News & Archive

(May 18, 2004)

The Program on Negotiation Film Series Joins Harvard University, The Harvard Law School Human Rights Program, and The Program on Justice in Times of Transition in Presenting...

Film and Discussion with Don Mullan Producer and Author Prof. Robert Mnookin Harvard Law School Wednesday, March 17 8:15pm Harvard Film Archive The Carpenter Center 24 Quincy Street click for map Free Admission

Over 150 people joined PON, the Human Rights Program and the Project for Justice in Times of Transition for a screening of Bloody Sunday at the Harvard Film Archive. Following the film, producer Don Mullan, who witnessed the Bloody Sunday events at age 15, described growing up in Derry before the civil rights march in January 1972. Derry was a "soft city" where people were generally more interested in sports than politics. The atmosphere began to change during the internments (when suspects could be locked up by the British government without a trial) that started in the summer of 1971. When the civil rights march held to protest these internments turned into a massacre that killed 13 people and wounded many more, the community was traumatized, not only by the events of that day by also by the unjust official inquiry that followed.

The movie was inspired by Don Mullan's book, Eyewitness Bloody Sunday, which was instrumental in opening up a second British inquiry into the events of Bloody Sunday.

This powerful film has become part of the healing process for the injustices that occurred, because it was made by Irish and British people together, including relatives of the victims, eyewitnesses to the Bloody Sunday events, and former British soldiers who served in Northern Ireland.

Susan Hackley, managing director of PON, noted that the film and the book by Don Mullan "powerfully illustrate how one committed individual can bring hope for justice to a community. Don wrote the book that showed how unfair and incomplete the official inquiry had been, and he produced the film that led to Prime Minister Blair calling for a new inquiry."

Professor Robert Mnookin, chair of PON, described the history of the conflict in Northern Ireland before introducing Don Mullan.

This is the third year the Program on Negotiation has had the privilege of collaborating with the Harvard Film Archive on a presentation in its annual negotiation film series. Follow the links below for descriptions of the previous PON Film Series–Harvard Film Archive events:

2003: No Man's Land, with Director Danis Tanovic

2002: Mediators of the Pacific, with Director Charles Belmont and Former French Prime Minister Michel Rocard

This special showing of Bloody Sunday was the first of two Program on Negotiation film events relating to conflict in Northern Ireland. The second was the March 18 presentation of An Unreliable Witness, which will include discussion with Don Mullan. Follow this link for more information.