Darkness in the shadows: post-conflict trauma and the documentary image

In the absence of such support, the work of filmmakers has increasingly sought to address this phenomenon by highlighting issues concerning transitional justice; a task complicated by contested interpretations of what defines justice. For Unionism, an emphasis on the application of law, order and security tends to take precedence in these debates, while nationalists invariably stress the requirement of parity and social justice.

Such agreements are further complicated by the role of the media, which for over thirty years has been far from an impartial arbitrator between the political ideologies of both traditions, habitually presenting a legacy of dominant narratives shaped by state censorship and control, both north and south.<br><br>Developing a practice-based approach, this PhD project analyses and demonstrates how documentary filmmaking can address, investigate, and act as an advocate in debates that are often simplified and marginalized by mainstream film and broadcast media.

Through the process of researching, writing, producing and publicly screening a feature documentary on the politics of state collusion with particular reference to the case of the Glenanne Gang, the project examines issues relevant to both the relations between documentary film practice and questions of advocacy, human rights and post-conflict recovery, as well the necessity of a practice- based approach to creative research in this area.