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For Northern Ireland’s Unionists the 11th and 12th of July are a time of bonfires and parades and two days of the year of huge cultural and political significance.

In 2004, a documentary was filmed for Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Northern Ireland in Springmartin and Highfield in the Greater Shankill area of Belfast. The Bonfire followed the building of a traditional bonfire by young people, hearing from both them and the older members of the community about their lives. It is remembered by many as an authentic portrayal of life in a working class Unionist community here.

Now in 2021, Return to the Bonfire takes us back to the Unionist heartland of the Greater Shankill area to see what changes have come to the area. In Highfield, the old bonfire field is now a state-of-the-art football pitch, and mixed marriages are now commonplace. Yet while change has undoubtedly come, unionist culture and politics remain central to many people’s lives. We see how the building of the ‘boney’ is still a crucial rite of passage for the young men of the area and watch as NI centenary celebrations are enjoyed, despite uncertainty about the future. Further down the Shankill Road, there are strongly-held views on peace building between unionist and nationalist communities as well as the controversial Northern Ireland Protocol.

The film culminates on the 11th night itself as people gather together and bonfires are lit.