AHRC IAA funded film - In the Veins: Coalmining Communities

‘In the Veins’ is a short film that resonates through time, using over a century of archive footage to shine a light onto the face of the mining heritage of Yorkshire and the North East of England. It’s a story of hardship and hope, division and defiance, perseverance and pride, but it’s 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', In the Veins celebrates the success, commiserates the demise and is a timely reminder about the need for a just transition from fossil fuels to cleaner energy

Alongside 13 members of the public who acted as a curatorial group, myself, Yorkshire Film Archive and North East Film Archive created a compelling short film that enabled audiences to experience what it was like to live and work in mining communities up north. Each screening at ARC Stockton, Beamish museum, Land of Iron, Redhills Durham worked as a conversation starter for audiences to discuss the significance of their history on their present day lives, identity, and sense of place.

This was funded by a £20,000 AHRC IAA grant, £6,000 BFI Film Hub North Film Exhibition Fund follow on funding and a Being Human Festival hub award(Funded by the British Academy and AHRC)

TBC