Strange Occurences in a Small Irish Village Lands Release Date

Way back in 1897, in the modest village of Knock Co. Mayo, fifteen people claimed to have seen an apparition of the Virgin Mary herself.
Ever since, pilgrims flock to Knock every year in the hope of being redeemed, a miracle bestowed upon them or to witness this 'apparition' for themselves. One million pilgrims each year are welcomed into Knock to be precise. Director of the award-winning One Million Dubliners Aoife Kelleher saw that there was a worthy story to be told here.
Strange Occurrences in a Small Irish Village (the title originates from the newspaper headline at the time) is an exploration of the vibrant and intriguing mix of stories and characters that embrace Knock. From those who come in seek of redemption, to local characters and rivaling religious merchandising shops, Strange Occurrences in a Small Irish Village will put the religious shrine under an interrogative spotlight and demonstrate Knock in a way we haven't seen before.
Aoife Kelleher wants audiences to question their own knowledge and to stop assuming; “It’s very important that every generation interrogate the stories that are passed down to them, and look at them afresh, and decide for themselves whether they should be embraced and preserved or discarded. The story itself is so fantastic that you completely want to the bottom of it. You want to know what it is that they saw and how it was spoken about at the time," Kellher continues, “It’s a documentary about religion rather than a religious documentary. At the very heart of Knock is this story about an apparition, but in making the documentary we wanted to look at the apparition in its social context and its historical context.”
Small Occurrences in a Small Irish Village will open in Irish cinemas nationwide, August 26.