The 11th Jameson Dublin International Film Festival (14-24 February 2013)
Where I Am
Sat, 16th February
Light House
18.45
69 mins
Pamela Drynan’s inspirational film tells the story of Robert Drake, the American writer, who returns to Sligo 10 years after a viscious assault that left him brain damaged and unable to walk.
Robert Drake, Pamela Drynan & producer Tristan Orpen Lynch will attend the screening.
Brian Finnegan, Editor of GCN writes:
In January 1999 a 35-year-old American author, Robert Drake, was viciously assaulted and left for dead by two young men in a house he was renting with his partner in Sligo town. After a court case that sought to demonise Drake as a predatory gay man, his assailants, Glen Mahon and Ian Monaghan, were sentenced to eight years in prison. Drake, unable to speak and confined to a hospital bed, was not present to represent himself at the trial.
Over a decade later, Pamela Drynan’s intimate film follows Drake as he returns to Ireland, and Sligo, for the first time since the attack which left him permanently brain damaged, unable to walk and, crucially, stopped a writing career just as it was beginning to take flight. He visits with Colm Toíbín and Dermot Healy, along with the people who took care of him after the attack, and on the pavement of a Dublin street one afternoon finds his story abruptly coming full circle.
Juxtaposing lyrical imagery, particularly of the Sligo landscape, against a story of mindless brutality, Drynan mines a heartbreaking but life-affirming tale of pointless loss and hard-won redemption, the power of self respect and the complexity of forgiveness.
Book tickets here or drop into the Festival Hub in Filmbase in Temple Bar.
Comments
I would like to thank Film Ireland for producing Where I Am, the documentary about Robert Drake. I am in awe of Robert’s spirit and his ability to move forward with his life. He is here on earth for a reason, he reminds each of us that a life can be changed forever, in an instant.
I’ve been to Sligo several times, and was so sad to hear about the attack and the fact that Robert could have lost his life. Even at the current stage of his recovery, he is blessed with faith, profound wisdom and a sense of humour. He is eloquent in his choice of words and truly is one of earth’s angels.
My brother Ed, is currently Seattle’s first openly gay mayor. Throughout his career as a politician he has advocated for human rights for all, but most importantly, for the gay community. God bless Robert Drake and Film Ireland for sharing Robert’s progress with everyone who views the film. I will keep him in my prayers. Best, Maggie Fox, Seattle USA