by A.F.N. Clarke
To the army it's known as 'bandit country' - that part of Northern Ireland close to the southern border.
Patrolling here is always tense, tiring, unpredictable and usually very dangerous. Contact - the army term for an armed exchange with terrorists - can take place at any time.
Writer A.F.N. Clarke was a Captain patrolling this area, and this is his story.
This presentation, originally for Screen Two, has just won the Golden Leopard's Eye Award at Locarno for the Best Film Made for Television. (R)
"Contact was so real it hurt." (Daily Express)
"Holds the attention at bayonet-point. Succeeds brilliantly." (The Standard)
"It told more about one aspect of life in Ulster than a dozen well-meaning documentaries.... a beautifully made film by Alan Clarke." (Sunday Times)