Director And Producer Criticize Star Article

Terry George, the director of "Some Mother's Son," which opened the Hamptons International Film Festival last week, denounced an article in last Thursday's East Hampton Star during a festival panel on Friday.

The film is based on the hunger strike of Irish Republicans imprisoned by the British and the death of their leader, Bobby Sands, and nine others in 1981. The film premiered at Cannes and won the audience awards at the Edinburgh and San Sebastian Festivals.

It is the first feature directed by Mr. George, a journalist, playwright, and screenwriter, who also wrote the screenplay with Jim Sheridan. Mr. Sheridan collaborated with Mr. George on "In The Name of the Father" and made his own directorial debut in "My Left Foot." Both men were panelists at a discussion of screenwriting and directing.

Wrong Group

The Star article, by Simon Worrall of East Hampton, a British journalist, was an opinion piece about what he considers the film's political agenda.

Unfortunately, it stated incorrectly that Mr. George had once been a member of the Irish National Liberation Army, a group that has a history of violence. It therefore counted him among those who had, in the past, condoned "the killing and maiming of innocent people in the name of a united Ireland."

The Star regrets having published these statements, as well as any misimpression the reader may have gained because Mr. Worrall did not disclose the fact that he had not seen the picture before writing the article. Mr. Worrall has now seen the film and said he plans to write a letter to the editor next week about his response.

Past History

Interviewed Saturday by telephone from his home in Westchester County, Mr. George reported that his participation in Irish Republican events had been as a member of the Irish Republican Socialist Party, a political party, which, he said, did not advocate violence.

He said he had been imprisoned for three years at the Maze prison (as Mr. Worrall pointed out), adding that his imprisonment stemmed from his having been arrested 23 years ago in a car in which a gun was found.

Mr. George and one of the producers of "Some Mother's Son," Ed Burke, also objected to the article's statement that "I.R.A. operatives [are] portrayed so sympathetically in this film." They said the film was a human portrait focusing on the mothers of two hunger-strikers and was critical of violence and duplicity.

Mr. Burke, whose letter on the subject appears this week, said Tuesday that the film was intended to "make people think."