A Sheffield-based cinema group has organised a radical film festival to provide a platform for discussion about industrial action.
The Radical Film Festival, hosted by Community Kino, will allow people taking part in International Workers’ Day to discuss social and political issues in a conversation guided by the films they are watching.
The festival will take place on 1 May at Sheffield Quaker Meeting House on Saint James Street, and is priced at £4.50 per film ticket.
Community Kino founder Jordan Blake, 32, said: “We want to show that it’s not just in cinema that these struggles are happening – it’s in your hometown, in Sheffield. Workers are striking, workers are winning, and here is how you can do it as well.
“The choice of films that we have and the choice of people that will be involved in the discussions are designed to celebrate but also offer an insight into what is going on in Sheffield.”
Two Ken Loach movies, Bread and Roses and The Spirit of ’45, will be shown in the festival and a further date will be added to highlight films by other directors.
Notice boards, which Mr Blake has dubbed ‘coordinates of struggle’, will be set up in the venue to inform attendees of what events and strikes are taking place and how they can get involved.
Groups such as Sheffield TUC, Chile Solidarity Network, The World Transformed, Green New Deal Rising, and independent bookstores and publishers have shown their support and are collaborating with the event.
Mr Blake said: “There seems to be a lot of excitement about it. We’ve had a lot of people get in touch who want to be involved.
“People are excited that there’s something cultural that’s political. It’s not just a demonstration or a protest or a talk, they can actually have fun while discussing things like this.”
Community Kino was set up in January 2023 as a community cinema that offers more than just film viewings.
The meetings, which take place on the second Wednesday of every month, offer meals, a film and a platform for guided discussion on social and political issues.
