FACE DOWN

Ireland, Germany, Spain, UK, USA, 2023

Director: Gerry Gregg; screenplay: David Blake Knox; editing: Vinny Beime; producers: David Blake Knox, Peter Crawford-McCann, Haydn Keenan, Colm O’ Callaghan, Peter Gottschalk, Mary McKeagney, Catherine O’Flaherty, Kelda Crawford-McCann.

Running time: 85’

SYNOPSIS

On 27th December 1973, a nightmare began for an entire family.  On that night, German businessman, factory manager and honorary consul, Thomas Niedermayer was kidnapped from his home in Belfast. His wife, Ingeborg, and his daughters, Renate and Gabriele, spend the next seven years not knowing if Thomas was alive or dead. Then, in 1980, an IRA informant led police to recover his body. But the trauma for the Niedermayers did not end then: there were further devastating consequences for all of them.
Thomas and Ingeborg’s only granddaughters, Tanya and Rachel, were told nothing of this history when they were growing up. Now, 50 years after their grandfather was kidnapped, they have embarked on a painful journey of discovery – to find out the shocking truth of what really happened half-a-century ago.

DIRECTOR

Gerry Gregg is an international Emmy Award-winning Producer/Director who has been making television programmes and films since joining RTE, in 1978 as a 22 year old First Class Honours degree graduate from University College Dublin. In 1989, Gerry left RTE to set up his own production company. Since then he has established a reputation as one of Ireland’s most accomplished film-makers with a distinguished track record in current affairs, documentary and drama production.

TRAILER