Under Pressure tells the stories of ex-Prison Officers who experienced the violent political conflict in the North of Ireland between 1968-98. Returning to the now-empty Maze and Long Kesh (MLK) prison site, the participants describe how dark humour was used to negotiate the atmosphere of tension between the prisoners and the authorities as protests inside reflected the conflict outside the prison walls. Edited from the Prisons Memory Archive collection, the film is a unique insight into the experiences of a constituency often overlooked or hidden from the Troubles’ narratives. A post-screening Q&A panel will include some of the participants. 

Filmed in 2007, participants were invited to return to the closed prison site to record their memories of their experiences as they walk and talk their way around the empty site. The Prisons Memory Archive is a collection of these recordings, and those filmed in Armagh Gaol in 2006, by those who passed through the gates of the prison and include prisoners, prison officers, visitors, tutors, chaplains, journalists, artists and lawyers. The PMA was based on the protocols of co-ownership, inclusivity, and life-storytelling and the full 300 hours of archive is hosted by the Public Record office of Northern Ireland; more information can be found at www.prisonsmemoryarchive.com. 

Under Pressure was edited from this collection in 2026.