The Image You Missed

a film by Donal Foreman
2018, 74 minutes

Synopsis

An Irish filmmaker grapples with the legacy of his estranged father, the late American documentarian Arthur MacCaig, through MacCaig's decades-spanning archive of the conflict in Northern Ireland.

Drawing on over 30 years of unique and never-seen-before imagery, The Image You Missed is a documentary essay film that weaves together a history of the Northern Irish Troubles with the story of a son's search for his father. In the process, the film creates a candid encounter between two filmmakers born into different political moments, revealing their contrasting experiences of Irish nationalism, the role of images in social struggle, and the competing claims of personal and political responsibility.

Reviews

"An intriguing documentary... that takes a sidelong look at the Troubles."
- Ben Konigsberg, The New York Times

"A moving and thoughtful first-person essay film... No longer beholden to his elder’s legacy, Foreman seems poised to carve out one of his own."
- Jordan Cronk, Film Comment

"Foreman grapples with MacCaig’s true-believer propaganda with a more nuanced approach, yielding a dichotomy of great relevance to today’s video essay makers: those 'able to reach conclusions' and those 'always concerned with what gets left out.'"
—Kevin B. Lee, Sight & Sound

Press Materials

Official Website

Where to watch

Playdates

May 31: Metrograph - New York, NY

Festivals & Awards

Grand Jury Prize of Avant-Garde & Genre Competition (BAFICI)
Prize for Best Original Music + Special Mention in French Competition (Cinéma du Réel)
First Prize in International Competition (Filmmaker Fest)
First Prize in International Competition (Transcinema Festival)
First Prize in International Competition (Muestra de Cine de Lanzarote)
First Look Award (Athens Avant-Garde Film Festival)
"Portraits" Grand Jury Prize (DocsMX)
Special Mention in International Competition (L'Alternativa)