What is the Irish border to its inhabitants? A checkpoint? An opportunity for taking care of their neighbours despite their beliefs? A matter of identity? The Reel Borders shorts is a collection of four amateur short documentary films exploring the meaning of borders through archival collections filmed in Donegal and Derry. They portray people who lived during the Troubles, those who grew up post-Good Friday Agreement, and those from other countries with their own views on what borders represent. The Reel Borders Project is funded by the European Research Council (Starting Grant #948278), hosted at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and in partnership with the Nerve Centre, the Northern Ireland Screen’s Digital Film Archive, and the Irish Film Institute Archive.
Northern Ireland in the late 1970's, an unpredictable, fearful landscape. A place where an elevated sense of vigilance and suspicion might keep you safe, but it also amplified fear and division between communities. In this environment, where communities rarely mixed, let alone talk to each other, a group of young women let their love of football do the talking. In 1979, they formed a football team that was both cross-border and cross-religion. And, while politicians and community leaders struggled to build bridges, these girls let the beautiful game create a world of friendship and acceptance. A world where they all belonged.
- Runtime11 minutes
- DirectorMargaret Gordon
What is the Irish border to its inhabitants? A checkpoint? An opportunity for taking care of their neighbours despite their beliefs? A matter of identity? The Reel Borders shorts is a collection of four amateur short documentary films exploring the meaning of borders through archival collections filmed in Donegal and Derry. They portray people who lived during the Troubles, those who grew up post-Good Friday Agreement, and those from other countries with their own views on what borders represent. The Reel Borders Project is funded by the European Research Council (Starting Grant #948278), hosted at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and in partnership with the Nerve Centre, the Northern Ireland Screen’s Digital Film Archive, and the Irish Film Institute Archive.
Northern Ireland in the late 1970's, an unpredictable, fearful landscape. A place where an elevated sense of vigilance and suspicion might keep you safe, but it also amplified fear and division between communities. In this environment, where communities rarely mixed, let alone talk to each other, a group of young women let their love of football do the talking. In 1979, they formed a football team that was both cross-border and cross-religion. And, while politicians and community leaders struggled to build bridges, these girls let the beautiful game create a world of friendship and acceptance. A world where they all belonged.
- Runtime11 minutes
- DirectorMargaret Gordon
