Two University of Ulster-based film-makers have had their latest productions screened during the Foyle Film Festival.

Jonathan Cummins and Anne Crilly are prize-winning producer-directors whose earlier works have received recognition at other major film festivals and on television.

Cummins’ new short drama “Recoil” was completed in October and has already been shown at the Cork and Kerry film festivals. Crilly’s documentary, “Lifting the Dark Cloud: The Kathleen Thompson Case” had its premiere at Derry’s Foyle Film Festival.

The background to her film is the controversial shooting of a Derry mother by soldiers in 1971. “It was a very emotional and very painful experience, making a film that explores the emotions of the six children of Kathleen Thompson. It is a film about grief and closure,” said Crilly, who teaches at the School of Media and Performing Arts, Coleraine.

The documentary, which Crilly researched, directed and produced, received a positive response at the premiere and she is optimistic that it will be screened elsewhere. The film was produced for the Pat Finucane Centre, which received a grant from the Community Relations Council.

Cummins, too, is upbeat about “Recoil”, which he produced. Starring top Irish actors Bosco Hogan and Keith McErlean, it was commissioned by the Irish Film Board and RTE under the prestigious Short Cuts scheme.  “It’s now being considered for inclusion at Clermont-Ferrand in France, which is one of the major festival on the European circuit,” said Cummins, who is based at the School of Art and Design, Magee.

“Recoil”, which was directed by Billy McCannon, also has a violent backdrop. “After committing a bloody crime, Peter, a paramilitary, is confounded by a detective's questioning. An answer may offer redemption to both but threatens to condemn Peter to prison. Does he know the answer and will he say? You’ll have to watch the film to find out the answer,” Cummins said.

 “Limbo”, written and directed by Crilly and produced by Cummins, won a Best Irish Short Film award at the Foyle Film Festival in 2001 and was shortlisted for an Irish Film and Television Award (IFTA). It had been broadcast on TG4 and screened at film festivals in Ireland and the USA.

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