“In this exceptional portrait of a community still healing from trauma, we follow this educator extraordinaire as he uses Ancient Greek wisdom as an antidote for pessimism, violence, and historical despair.”
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Young Plato (2022). Documentary, Northern Ireland. Directed by Neasa Ní Chianáin & Declan McGrath. (1 hour 41 min.) With English Subtitles.
See it from anywhere in the world, at any time, throughout July. Access is free.
YOUNG PLATO is an inspirational observational documentary set in post-conflict Belfast, Northern Ireland (UK). Co-directors Chianáin & McGrath follow the admirable and often humorous day-to-day work of visionary school headmaster and teacher Kevin McArevey. He encourages his primary school students to question, to see beyond the boundaries and limitations of their troubled community, inspired in part by the wisdom of philosophers. Some of the boys struggle to put in practice what he teaches, and he continues to help them (and the community around them) find their way. YOUNG PLATO shines a positive light on contemporary Northern Ireland, offering a path for building a culture of peace.
Our July Live Session Recording on the film Young Plato is now available!
Featuring Kevin McArevey, Visionary Headmaster and Protagonist of the film and David Rane, the film’s producer.
“Young Plato” was nominated in 2022 for Best Feature Documentary at the British Independent Film Awards and at the International Documentary Association Awards in the US, and has won 14 awards around the world.
“Young Plato is a guide to a better world.”
(Reel news daily)
“… Heartening to witness. Encouraging children to avoid conflict has a particular relevance in Belfast, of course, but I’d be happy to see McArevey’s methods used in schools everywhere.”
(Sunday Times)
Directors
Neasa Ní Chianáin
Neasa has directed four feature documentaries, such as Fairytale of Kathmandu (2007, IDFA), The Stranger (2014, Locarno Film Festival), and two film series. Her film “School Life” premiered at IDFA 2016 and Sundance 2017, becoming a worldwide success. It won the Audience Award at Visions du Reel. Sydney Film Festival selected her as one of ten most promising European women directors.
Declan McGrath
Documentary director of numerous award-winning documentaries such as Stephen: My Fight for Life (2019), Lomax in Eirinn (2018), The Occupation (2018), A Woman´s Place (2018). He has also worked as a documentary editor for 25 years. He has taught film in several Universities, such as Queens University Belfast. He is the author of two books, Screencraft: Editing Post-Production and Screencraft: Scriptwriting.
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