Directing
A feature-length documentary that tells the story of the Censorship of Films Act 1923 and how one canny term in that statute has allowed consecutive holders of the role of Film Censor to reflect the prevailing values of Irish society over the last 100 years.
A prizefight between underdog Steve 'The Celtic Warrior' Collins and champion Chris 'Simply the Best' Eubank grips and encapsulates an entire nation as it emerges from depression towards previously unimagined prosperity.
He was at the centre of a bloody battle, founded a monastery that became a beacon of civilization. He's even said to have taken on the Loch Ness Monster. But who was Colmcille, the Irish abbot, known in Scotland as St. Columba ?
Frequently described as the greatest boxer that Scotland has ever produced, Benny Lynch became the flyweight champion of the world. It was a sweet triumph for the man from the Gorbals, who had been raised in extreme poverty. Archive footage, animated sequences and the admiring comments of modern boxers combine to celebrate Benny’s remarkable achievements and to put his life in context. Lynch was only 33 when he died in 1946, overwhelmed by the chronic alcoholism he had been unable to defeat. Benny is an affectionate salute to the people’s champion.
Partition, 1921, tells the story of how Ireland came to be to be partitioned from the perspective of the British and unionist politicians who divided Ireland. Michael Portillo examines how this happened, unravelling a web of intrigue woven by the British ruling classes for whom the essential issue was defending Ulster
Forgotten Irish boxing legend Jimmy McLarnin, aka ‘The Babyfaced Assassin’, a journeyman brawler originally from County Down battled his way to fortune and glory in the 1940s via two welterweight world championship titles, and a whole heap of controversy to become one of the greats of Irish boxing history. Director Andrew Gallimore recounts McLarnin’s Greatest Hits (literally) with considerable relish, illuminated by a wealth of archive footage, much of it previously unseen, and punctuated by commentary from McLarnin himself (via vintage audio) and a host of colourful ringside experts, not least legendary author Budd (On the Waterfront) Schulberg.
Michael Portillo returns with an authored documentary, that uses British state papers to shed fresh light on key events and personalities during the Civil War period in Ireland.
