Hunger

In 1981, IRA’s Bobby Sands and ten other prisoners in the Maze prison in Northern Ireland starved themselves to death protesting against the Thatcher government’s decision to deny them political prisoner status. This is the backdrop of Steve McQueen’s debut film, Hunger. McQueen, however, lets politics recede into the background focusing on the last six weeks of Bobby Sands’s (a remarkable performance by Michael Fassbender) life. Blunt, raw and coarse, Hunger seeks to recreate the atmosphere of violence and repression that took over the infamous Maze Prison during the strikes, force-feeding the viewer with images of unspeakable brutality. A punch in the stomach, Hunger received the Camera d’Or Award at Cannes.

Director: Steve McQueen

Screenwriters: Steve McQueen, Enda Walsh

Cinematography: Sean Bobbitt

Editing: Joe Walker

Cast: Michael Fassbender, Stuart Graham, Liam Cunningha