The Party

Belfast, 1972: a young man on the run visits his family for a few hours of partying before reality catches up. 

Mickey is on the run. Wearing a colourful disguise, he evades the scrutiny of the British soldiers and is welcomed into the home of his aunt and his cousin Laurence. Friends gather to greet him on his fleeting visit for a night of drinking, dancing and young love. Though delighted to see his friends, he remains watchful and on edge, until their evening is interrupted by an armed terrorist set on revenge.  

Director Andrea Harkin grew up in Northern Ireland. She recalls her own experience of sectarianism, bigotry and violence and here illustrates the horrors of violence perpetrated by both republican and unionist terrorists in the bloodiest year of the Troubles.  

The film was nominated for the Best British Short Film at the 2017 BAFTA Awards and is part of F-Rated: Short Films by Irish Women and the After ’16 collection.

With kind permission of Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland (formerly Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board)

Classroom Worksheet:

Note to Teachers:

In collaboration with IFI Education, each of the After’16 short films includes a complimentary Classroom Worksheet. These are downloadable documents that can be used as a guide for teachers and students. The nine short films in this collection have not been classified so an age recommendation has been added to each film. While most of the films are suitable for a 12+ audience, the content and lesson ideas are geared towards Transition Year +. As with all content on the IFI Archive Player, we recommend that you view the material in advance of showing them in class.