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The Ban

Short - 26 min

The British government's bizarre broadcasting ban during the Troubles

The Ban Northern Ireland experienced a bloody year in 1987, with many terrorist attacks by the IRA. To deprive this paramilitary organization of “the oxygen of publicity”, in 1988 Margaret Thatcher’s government banned UK radio and TV from giving airtime to representatives of the IRA and its political wing. Via unseen archive footage and present-day interviews with key figures such as Gerry Adams and Stephen Rea, The Ban reflects on the British government’s use of the threat of ‘terrorism’ to justify censorship, drawing inevitable comparisons with the present.


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Festivals and Awards


LaurelLondon Short Film Festival 2025 | Best UK Short
LaurelBAFTA Nominee | Best British Short Film
LaurelFOCAL International Awards | Best Use of Footage
LaurelCPH:DOX 2025 | Official Selection
LaurelTribeca Film Festival 2025 | Official Selection
LaurelIrish Film and Television Awards | Nominee: Redbreast Short Film Award
LaurelInternational Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam 2024 | Official Selection
LaurelBig Sky Documentary Film Festival 2025

Reviews and More

"The film ... illustrates Agnew’s ability to incorporate humour while maintaining sensitivity.” – Tribune Magazine

"A thoughtful look at a complicated and oft-forgotten issue” – The Cinema Spot | Tribeca Review

The Producers


Roisin Agnew – Director, Writer

Roisin Agnew is an Italian-Irish filmmaker and researcher.
She’s the director of The Ban, long-listed for a BAFTA and now featured on The New Yorker. She’s currently in development with her feature with BFI Doc Society. She's worked as a games writer for PlayStation. She’s a PhD student at the Centre for Research Architecture, Goldsmiths and an Associate Lecturer at the London Film School and Ravensbourne University.










Sam Howard – Producer

Sam Howard is an emerging filmmaker from Belfast. He has spent six years at Erica Starling Productions, working on programmes for BBC and Channel 4, including feature-length films like multi-award winning Lyra (2022). Recently, Sam produced and edited BAFTA long-listed The Ban (2024), which premiered at Tribeca, IDFA, and CPH:DOX among others. The film was released on The New Yorker platform in the fall of 2025. His directorial feature debut is currently in production.

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