Northern Ireland 2010
Director: Alessandro Negrini; screenplay: Alessandro Negrini; cinematography: Odd-Geir Sæther; editing: Luca Benetti, Claire O’Neill; music: John Trotter, Roy Arbuckle; producer: Margo Harkin; production company: Besom Productions; Irish location: Derry; duration: 60’.
Cast: May Hamilton, Kathleen McKane, Roy Arbuckle, The Signetts Showband.
Synopsis
Derry, Northern Ireland. The Fountain, in the heart of the city once a vibrant community, where people used to dance together despite religious differences, now a disappearing Protestant neighborhood killed by fear and politics and turned into an open air prison, now living behind a fence. Roy Arbuckle, a musical troubadour, decides it’s time to challenge one of the monstrosities left by the war in Northern Ireland: fear. He wants to reunite his former showband, The Signetts and his formers musicians, nowadays in their seventies, in a high-risk attempt to organize a major dance night, and get Protestants and Catholics dancing together. For this event Roy wants to open up the stronghold of Protestant heritage and culture in Derry: the Memorial Hall, once the most popular dance hall in the heart of the city.