Omagh (film)

Omagh
Directed by Pete Travis
Produced by Paul Greengrass
Ed Guiney
Written by Paul Greengrass
Guy Hibbert
Starring Gerard McSorley
Michele Forbes
Brenda Fricker
Stuart Graham
Cinematography Donal Gilligan
Edited by Clive Barrett
Production
company
Tiger Aspect Productions
Hell's Kitchen International
Distributed by A-Film Distribution
Haut Et Court
Release dates
  • 22 May 2004 (2004-05-22)
Running time
 106 minutes
Country Ireland
Language English

Omagh is a film dramatising the events surrounding the Omagh bombing and its aftermath, co-produced by Irish state broadcaster RTÉ and UK network Channel 4, and directed by Pete Travis. It was first shown on television in both countries in June, 2004.

Michael Gallagher, whose son Aiden (Paul Kelly) was killed in the bombing, is played by Gerard McSorley, originally from Omagh. Out of respect for the residents of the town, it was filmed on location in Navan, County Meath, Republic of Ireland. The film ends with the Julie Miller song Broken Things, which was performed by local singer Juliet Turner at the memorial for the victims of the Omagh bombing.

Reception

Rotten Tomatoes reported that 88% of critics gave the film positive reviews, with an average score of 7.2/10, however this is based upon a sample of only 8 reviews. Critics particularly noted the gritty realism and powerful acting in the film. In his review, Scott Foundas of 'Variety magazine' said that it "serves as a companion piece to writer-producer Paul Greengrass' superb 2001 pic Bloody Sunday, but emerges as a startlingly powerful achievement in its own right".

Awards

The film won a number of awards. Most notably it won the 2005 BAFTA TV Award for 'Best Single Drama'. It also won a 'Discovery Award' at the 2004 Toronto International Film Festival. At the Irish Film and Television Awards, the film won the awards for 'Best Irish Film' and 'Best Actor (Gerard McSorley)', and was nominated for a further five awards, including 'Best Film Director', 'Best Script' and 'Best Actress' for Michele Forbes.


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