Strike film will have its world premiere at Sheffield DocFest

The film, by the director of 2014 documentary Hillsborough, will premiere at the festival on Sunday, June 16, ahead of nationwide previews on Tuesday, June 18 and will be on general release in cinemas from Friday, June 21.

The film tells the story of the year-long Miners’ Strike of 1984/85 – the most violent and divisive industrial dispute that Britain has ever witnessed, paying particular focus to the Battle of Orgreave, which took place on June, 18 1984, the bloodiest day of the Strike.

The comprehensive documentary film features powerful personal testimony, previously hidden government documents and never-before seen archive material.

Nationwide previews on Tuesday, June 18 – the 40th anniversary of The Battle of Orgreave – will feature an exclusive Q&A with the film’s director Daniel Gordon, Chris Peace and Kate Flannery of the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign, and former miners Kevin Horne and Ian Mitchell.

Director Daniel Gordon said: “Strike: An Uncivil War is a film I have been wanting to make for over a decade now.

“My mum grew up in a mining village in South Yorkshire, and I grew up very aware of the strength of that community.

“I turned 12 during the Strike and to see the destruction brought on by it was something I could only observe on television and through a child’s lens, but over the years I have always been determined to revisit this period and go beyond the lazy headlines and official narrative of the time.

“After making ‘Hillsborough’, I knew that ‘Strike’ and, in particular, The Battle of Orgreave was next. “There are so many similarities with Hillsborough and Orgreave – the cover up, the shifting of blame by the government and other instruments of the state.

“What has shocked me though was discovering the level of planning. From the very top.”

He added: “I hope this film can continue to raise awareness and, in some way, shine a light on the justice denied.”

To book tickets to the screenings on Sunday at Crucible Theatre in Sheffield visit www.sheffdocfest.com/film/strike-uncivil-war.