Made 20 years ago H3 was the first feature film to explore the subject of the 1981 Hungers Strikes, the film focuses on the conditions inside the H-Blocks of the Maze prison situated in Lisburn on the outskirts of Belfast, the film particularly examines this period through the eyes of the prisoners.
The film was written by the late Brian Campbell (1960 – 2005) and his friend Laurence McKeown who spent 70 days on hunger strike in 1981. H3 charts the period of intense conflict in the prison from 1981 up until Bobby Sands’ death on 5th May 1981. Many well known Irish actors feature as the story unfolds through the eyes of fictional characters. The hunger strikers’ survival is charted with dignity, comradeship and a sense of humour.
On Wednesday 10th November we held a screening of H3 followed by a discussion to mark the 40th year since the Hunger Strikes, and the 20th anniversary of the making of the film. H3 was the first major project by award winning team – James Flynn and Juanita Wilson, who have gone on to build one of the most successful filmmaking companies in the country. After the screening (co-writer) Laurence McKeown, director Les Blair and producers Juanita Wilson and James Flynn joined the audience for a Q and A hosted by Brian Henry Martin in a packed to capacity screen.
You can watch the post screening Q&A below: