyr and become a symbol for the plight of Irish Republicans.
FAIR 