In 1973, 180 coal miners and their wives in Harlan County, Kentucky went on strike against the Brookside Mine. Barbara Kopple was there to film it.

In town covering a union election with her “hippie crew from New York”, Kopple realised that there was something else brewing. Sniffing around for the scoop she was eventually told “girl, you gotta tell people here what you’re doin’.” What followed was a relationship between Kopple and the striking community which continued for years.

Winner of the 1976 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film, Harlan County USA documents the dire straits faced by the workers involved in the Brookside Strike as they fight for safer working conditions, fair labour practices, and decent wages. Narrated by the miners themselves, the film documents strikers being shot at by company gun thugs, interviews with people affected by black lung disease, and leading organiser Lois Scott pulling a pistol from her bra.

Come to this one-night-only Living Rent screening at the West of Scotland Cricket Club on the 26th February. Raise money for your union, learn from those who came before us, and have a wonderful evening! Excited to see you there. Drinks will be available for purchase.

This event was previously postponed and all tickets are valid for the new date.