An Uncivil War’ wins Audience Award at Sheffield DocFest

Tull Stories/VeryMuchSo/Embankment Films

Tuesday marks 40^th the anniversary of a dark day in British history: the Battle of Orgreave, when police clashed with striking workers at a coking plant, leaving over 100 people injured.

Those shocking events are investigated in the documentary Strike: An Uncivil Warwhich on Monday – on the eve of the anniversary – won the Audience Award at 31^St Sheffield DocFest. The news media, the authorities and then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government tried to place the blame for the violence on the workers, but the Daniel Gordon-directed film reveals an orchestrated plan by the police to attack the strikers.

“We’ve been blown away by how deeply audiences have engaged with the films at Sheffield DocFest this year, and this is especially true of Daniel Gordon. Strike: An Uncivil War,Sheffield creative director Raul Niño Zambrano and managing director Annabel Grundy said in a statement. “Daniel Gordon’s chilling film reveals what really happened on June 18, 1984, and its use of first-hand accounts perfectly demonstrates how documentary can be used to give voice to those who have been overlooked, as well as how that can continue to inform and inspire. discussions about current events.”

Niño Zambrano and Grundy added: “The World Premiere at The Crucible Theatre, which included a brass band and the presence of several miners, was extremely emotional and we are so proud that the film crew chose us as the venue to present this crucial piece. of history.”

Preview projections of Strike: An Uncivil War will take place in the UK on Tuesday. The film will be released in theaters on Friday, June 21 by Tull Stories in partnership with VeryMuchSo and Embankment Films.

“Strike: An Uncivil War it took about ten years,” Gordon said. “It’s a self-financed film and it took a lot of passion and commitment from everyone involved, both those in the film and behind the camera. Screening it at the Sheffield Crucible, with many in the community affected, and knowing that its powerful message resonates with audiences is the perfect way to launch the film ahead of its UK-wide release.”

Orgreave is less than five miles east of Sheffield, home of DocFest.

“The film tells the story of the year-long mine strike of 1984/85 – the most violent and divisive industrial dispute Britain has witnessed,” notes a synopsis for the documentary. “Particular attention is paid to the Battle of Orgreave, which took place on 18 June 1984, the bloodiest day of the strike. Later, the press appeared to lay the blame for the violence at the feet of the strikers. Daniel Gordon’s comprehensive documentary not only debunks this fabrication, it describes what took place as a planned action by the Thatcher government, the prime minister determined to seek reparations for the National Union of Mines’ victory over the Conservative government earlier in the year. 1970 and to break forever the role of the trade union at the heart of British working society.”

The synopsis continues: “With powerful personal testimonies, previously hidden government documents and never-before-seen archival footage, the film presents first-hand the stories and memories of people on the front lines of this incredible moment in time that tore communities and the nation in two and whose ripples it still resonates to this day.”

Deadline exclusively premiered the film’s trailer on June 7. You can watch this here: