The Uncle Jack tells of Jack McBride Neill, the cinema architect who designed many of Northern Ireland's most cherished cinemas. It is also a cinematic self-portrait of the filmmaker, John T. Davis. McBride Neill was Davis' uncle and played a pivotal role in encouraging his young relative's passion for film-making. The documentary explores their relationship and the role of obsession in the creative act.

It was the inheritance in 1974 of an 8mm camera from his maternal uncle, John McBride Neill, which enabled John T. Davis to make his first film, the experimental Warhol/Reid-inflected Transfer (1975). He established his reputation in 1978 with the release of Shellshock Rock, a film examining the fledgling punk-rock music scene in Northern Ireland. Route 66 (1985) and Hobo (1991) would see Davis draw on his fascination with pop culture and explore the underbelly of the American dream, whilst later films examined fundamentalist religion.

A Holywood Films production

Directed by John T. Davis

Narrated by John T. Davis

Onscreen participants: Jack McBride, W.J. Runciman, Lesley Farrant

Music by Philip Donnelly

Digitised as part of Unlocking Film Heritage

• John T. Davis - Culture Northern Ireland
• John T. Davis interview - The Vacuum
• Britain on Film
• BFI Player