North West Labour Film Festival

The first North West Labour Film Festival comes to Liverpool from the 6th to the 9th of October. Hosted between Picturehouse at Fact in the city centre and The Plaza Cinema in Crosby, the four day festival will feature films, discussion and socialising to bring together many in our movement across a range of topics. 

Full details of the festival can be found at http://northwestlabourfilmfest.com/. If you would like copies of the poster and brochure, these can be downloaded below or you can contact the North West TUC office on nwcampaigns@tuc.org.uk or 0151 482 2710 for copies. 

Click here to book tickets for the Picturehouse (6, 8th & 9th October)

Call 0151 928 1530 to book tickets for the Plaza Community Cinema (7th October)

A message from the organisers

Having hosted four editions of the London Labour Film Festival, we are delighted to be presenting our first North West Labour Film Festival. We hope you will join us at the Picturehouse (FACT) and the Plaza Community Cinema for an intimate celebration of working class life on the big screen, in Liverpool this October.

Kicking off with a story for our times, we begin with a special pre-release screening of the latest film from cinematic master Ken Loach. I, Daniel Blake won this year’s Palme d’Or at Cannes, and is a searing portrait of people battling the inhumane welfare system in Newcastle. Join us for a complimentary Havana Club drinks reception beforehand, and a post-screening discussion with the film’s producer, Rebecca O’Brien, who will also talk to local schoolchildren at a festival school screening the following day. We’ll also present a more light hearted film with 7 Chinese Brothers, in which Jason Schwartzman portrays a rebellious low paid worker, a great film for the era of zero hours contracts.

On Friday we move from Europe to the USA and back again, with director Michael Moore (Capitalism: A Love Story) back on form in Where To Invade Next. Uncovering progressive ideas to import to the USA, from Italian working hours to Norwegian prisons, join us for more complimentary drinks, and our all female panel Angela Rayner, shadow education minister, Julie Ward, MEP, and Lynne Collins, TUC, at the Q&A, discussing what we could learn from our European neighbours. We are also thrilled to present our festival’s film premiere The Judgement, Bulgaria’s 2014 Oscar entry, which sees an ex-military man agree to illegally smuggle Syrian refugees. A post-panel discussion about the refugee crisis with Farouq Habib from international charity Mayday Rescue, which will raise money for the White Helmets, a charity helping people in conflict areas like Syria.

Journalist and former Channel 4 economics editor Paul Mason will be joining blacklisted workers for a post-screening discussion about Trumbo, the Oscar-nominated film starring Bryan Cranston as the famous blacklisted screenwriter. Moving through the weekend, on Saturday we screen The 33, a moving portrayal of the disaster that trapped Chilean miners underground for 69 days. Featuring A-List stars Antonio Banderas and Juliette Binoche, this story of survival will be accompanied by a reception serving up pisco sours and cerveza, and a discussion between Chilean and mining representatives. It’s also one of several films directed by a woman or featuring a strong female lead, as is Operator, a brilliant BAFTA winning short backed by the Fire Brigades Union.

Finally, we close with a vintage feel with Mike Nichol’s 1983 classic Silkwood. Relaying the inspiring story of Karen Silkwood, the union activist who mysteriously died as she prepared to expose health and safety problems in the nuclear power industry, it features one of Meryl Streep’s standout performances, and will be followed by a panel discussion.

Vitally, this year’s festival coincides with the World Day for Decent Work, a global initiative mobilising trade unions from all over the world around the struggle for decent work, taking place on October 7. With no better time to celebrate working people onscreen, we look forward to welcoming you to this year’s festival!

Anna Burton Festival Director

Glen Williams Festival Co-ordinator