Maker of Ó Searcaigh documentary defends work

The film-maker behind a controversial documentary on poet Cathal Ó Searcaigh rejected allegations that her work offered a distorted view of the poet's charitable work in Nepal.

The first Irish screening of the film was received with applause by an audience in Dublin's Irish Film Institute last night. At one point during a question-and-answer session with the director following the screening, a critic who questioned the credibility of the film was shouted down by members of the audience.

The hour-long documentary, Fairytale of Kathmandu, by Neasa Ní Chianáin, accompanies the Donegal poet to Nepal to film his education projects, but goes on to express concern about his relationship with young men there.

Ó Searcaigh has criticised the portrayal of him in the film and has described it as "not only distorted and inaccurate but also very damaging to my reputation".

Ní Chianáin told the audience last night that she was an admirer of the poet and wanted to make a documentary of his life in Nepal, where he has been sponsoring the education projects.

However, this changed during the course of filming when she became aware that he had slept with some of the young boys in the film.

In response to a question on whether she was surprised at the reaction to the film, Ní Chianáin said it was natural for a documentary such as hers to stoke up controversy.

"Because Cathal is a public figure there has been a lot of discussion and people have been very protective of him and haven't been on the journey I have been. Maybe they have a lot of difficulty marrying the man they love and respect with these actions," she said.

"So, I think in that dynamic, such as in a family when there is exploitation and abuse, the person who reveals the secret become the villain and the perpetrator become the victim . . . it's a dynamic that happens and its natural for people to take sides."

Ní Chianáin added: "I hope that when people see the film they will see the complexities of the issues raised are explored a bit more . . . it was very important for me that this would not be a one-dimensional film. I really worked hard with the material I had to make it as complex as possible."

The film stresses that none of the young men was under 16, the age of consent in Nepal. However, Ní Chianáin expressed concern in the film at the power disparity between poor Nepali boys and a relatively wealthy westerner.

"Much of the story focuses on how I ended up in this situation and how I dealt with it . . . it gradually descended into a sad place for everyone involved," Ní Chianáin said.

Several members of the audience praised Ní Chianáin on her work. However, one member of the audience, a neighbour of Ó Searcaigh, suggested that the testimony of some of the boys in the film who claimed to have had sexual encounters with the poet lacked credibility.

However, Ní Chianáin said the boys were interviewed with a counsellor who worked with abuse victims.