Sinéad O'Connor never veered from what she believed in, says doc director
"It was fantastic to discover that the issues she was banging the drum about in 1990 were the same in 2020."
This weekend, Sky Documentaries and NOW will be airing the critically acclaimed Sinéad O'Connor documentary, Nothing Compares.
After briefly being aired in cinemas in 2022, the documentary quickly went on to garner widespread critical acclaim, going on to receive over thirty international award nominations. Director Kathryn Ferguson has said that while collating archival footage of the iconic singer, there were "too many" surprises in the film process.
Chatting exclusively to RadioTimes.com before the sad passing of O'Connor, Ferguson was asked what the most challenging part of the film was or whether there was anything that surprised her. Answering, she revealed: "Too many to mention!"
She explained: "A happy surprise, which was more of a validation than a surprise, was going through the many many hours of archive interviews and realising that Sinéad has never veered from her message or what she believed in. The media have done a fantastic job in being incredibly reductive with her voice and it was fantastic to discover that the issues she was banging the drum about in 1990 were the same in 2020."
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According to the synopsis of the documentary, it follows the career of O'Connor through her rise to fame and how her iconoclastic personality led to her exile from the pop mainstream.
Nothing Compares, according to the synopsis, "reflects on the legacy of a fearless artist through a contemporary feminist lens and features era-defining music videos and concert performances, previously unseen footage, and a present-day interview with Sinead".
Read more:
- Sinéad O'Connor documentary director: 'She was dismissed and reduced'
- Sinéad O'Connor opens up on struggle with identity and fame in doc preview
It continues: "The docu-film is a tapestry of Sinead’s impact on the world around her and ties together intimate first-hand interviews and insights from contemporary artists, musicians and social commentators who introduce broader themes of Irish history, politics, and global activism, all the while reflecting on Sinead’s artistry and far-reaching, global impact."
One of the infamous performances of O'Connor's that is explored in the documentary is O'Connor's 1992 performance on Saturday Night Live, which saw the singer tear up a photo of Pope John Paul II.
After that, Ferguson recalled that O'Connor "kind of vanished" from her screens when she was a "pre-teen schoolgirl". Speaking again to RadioTimes.com, she said: "It showed me: here's somebody that's amazing and incredible, and she's been dismissed and reduced to the point where I can't see her any more.
"What does that say to a young woman? For me, as a young Belfast girl, it was just demoralising. And it left an emotional dent on me."
Ferguson added: "In that moment, the seeds were sown for Nothing Compares. I finally met her in 2012 when, as a young director, I was asked to direct a music video for Sinéad's track 4th And Vine. Meeting her reminded me of all the feelings I'd felt as a teenager and that's where it all started."
Nothing Compares will be released on Sky Documentaries and NOW on Saturday 29th July – you can sign up for Sky TV here.
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Authors
Morgan Cormack is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering everything drama-related on TV and streaming. She previously worked at Stylist as an Entertainment Writer. Alongside her past work in content marketing and as a freelancer, she possesses a BA in English Literature.
