Miners' Strike film digs deep
A film marking the 40th anniversary of the end of the Miners’ Strike will be widely available to view next month. Tony Henderson reports
A film produced to mark the 40th anniversary of the end of the 1984/5 Miners’ Strike will be released online next month.
In The Veins, portrays how one of the longest industrial disputes of the 20th century has affected the people, places, and identity of individuals and communities involved in the strike,
Created by the Yorkshire and North East Film Archive and Teesside University, the film also uses over a century of archive footage to reflect on the mining heritage of Yorkshire and the North East.
“For centuries, men toiled to build a nation, creating prosperity and improved standards of living, before experiencing the gut-wrenching end to livelihoods, a cost to people and their communities that is still having an impact across the generations.,” said Graham Relton, co-director at the Yorkshire and North East Film Archive and producer of the film.
“A story of hardship and hope, division and defiance, perseverance and pride; the film is not a history lesson - it’s an emotional journey that digs deep into the heart of a community built on coal.
“From villages, towns and communities that grew from the industry, the bonds and friendships fostered, to the formation of activist groups such as Women Against Pit Closures the film celebrates the success, commiserates the demise and is a timely reminder about the need for a just transition from fossil fuels to cleaner energy.”
The 24-minute long film will be available to view on the Yorkshire and North East Film Archive YouTube channel on Monday March 3.
It follows screenings across in ex-mining communities in Darlington, Hartlepool, Washington, Stockton, and Stanley.
An audience of more than 650 people watched at the Grand Cinema at the Beamish Museum, when the York Golden Rail Band accompanied the film by performing i music from the film Brassed Off.
Ben Lamb, senior lecturer in media and television at Teesside University and executive co- producer of In The Veins, said: “We are indebted to the community curator group who were instrumental in shaping the film.
“They lived, worked and breathed mining communities, at the coalface and in the community, their input has added a real authenticity that has helped the film to really connect with audiences, demonstrating real impact with viewers in venues across Yorkshire and the North East.
“We’ve seen the whole gamut of emotional responses, and we hope online audiences will be equally empowered and even enraged by the stories portrayed within the film carefully crafted by film maker Andy Burns.”
The community curator group includes County Durham-based Heather Wood, a prominent figure in the Women Against Pit Closures’ movement and Stephen Guy, former miner and chairman of the Durham Miners’ Association.
“The film shows the importance of coal, how it kept us all warm, how it kept the wheels of industry turning and how communities came together as each pit was sunk. It shows the price of coal, the deaths and illnesses caused by mining,” said Heather, who has written a book on growing up in the mining village of Easington.
“It shows the strength and tenacity of miners and their families who over the years fought for a fair wage, better working conditions and in 1984 fought hoping to keep jobs and community. It tells our story.”
Stephen Guy said: “The film accurately portrays the importance of coal to the world through to its demise. A whirlwind of emotions, viewers are exposed to true sense of community during good times and bad. There is a sense of community, defiance and mining culture throughout.
“Witnessing the scenes from the Durham Miners' Gala, as thousands march through the streets of Durham is, metaphorically speaking, a mining culture coursing through the veins of the city.”
In the Veins screenings are supported by Film Hub North with National Lottery funding on behalf of BFI Film Audience Network.
There will be a screening and talk event in Barnard Castle on March 1, by the charity Cine North which brings rural communities together through cinema.
The event will be at the TCR Hub community centre at Shaw Bank in Barnard Castle from 3.30pm- 6pm, book through Eventbrite.
Meanwhile in Newcastle, the film will be part of a special event at Tyneside Cinema on April 6.
A Century of Coalmining: Songs of the North East + In the Veins will see North East opera stars Graeme Danby and Valerie Reid perform traditional songs and ballads live ahead of the screening. More details and tickets from the website.