IFI Irish Film Archive

The Tryzzian Exiles - The Roy Spence Collection

Year1972 Duration23m 46s ProducerGothic Films

Three alien criminals from the planet Tryzzia are exiled to a distant planet for their heinous crimes. The planet is Earth! Who will stand against these evil extra-terrestrials and thwart their killing spree, or are we all doomed? Roy Spence is an award-winning amateur filmmaker. For the past 50 years, Spence has been making and screening a series of remarkable and sometimes eccentric films in his cinema in Comber, Co. Down. The films span many genres from sci-fi to horror to folk-life documentaries shot between 1965 and 1986. His collection of over 40 films (13 documentaries/non-fiction and 29 fiction feature films) is held and preserved in the IFI Irish Film Archive.

Winner of the World Amateur Film of the Year, The Magic Man stars Rowel Friers (Artist and Political Cartoonist) as Mesmero, a magician who tours with his wife around remote villages with their magic and mind-reading act. When three local thugs convince themselves that the magic man will reveal their crimes to the police, they hatch a plan to steal his mind-reading glasses. However, things go awry and the brutes get more than they bargained for. Roy Spence is an award-winning amateur filmmaker. For the past 50 years, Spence has been making and screening a series of remarkable and sometimes eccentric films in his cinema in Comber, Co. Down. The films span many genres from sci-fi to horror to folk-life documentaries shot between 1965 and 1986. His collection of over 40 films (13 documentaries/non-fiction and 29 fiction feature films) is held and preserved in the IFI Irish Film Archive.

10m 43s

Dots, Whips and Cobwebs - The Roy Spence Collection

This film looks at the work of three prominent lace makers in Carrickmacross, Northern Ireland in the 1980s. Mary Wilson, Mary McMahon and Rose Feeney show various intricate lacework techniques that were inspired by their natural surroundings, as well as teaching us the history and language of lace through detailed demonstrations, all captured beautifully in this film by Roy Spence for the Ulster Folk Museum. Although the popularity of lacework has declined in recent years, the Ulster Folk Museum continues to preserve these disappearing traditions for future generations. Roy Spence is an award-winning amateur filmmaker. For the past 50 years, Spence has been making and screening a series of remarkable and sometimes eccentric films in his cinema in Comber, Co. Down. The films span many genres from sci-fi to horror to folk-life documentaries shot between 1965 and 1986. His collection of over 40 films (13 documentaries/non-fiction and 29 fiction feature films) is held and preserved in the IFI Irish Film Archive.

7m 18s

Bending the Sally - The Roy Spence Collection

In this documentary by Roy Spence, willow weaver Alison Fitzgerald takes the viewer through the labour intensive process of weaving a ciseog from willow rods, from her workshop Greenwood Baskets in Loughgall. A ciseog is a type of basket that is traditionally used for straining potatoes. From the cutting of the willow rods to the intricate weaving of the sally rods, we are treated to a brief history of a craft and tradition that’s admired all over the world. Roy Spence is an award-winning amateur filmmaker. For the past 50 years, Spence has been making and screening a series of remarkable and sometimes eccentric films in his cinema in Comber, Co. Down. The films span many genres from sci-fi to horror to folk-life documentaries shot between 1965 and 1986. His collection of over 40 films (13 documentaries/non-fiction and 29 fiction feature films) is held and preserved in the IFI Irish Film Archive.

26m 05s

The Tomb of Frankenstein - The Roy Spence Collection

Shot on location in Comber and Clandeboye Estate in Bangor, this Roy Spence classic is an homage to the classic Frankenstein story. A strange old hermit employs witchcraft to give life to the dead Frankenstein’s monster and uses the creature to take vengeance on those who wronged him previously. But will the creature stay loyal to his creator or seek his own revenge? Roy Spence is an award-winning amateur filmmaker. For the past 50 years Roy has been making and screening a series of remarkable and sometimes eccentric films in his cinema in Comber, Co. Down. The films span many genres from sci-fi to horror to folk-life documentaries shot between 1965 and 1986. His collection of over 40 films (13 documentaries/non-fiction and 29 fiction feature films) is held and preserved in the IFI Irish Film Archive.

13m 15s

The Attack of the Saucer People - The Roy Spence Collection

Roger, a ciné enthusiast, enlists the support of fellow ciné-club members in the making of an amateur, sci-fi film. After inadvertently filming an actual alien spaceship, his group thinks he has upped his special effects budget and suspect nothing’s amiss. It won’t be long before Roger is paid another visit by the little green men, but will this be the end or will there be a sequel? Roy Spence is an award-winning amateur filmmaker. For the past 50 years, Spence has been making and screening a series of remarkable and sometimes eccentric films in his cinema in Comber, Co. Down. The films span many genres from sci-fi to horror to folk-life documentaries shot between 1965 and 1986. His collection of over 40 films (13 documentaries/non-fiction and 29 fiction feature films) is held and preserved in the IFI Irish Film Archive.

28m 25s

The Blacksmith - The Roy Spence Collection

In this Roy Spence film, created for the Ulster Folk Museum, Joe O’Neill shows a range of blacksmithing skills and techniques using tools and methods that have not changed in centuries. These include heat welding, scarfing, scrolling, curling and bending. All completed in a traditional simple forge. The original version of the film included an audio track explaining the history, tools and techniques of a blacksmith, however even as a silent film, the powerful visuals of this timeless skill remains evident.Roy Spence is an award-winning amateur filmmaker. For the past 50 years, Spence has been making and screening a series of remarkable and sometimes eccentric films in his cinema in Comber, Co. Down. The films span many genres from sci-fi to horror to folk-life documentaries shot between 1965 and 1986. His collection of over 40 films (13 documentaries/non-fiction and 29 fiction feature films) is held and preserved in the IFI Irish Film Archive.