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‘Fatima Was Me City’ – is a documentary film by Vinny Murphy in collaboration with Rialto Community Drug Team and produced by Common Ground.  

The film reveals searingly honest testimonies from a group of six men who grew up in Fatima Mansions, Rialto, Dublin during the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. The mark of those decades are revealed, from the brutality of growing up with violence, drug addiction and the devastation caused to a community to the realities of being stigmatised and left to tether on the edge of a society that treated them as outcasts. 

Film maker Vinny Murphy, alongside local community facilitator Joanie Whyte, worked with the men’s group on documenting different stages in their lives as they reveal their experience of trauma and violence living with drugs, crime, incarceration, brutality, and death. As one of the men reminds us, “we buried a generation”.  

Developed over two years filmmaker Vinny Murphy documented personal and group testimonies and worked with the men’s group on exploring different stages in their lives.  Their personal testimonies and analysis of those times in their lives bravely examines themes of inequality, loss, stigma, power and hope. 

‘Fatima Was Me City’ marks Rialto Community Drug Teams 30th anniversary.  


About the film

In 2018 Common Ground approached Vinny Murphy and asked him to consider making a film with Rialto Community Drug Team. Vinny was introduced to a men’s group based in Rialto Community Drug Team by one of its members Tony May and local community worker Joanie Whyte.  Common Ground supported the film project with advice and Vinny and the men’s group accessed the artist studio, studio 468 in St Andrew’s Community Centre throughout 2019 and into early 2020.  The documentary film ‘Fatima Was Me City’ was first screened at the Dublin International Film Festival in February 2022.   


About the filmmaker

Vinny Murphy is a unique figure in Irish filmmaking in that as well as writing, directing, shooting, acting in and composing music for films made in all kinds of different situations, he also teaches screen acting and filmmaking at the Lir, screenwriting on the MA at the National Film School at IADT and screen acting at TU Dublin. As well as the multi International Award winning feature Accelerator and many dramas, he has made films in the community, in prisons, rehabilitation centres, schools and colleges. He is currently in post -production on a documentary about an inventor of medical devices


About Rialto Community Drug Team

Rialto Community Drug Team, one of the first community based drug teams In Ireland, was established 30 years ago and is located in St Andrew’s Community Centre, Dublin 8.   

Rialto Community Drug Team takes a harm reduction and psycho-social approach in addressing the impact of drugs and alcohol on those attending our services and in the wider community.  It offers a continuum of care through person centred services working with individuals ‘where they are at’ and works from a health led and community development model.   Through evidence based best practice, the work of the drug team engages in and informs the development of local and national drug strategies. 


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