Five Minutes of Heaven

The Northern Ireland Troubles Archive is a new web-based resource about the way in which the Arts responded to the Troubles in Northern Ireland, 1968 - 1998. The Arts Council is creating a broad and inclusive site with information about relevant art forms, practitioners and their work across a variety of disciplines, reflecting the many ways in which this very significant period in Northern Irish history manifested itself culturally. For further information, please contact Andrea Rea at area@artscouncil-ni.org

From Oliver Hirschbiegel, director ofDownfall.

James Nesbitt and Liam Neeson star in award winning director Oliver Hirschbiegel’s Five Minutes of Heaven, a unique one off drama that explores aspects of Northern Ireland’s troubled past and the challenges the future holds in coming to terms with it.

The story begins in 1975 when 17-year-old Alistair Little, a member of the UVF murdered a 19-year-old Catholic, Jim Griffin, in Lurgan. He was arrested two weeks later, along with three others involved in the shooting, and convicted. Jim’s murder was witnessed by his 11-year-old brother, Joe Griffin.

Working closely with both men, screenwriter Guy Hibbert (Omagh) creates a unique and compelling film that moves from a powerful re-enactment of these tragic events to a fictional interpretation of what might happen should these two men ever come face to face. The film explores the impact of the legacy of violence on both men.