“A story of hardship and hope, division and defiance, perseverance and pride; In the Veins is not a history lesson, it’s an emotional journey that digs deep into the heart of a community built on coal… we couldn’t have done it without the trust of the volunteers.”
Graham Relton, Co-Director and Head of Access at Yorkshire and North East Film Archive
York St John University’s Yorkshire and North East Film Archive and Teesside University commemorated the 40th anniversary of the 1984-5 Miners’ Strike with their collaborative project, In the Veins, a film reflecting on the UK’s rich history of mining over the last century.
With funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council, the partnership set out to tell the story of the coal industry using only archive footage and found voices in the vaults of the Yorkshire and North East Film Archive.
The team wanted to create a production which would respectfully represent a proud and often forgotten community. They recruited a diverse volunteer group of ‘community curators’ to help shape the production, all of whom had either worked at the coalface or lived in mining communities.
The process involved an in-person meeting at the archive followed by regular video calls. The volunteers were initially sceptical with some citing past experiences where they felt their stories and experiences had been misrepresented in academic projects.
To gain trust, the team shared its ambitions for the production and emphasised how much the volunteer group’s insights would be valued. The group were shown a screening of a previous film the archive had made called Cost Of Living, giving them confidence this film would also be sensitively made and impactful.
“Using us as community curators was by no means just a box ticking exercise. All of our perspectives were valued and incorporated into the final film.”
David Lister, consultant coal mining geologist, community curator
The community curators provided emotional responses, factual advice, and ideas for how the film could connect in a meaningful and authentic way. The film shows how crucial coal was to keeping homes warm and the wheels of industry turning, while also exploring the price of coal, the deaths and illnesses caused by mining black gold, and the way communities came together as each pit was sunk.
Volunteers came to screenings, spoke on Q&A panels and became advocates for the film. Other ‘community champion’ volunteers helped programme events in their local areas. From village halls and museums to film festivals and libraries, the film has been screened to over 2000 people.
The response has been extremely positive with one audience member proclaiming the film as “history come to life”. Community Curator and Women Against Pit Closures activist, Heather Wood, said the film “shows the strength and tenacity of miners and their families who, over the years, fought for a fair wage, better working conditions and, in 1984, fought the state hoping to keep jobs and community. It tells our story and tells it well!”