The North East Film Archive, based at Teesside University, save and celebrate the screen heritage of the North East of England. At the heart of their collection are films made by, and for, local people, reflecting and representing the communities, places and distinctive identity of the region. Together with their sister archive in Yorkshire they form the Yorkshire and North East Film Archive, a unique pan-regional resource with over 75,000 moving image artefacts, part of York St John University. They unlock the collections for artists, academics, curators, programmers, researchers, and producers to reveal compelling stories from the vaults. www.yfanefa.com
Never Done Anything Like This Before
One of the most compelling films ever made about British miners' strikes in the 20th century.
When British miners went on strike for fair wages in 1926, their families experienced such extreme hardship that soup kitchens were opened to prevent them from starving. Some families even had to resort to sending their children away, like wartime evacuees, to live with foster parents who could afford to feed and clothe them.
When the National Union of Miners called their members out on strike again in 1984, soup kitchens returned to the same towns, and there was a national outcry at the very idea poverty on this level could be permitted to exist in the United Kingdom.
From reproductive rights to unemployment: women tell their own stories in their own way.
At the time these films were made, the vast majority of camera operators, writers and directors were men. For generations, when women's stories were told in film, they were frequently told by men and from the perspective of the male onlooker. In this collection women are given back their voice, and while the subject matter is diverse, the authenticity of the female perspective shines through in every film.
