Prosperous man involved in new film about the Magdalenes
A YOUNG Prosperous man is one of two filmmakers behind a new documentary on the Magdalene Laundries to be shown at the Galway Film Fleadh next Wednesday.
Ger Boland admits he didn't know a lot about the subject when he got involved in the project three years ago, but since then he has become a passionate advocate of the women incarcerated in the laundries.
Ger and fellow filmmaker Steven O'Riordan travelled to England to research the 95 minute long film, The Forgotten Maggies.
The film focuses on life after incarceration for three women who spent time in the laundries, and their continuing fight for justice.
The two posted a notice online calling on women who had been in the laundries to come forward.
The film chronicles the journey of Ger and Steven as they investigated the stories of three of the women who answered.
"We have so much material, it's unbelievable," said Ger. "One of the women mentioned a cleaner, and a few weeks later we spoke to her."
"Nobody in Ireland wanted to talk about it," he said.
"We called up the Government, and we show that in the film, to show how difficult it is to get anywhere with them.
"Nobody wanted to listen. Nobody cared."
The documentary focuses on human rights and shows how State and Church colluded to imprison these women. The film is intended to challenge the audience to look beyond the historical significance. "Importantly, the focus is on the impact these experiences had on the women in their daily lives after the laundries closed.
"It asks the pertinent questions: why and how these institutions were allowed carry on until late 1996, why these women never received a public apology or redress from either State or Church. elieve it is essential for this to be acknowledged publicly and openly."
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Weather for Naas, Ireland
Thursday 17 May 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 7 C to 11 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Light showers
Temperature: 7 C to 11 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: North east
