Project Detail

The Enigma of Frank Ryan

Synopsis

A sympathetic but searching portrait of Frank Ryan (1902-1944) IRA activist in Ireland, International Brigade Volunteer in Spain and Nazi collaborator in Berlin. Ryan enters a Faustian pact with a Nazi regime he believes will assist in forging a united Ireland. His collaboration is justified by the republican motto: "My enemy's enemy is my friend". But the former radical and internationalist pays a heavy price for this pact. The film raises important questions about collaboration between the IRA and the Nazis in World War II. It opens up a long suppressed debate about Irish neutrality in that war. Drawing upon Ryan’s correspondence and using a rich mix of period archive combined with live action - with a striking portrayal of Frank Ryan by Dara Devaney - the film makers tell a story of tragic proportions and probe the enigma that was Frank Ryan.

Details

Year
2012
Type of film
Features
Running time
90 mins
Format
HD
Director
Desmond Bell 1st Feature
Producer
Desmond Bell
Editor
Nigel Galt
Screenwriter
Desmond Bell/ Peadar Cox
Director of Photography
Sam Mitchell
Production Designer
Richard Hudson
Sound
Sara Lima/ Rob Walker
Music
Deirdre McKay
Principal cast
Frank Ryan, Dara Devaney, Helmut Clissman, Wilf Varville, Rosamund Jacob, Mia Gallagher, Hans Hartman, Barry Barnes, Sean Russell, Frankie McCafferty

Categories

Production Status

Production Company

Glass Machine Productions

26 Seacliff Road
Bangor
Co Down
BT205EY
Northern Ireland

Sales Company

Network Ireland Television

23 South Frederick Street
Dublin 2
Ireland
Tel: + 353 1 6797309
Fax: + 353 1 6708493

Page updates

This page was last updated on 12th May 2025. Please let us know if we need to make any amendments or request edit access by clicking below.

See also

You may also be interested in other relevant projects in the database.

Rebel Frontier Rebel Frontier

Director: Desmond Bell

Year: 2005

The story of the Irish and Finnish miners of Butte Montana who in opposing US involvement in WW1 found themselves up against not only the war profiting Anaconda Copper Company but the US state. The story, narrated by Martin Sheen, is told through the eyes of a young Pinkerton agent sent to Butte to spy on the radicals and to break their strike, who might just be writer Dashiell Hammett.

Spacewoman Spacewoman

Director: Hannah Berryman

Year: 2024

A landmark feature documentary about astronaut Eileen Collins, the first woman to pilot and command the Space Shuttle.<br /> Eileen’s incredible journey starts with her smalltown beginnings, sees her smash through many glass ceilings, and culminates in four dramatic space shuttle missions, the last being possibly the most dangerous and most important of them all.<br /> At its heart the film is the moving human drama of one family, where a mother’s extraordinary career takes us straight to the big philosophical question of what is the level of acceptable risk in human endeavour? <br /> This film celebrates Commander Collins’ trailblazing NASA career which opened the way for women to become spacecraft pilots and commanders, and proved a perfect riposte to a previous generation of male astronauts who thought there was no place for women to lead the way in space. <br /> Official Selection DOC NYC 2024 - World premiere<br /> Official Selection CPH:DOX 2025 - European premiere

What About Gary? What About Gary?

Director: Tristan M Copeland

Year: 2025

WHAT ABOUT GARY is a raw and emotive documentary that delves into the tragic consequences of misinformation, exploring how conspiracy theories led to the death of Gary Matthews from Covid-19. The film intimately portrays the profound grief of Gary's family and friends as they grapple with this senseless loss.<br /> Director Tristan Copeland, Gary's cousin, questions the purveyors of these falsehoods, driven by a need to understand why they ensnared Gary. Through vérité footage, archival materials, and Gary's own paintings, the film explores Gary’s descent into a distorted reality, seeking the root causes of his susceptibility to misinformation.<br /> Shot during the pandemic in Shrewsbury, England, WHAT ABOUT GARY captures the isolation that made many, including Gary, vulnerable to manipulation. With kinetic editing, evocative camera work, and a poignant score, the film examines how society failed to protect its citizens from misinformation.<br /> A potentially controversial yet vital work that questions how conspiracy theorists wield such influence and whether others can be saved from similar fates. A cautionary tale for a world grappling with truth in the digital age, and a tribute to a life tragically cut short, driven by a need to understand why.