Fine Point Films, the producers of Alex Gibney’s Northern Irish documentary film No Stone Unturned, have withdrawn the film from the Tribeca Film Festival due to outstanding legal issues. The film was scheduled to have its world premiere at the festival on Saturday, April 23.
In a statement, the festival said: “We were notified today from the producers of Alex Gibney’s No Stone Unturned that there are outstanding legal issues surrounding the film and they will need to withdraw the documentary from the Festival. We are very disappointed that audiences will not be able to see the film at Tribeca and we know Alex is equally disappointed that his film will not have its world premiere at the Festival.”
No Stone Unturned is a murder mystery that reveals the kind of secrets the governments keep. In 1994, six people were gunned down as they watched the World Cup in a small pub in a village in Northern Ireland. Remarkably, no one was ever charged for the crime.
For more than twenty years the victims’ families have searched for answers. Now, at last, they may have found them. But what they learn turns a murder mystery into bigger inquiry relevant for us all: what happens when governments cover up the truth? The film is produced by Trevor Birney (Bobby Sands: 66 Days) for Fine Point Films.
Commenting on the withdrawal producer Trevor Birney said: “No one will feel this disappointment more than the families at the centre of the film, whose quest for justice has been both inspiring and unstinting these last 23 years. It is our deepest hope that these sensitive issues can be resolved as soon as possible so that we can share this important film with the world.”
Three other Irish films will play at the festival, with Brendan Muldowney’s Pilgrimage, Ross McDonnell and Tim Golden’s Elián, and Emer Reynolds’ The Farthest all having their world premieres.
The 16th Annual Tribeca Film Festival takes place April 19th to 30th.