A document — from the inside — of the events of the miners’ strikes in 1973-74 that helped to bring down Edward Heath’s government. The film explores miners’ historical and political understanding of crises inside the labour movement, informed by memories of the 1926 General Strike, offering analysis on the failures of nationalisation and energy and employment policies.
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Arise Ye Workers (The Dockers Fight) (1973, 25 mins)
A film supporting dockers’ protests against redundancy, lay-offs and wage cuts caused by containerisation, charting ruthless rationalisation, profiteering and land speculation, police harassment of pickets and the enforcement of the Industrial Relations Act by the arrest and jailing of the Pentonville 5. The film documents dockers successfully calling on Fleet Street printworkers to strike in solidarity and the release of the five jailed dockers.
Part of So That You Can Live: The Oppositional Films of Cinema Action
Also showing as part of this season: Early Shorts (1969-1970), Films from the Clyde, Shorts (1972-1975), People of Ireland, So That You Can Live
With thanks to Chris Reeves at Platform Films
Presented by Wavelength
F: facebook.com/wavelengthdocs
T: @wavelengthdocs
dir. Cinema Action
year: 1974-5
country: UK
run-time: 49 minutes
Doors 7pm
Film 7:30pm
£6.00 (£4.50 conc.)
“Independent cinema in Britain is unthinkable without the achievements of the innovative film collective Cinema Action”
“Avoids the distortions of so many seemingly ‘honest’ documentaries through its refusal to impose an overall viewpoint via a commentary”