Celebrated Irish literary photographer, John Minihan, returns to Paris, and to the locations that evoke memories of his most well known subject, the Nobel laureate, Samuel Beckett.

Concept

An intimate portrait of Samual Beckett’s relationship with his adopted home, 6.14 examines the writer’s creative bond to the city of Paris as seen through the lens of acclaimed photographer John Minihan. 6.14 developed from two earlier films made by producer / director David Bickley—The Man Who Shot Beckett—a documentary that spearheaded RTÉ’s Beckett 100 season in 2006 and Walking for Godot (2017) made with the Paris Beckett Festival, RTÉ Arts and UCC featuring actor Adrian Dunbar. David Bickley undertook an arts residency at the Centre Culturel Irlandais, Paris in 2022 where production work on 6.14 formed the core of his stay. The title of the film is taken from the 6th and 14th arrondissements of Paris, areas where Samuel Beckett spent much of his life and where 6.14 was shot. In 6.14 celebrated Irish literary photographer John Minihan returns to Paris and to the locations that evoke memories of his most well known subject, Samuel Beckett. The film explores Beckett’s intimate relationship with the city and the artistic freedom it allowed him, leading to the creation of some of the greatest works of 20th century literature. Minihan acts as our guide to Paris recalling the city through his own experience and his meetings with Samuel Beckett, at once demystifying the man and exploring how essential Paris was to the creation of his art. The film explores the importance of place in the creation of art and the sense of freedom that living in Paris gave Beckett, a crucial factor in the genesis of some of his most famous works.