Northern Ireland Screen's Digital Film Archive is a free public access resource for teachers, students, historians and anyone who has an interest in moving images. Spanning from 1897 to the present day, the films in the Digital Film Archive cover all aspects of life in Northern Ireland and includes everything from dramas to documentaries, newsreels and features, animation to amateur footage.
This film is part of Free
The Secret
What is the great secret carried by the stranger who emerged through the fog and what will it take to make him part with it?
In partnership with:
Overview
This foreboding allegory tells the tale of a stranger arriving in a land tormented by history. He emerges through the fog with a secret however the warring giants and pygmies are too entrenched in their futile anger to heed his message. What is the great secret this dignified stranger carries and will anyone listen before it is too late? It was written by Cyril Farrell and produced by Terence McDonald during the early years of violent sectarian conflict in Northern Ireland.
Terence McDonald (1926 – 2001) was a teacher, film historian, film collector and a pioneering amateur filmmaker from Derry. He made 35 films in his lifetime covering a wide range of themes such as mental health, travelling theatre, and portraits of his home town, Derry. His playful fiction films often pay homage to classic cinema moments from Peyton Place to Potemkin, from Chaplin to Jacques Tati. Terence McDonald undertook all aspects of production - filming, sound recording and editing and produced a body of remarkably sophisticated work. This film is courtesy of his son Peter McDonald.
Related
Watch for free
Family Festival Family Festival
Sponsored film 1951 27 mins Silent Location: Belfast
From Modernist designs inspired by the atomic age to paddling pool picnics, find delight in this silent selection from the Festival of Britain
Watch for free
Jigsaw Factory Jigsaw Factory
News 1962 2 mins Silent Location: Portrush
Take a tour of Portrush's puzzle factory and get a glimpse of the coastal town's architectural icons
Watch for free
Curragh to Iona Curragh to Iona
Documentary 1963 24 mins Location: Derry / Londonderry
Join a fearless crew on a spiritual maritime adventure from the shores of Derry to Iona.
Watch for free
Morris Dancing in Portrush Morris Dancing in Portrush
News 1977 9 mins Location: Portrush
Here’s to the handkerchiefs, here’s to the shoes and here’s to the bonny green garters…
Watch for free
A Day out in Portrush A Day out in Portrush
Home movie 1979 4 mins Silent Location: Portrush
Take a trip to the beach and find out what unexpected exotic animals are living on the north coast.
Watch for free
Highways of Ulster Highways of Ulster
Sponsored film 1950 22 mins Location: Port of Belfast
Hop on board and explore Ulster. The is plenty to to feast your eyes on both sides of the border but "nothing too strenuous", on this entertaining coach tour.
Watch for free
China O'Brien: The Reunion China O'Brien: The Reunion
Documentary 2024 60 mins
Cynthia Rothrock, Richard Norton and Keith Cooke reunite three decades on from the groundbreaking martial arts classic.
Watch for free
Women in Action Panel Discussion Women in Action Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 28 mins
Action Xtreme - the UK's leading action film studio - hosts this panel discussion with four leading women in action cinema - Soo Cole, Jo Rolison, Jadey Duffield and Ioanna Karavela.
Watch for free
Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 24 mins
Daniel Kokotajlo talks to Nia Childs about Starve Acre, his folk horror about a couple digging deep into grief in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales.
Watch for free
Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 30 mins
Sky Peals director Moin Hussain and lead actor Faraz Ayub talk to Tomisin Adepeju about their magic realist drama.
Watch for free
Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell
Documentary 2024 42 mins
Documentary exploring the BFI National Archive’s role in rediscovering and remastering the early films of Michael Powell.
Watch for free
Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels
Short documentary 2024 12 mins
Bryony Dixon, curator of silent film at the BFI national archive, explores the origins of a series of comic travelogues, and Michael Powell's involvement in making them.