In the underground world of diffing, a community finds solace in their passion, as they navigate personal struggles and challenges both on and off the road... Director Ruairi Bradley introduces his IFTA-nominated short film We Beg To Differ, ahead of a screening at this month's Dublin International Film Festival - watch the trailer above.
The first time I saw diffing was on the set of a music video I was producing for Kojaque. My initial impression was that it just seemed like something interesting. But when I started talking to one of the guys and asking more about it, he told me about the community he was part of. He spoke about the bond they share, and it became clear that this was something deeply important to him.
This was in Dublin and I realised there might be a more personal and compelling story if I went back home and explored Belfast's diffing scene. That's when I found a group called UGD (Underground Differs), who had access to a yard where they could go diffing. In that yard, they had a memorial wall with the names of differs who had sadly passed away.
While the film deals with heavy themes, I think it's ultimately a hopeful story.
Early on, it became clear that mental health struggles were the biggest challenge facing this community. I wanted to make a film that captured this community’s experience through an empathetic lens. They often face prejudice, but I wanted to strip that away and focus on what draws them to diffing and how it has helped them in their lives.
the biggest challenge facing this community.'
While the film deals with heavy themes, I think it's ultimately a hopeful story. Spending time documenting them was hugely inspiring. The sense of camaraderie and identity within the community is powerful. Diffing provides a way to connect, and it's also just good craic. That’s why having spaces for people to go diffing is so important, when legal diffing yards are shut down, people are more likely to end up in dangerous situations.
The response to the film has been amazing. Showing it to the contributors was nerve-wracking, but they loved it and felt it represented them, which was the most important thing. When we started submitting to festivals, we had no big expectations, so it was incredible to see it exceed all of them. We’ve won over twelve awards so far and have been nominated for an IFTA. One of the highlights was screening the film at the Clermont-Ferrand Film Festival in front of 1,500 people. It’s been incredible to share this story with audiences around the world and hear how they connect with it in their own way.
We Beg To Differ screens at the 2025 Dublin International Film Festival on February 24th - find out more here
