The Ban wins at FOCAL

We’re thrilled to announce that The Ban, a short documentary directed by Roisin Agnew and edited by Sam Howard, has won the Best Use of Archive in a Short Film Production award at the FOCAL International Awards in London.

Organised by the Federation of Commercial Audiovisual Libraries, the FOCAL Awards celebrate the creative use and preservation of archive footage across international film, television and media. This award recognises The Ban’s thoughtful and innovative use of archival material, much of which was sourced from BBC Northern Ireland and Northern Ireland Screen’s Digital Film Archive.

The Ban delves into a surreal and revealing chapter of how the Northern Irish conflict, commonly known as The Troubles, was mediated and controlled. In 1988, the United Kingdom introduced legislation prohibiting the broadcast of the voices of individuals representing proscribed organisations, including Sinn Féin. This ban mirrored a similar measure in place since the 1970s in the Republic of Ireland under Section 31 of the Broadcasting Act. These measures, intended to suppress the airing of paramilitary perspectives, required broadcasters to employ an unusual workaround: actors were hired to overdub the voices of politicians and spokespeople, lip-syncing over original interviews.

The ban, framed as a public safety measure, was widely mocked for its performative nature and contradictory effects. Instead of silencing Sinn Féin, it arguably amplified its public profile, turning the ban into a recognisable, and at times absurd, media spectacle. 

The Ban combines oral history with rarely seen broadcast material, featuring contributions from actors Stephen Rea and Conor Grimes, as well as respected journalists like Denis Murray. Through its deft use of archival footage and first-hand testimony, the film offers a sharp, sometimes ironic, and always thoughtful reflection on the censorship practices of the time.

Northern Ireland Screen is proud to have supported the film through the provision of archival material from the Digital Film Archive. Research and archive curation was carried out by Evan Marshall and Stephen Newe, and we congratulate Roisin Agnew, Sam Howard and the production team on this achievement.