The Green Ribbon

Informers: Britain's Frank Costellos

I finally got around to watching Martin Scorsese's The Departed the other day, an excellent film that raises some interesting questions about the role of informers in modern policing.

In some ways The Departed resembles a Cold War spy thriller as much as a gangster flick. It points up the fact that every informer is potentially a double agent, capable of manipulating those he is supposed to be giving information to as much as those he is informing on.

This is the reality that underlies the BBC's recent attempts to find out how much British police forces are paying to informers, amid mounting concern that the system is open to abuse.

The PSNI was one of the seven forces which refused the BBC's request, and the recent history of Northern Ireland provides perhaps the best illustration of the range of issues that can arise from the use of informers.

Hollywood options the Wonga Coup

The Independent reports that Miramax has bought the film rights to The Wonga Coup, Adam Roberts' book about mercenary Simon Mann's failed attempt to take over Equatorial Guinea in 2004.

There is as yet no production schedule, but any movie would tap into Hollywood's current appetite for Africa, which has spawned The Constant Gardener, The Blood Diamond and The Last King of Scotland (about Idi Amin's murderous regime in Uganda).

"We're optimistic Miramax will actually make it," Roberts tells me. "Nic Cage would be good as Mann - he's ageing, but has a very hard edge." (The Independent)

More Visit Palestine screenings

VISIT PALESTINE (15)

(UK 2005) dir.Katie Barlow 78m.

What drives a young Irishwoman to volunteer as a 'peace activist' in the Middle East? Caiomhe Butterly is one of a growing number of volunteers who risk their own safety to intervene in the long-running and bloody conflict between Israel and Palestine. "An astonishing piece of work... a wonderful film" (John Pilger).

+ discussion with Katie Barlow and Caiomhe Butterly (tbc)

Saturday 6th May at 1.30pm

Rio Cinema, 107 Kingsland Road, Dalston, London E8.

020 7241 9410

www.riocinema.ndirect.co.uk

Monday 8th and Tuesday 9th May at 7pm and Sunday 14th at May 2pm

Genesis Cinema, 93-95 Mile End Road, Stepney, London, E1

08700 606061

www.genesiscinema.co.uk

Visit Palestine: New London screenings

There are a couple of new London screenings coming up for Visit Palestine, the film about Irish human rights activist Caoimhe Butterly which I mentioned in a post back in January. They are at the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith on April 5 and the Curzon in Soho on April 9. The latter includes a Q & A session for which I've pasted the details below:

CURZON SOHO SUN 9 APRIL 2.15PM

VISIT PALESTINE FOLLOWED BY A Q&A WITH KATIE BARLOW AND CAOIMHE BUTTERLY (15)

Tickets £6.50 / £5.50 concessions/members

Director Katie Barlow will take questions from the audience after the screening of her moving wake-up call VISIT PALESTINE.

VISIT PALESTINE

Director: Katie Barlow. UK 2005. 78 minutes. 

What drives a young, well-educated Irishwoman to volunteer as a ‘peace activist’ in the Middle East? Caiomhe Butterly is one of a growing number of volunteers who risk their own safety to intervene in the long-running and bloody conflict between Israel and Palestine. This film offers an insight into a brave, honest, determined yet self-critical woman who takes direct action to the limit, with no quest for glory. She also serves as a conduit into the everyday lives of Palestinians, who are also usually presented to the viewer in a one-dimensional way, as fighters or victims, heroes or fanatics.

"An astonishing piece of work, a wonderful film…quite unlike anything I’ve seen." John Pilger.

CURZON SOHO 99 SHAFTESBURY AVENUE LONDON W1D 5DY

BOX OFFICE 0870 756 4621 ONLINE WWW.CURZONCINEMAS.COM

Visit Palestine: Film at the Tricycle

From this week's Irish World:

The Tricycle Cinema provides a rare opportunity next week for British audiences to see Visit Palestine, a documentary following the experiences of Irish human rights activist Caoimhe Butterly. Tom Griffin reports.