Hollywood comedian Vince Vaughn - best known for roles in ‘The Wedding Crashers’ and ‘Dodgeball’ - visited Belfast and Derry seven years ago to film a documentary about Northern Ireland’s murals, which Irish audiences will finally get the chance to see when it is released on Netflix on 1st June.
‘Art of Conflict: The Murals of Northern Ireland’ examines the history and social significance of the murals, drawing upon interviews with such political figures as Gerry Adams and late PUP leader David Ervine - with Vaughn providing narration off-camera throughout.
As the son of Catholic and Protestant parents, with an Irish grandfather and grandmother on either side, the project became a deeply personal labour of love for Vaughn, which he collaborated on with his sister and documentary maker Valeri.
The film also features interviews with local muralists, mural historians, members of the art community, and people from both Nationalist and Unionists communities.
Vaughn admitted that it was the art that first inspired him to take on the project before he knew much about the history of the Troubles, but hopes that audiences beyond Ireland will find the documentary accessible.
The Vaughn siblings brought a rough cut of the film to the Galway Film Fleadh in 2012 while the project was still in production and being edited by Dan Lebental, editor on Marvel’s ‘Iron Man’ 1 and 2.
‘Art of Conflict: The Murals of Northern Ireland’, produced by Wild West Picture Show Productions, will be available on Netflix in Ireland from 1st June.
