'Bloody Sunday': Lessons from an earlier 'war on terror'

Greengrass: "We've been having our war on terrorism for 30 years"

By Paul Clinton
CNN

PARK CITY, Utah (CNN) -- Paul Greengrass says the events portrayed in his film "Bloody Sunday" offer lessons to today's world.

The film, written and directed by Greengrass, documents the day 30 years ago Wednesday when a civil rights march in Northern Ireland turned into a bloody riot that left 13 unarmed civilians dead.

The movie's time frame begins on the morning of January 30, 1972, and ends that evening. The event transformed the Irish Republican Army from a fringe radical group into a major terrorist movement.

The film, which stars Irish actor James Nesbitt, tied (with "The Last Kiss") for the world cinema audience award at the recent Sundance Film Festival and was picked up for distribution by Paramount Classics after screening at the annual event.

CNN: Why is it so important to document this particular day?

GREENGRASS: We've been having our war on terrorism for 30 years, and we made our mistakes early. Bloody Sunday was the greatest mistake, because in trying to suppress popular discontent, we made a problem immeasurably worse. And we arguably did a great deal to create the I.R.A.

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CNN: Are there lessons from this event for today's world?

GREENGRASS: Yes, you've got to be careful how you wage these wars. In waging them you don't make the problem worse then they are at the start. The point is, it wasn't something that was meant to be. It was a terrible, terrible blunder and that is really the lesson for today. If you're going to engage in these kinds of conflicts to be very careful they you don't lose control and alienate the hearts and minds that your trying to get on your side.

CNN: How is that situation 30 years ago similar to current situations today?

GREENGRASS: It's very simply this -- it's about two people and one territory. That's true in the Middle East, it's true in Kashmir, it's true in many parts of the world.

What the film is really saying is, if you have these territories where there are two peoples in a fight for control, the only possible solution is a civil rights agenda. It's an inclusive solution that involves respecting both traditions. You need new forms of government that allows both peoples in one territory to express themselves.

Image from "Bloody Sunday"

CNN: Another thing that Northern Ireland and today's hot spots have in common is the religious aspect, correct?

GREENGRASS: Of course. Religion is like a badge. But in the end it's about territory. There are two people and only one piece of land.

CNN: Now, 30 years after the day your film took place there seems to be hope for peace in that corner of the world.

GREENGRASS: Absolutely. The whole point about stories like these is it's so easy with these places to get pessimistic. People said for many years that Northern Ireland was insolvable. Well, we don't have peace yet, but we're well along the way.

Why are we there? We're there because the U.S. government was engaged, successive administrations. The British Government, the Irish Government, the leaders of the Catholic Church, political leaders, Protestant political leaders. There has been vision and engagement on all sides. These problems can be solved.

And it's the same in the Middle East. We should never be depressed about these things. We should never be beaten. The search can yield dividends and the people in Northern Ireland are living with the results of that search for peace today.