The Longest Year: The Miners' Strike at 40
Showroom Cinema presents a mini season of films and events marking the end of the Miners’ Strike, the largest industrial dispute the UK has ever seen.
The season begins with Strike: An Uncivil War with a Q&A by its director Dan Gordon.
On 3 March, the day that the strike ended, the Yorkshire and North East Film Archives will present their new film In the Veins alongside a rare theatrical screening of 1985 Yorkshire Television broadcast, ‘The Longest Year’ and a panel discussion.
On 15 March, Showroom Cinema will mark its 30th anniversary with two special events around the classic film, Brassed Off; an afternoon screening of the film with a performance by Unite the Union Brass Band, and an evening gala featuring a Q&A with cast and crew from the film.
The season will end with a special screening of Barbara Kopple’s Harlan County, USA presented by The University of Sheffield’s Philosophy department, a ground-breaking documentary capturing the U.S. "Brookside Strike" of 1973. The surrounding discussion will explore themes of worker solidarity and collective action, as well as the role of music within these movements.
Upcoming films & events
- Strike: An Uncivil War + Q&A 15
- English
- Strike: An Uncivil War returns to Showroom Cinema for a limited engagement, with a Q&A with director Daniel Gordon on 1 March.
- Sat 1 Mar
- 19.30
- Strike: An Uncivil War 15
- English
- Daniel Gordon’s feature documentary tells the story of the Battle of Orgreave, the most violent confrontation between Miners and Police during the 1984/85 Miners’ Strike in Great Britain.
- Sun 2 Mar
- 16.30
- Mon 3 Mar
- 20.55
- In the Veins / The Longest Year + Q&A PG
- 2025 & 1985
- A special one-off double bill to mark the 40th anniversary of the end of the Miner’s Strike, newly commissioned archive short film In the Veins plays alongside the 1985 Yorkshire Television documentary The Longest Year.
- Mon 3 Mar
- 18.30
- Showroom 30th Birthday: Brassed Off + Live Performance by Unite the Union Brass Band 15
- English
- Celebrate Showroom Cinema’s 30th birthday with two special screenings of Brassed Off on 15 March. This afternoon screening will be followed by a live performance by Unite the Union Brass Band.
- Sat 15 Mar
- 14.30
- Showroom 30th Birthday: Brassed Off and An Audience With... 15
- English
- Cast members Stephen Tompkinson and Melanie Hill, director Mark Herman and producer Steve Abbott, join us for a special Q+A to celebrate 30 years of Showroom Cinema.
- Sat 15 Mar
- 19.00
- Philosophy: Harlan County, USA 18
- English
- The University of Sheffield’s series of Philosophy screenings and discussions continues with a screening of Barbara Kopple’s ground-breaking documentary Harlan County, USA.
- Thu 27 Mar
- 18.00
