About

The debut feature by Turner-Prize winning artist Steve McQueen, Hunger is a haunting historical drama centered on the final days of IRA prisoner Bobby Sands. Set in Northern Ireland's Maze Prison, the film depicts the brutal and dehumanising conditions endured by the political prisoners as they undertake a mass hunger strike in protest of the British government.

As the strike unfolds, Bobby Sands (Michael Fassbender), engages in a series of desperate – and difficult to watch – strategies to painfully highlight the unwavering commitment of the prisoners to their desperate struggle for recognition and justice. The stark grimness of the ‘dirty protests’ and the inhumane conditions faced by the prisoners are recreated with painful authenticity by McQueen, adding to the film’s overarching sense of horror, claustrophobia and despair.

Winner of almost 50 awards including the Camera d’Or and Un Certain Regard prizes at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, Hunger offers a profound and haunting exploration of the resilience of the human spirit and the levels of courage, determination sacrifice that individuals are willing to make for their convictions in the face of extreme adversity.

MA15+ | Strong themes, violence and nudity