Still The Enemy Within coming to a screen near you

Bad Bonobo Films announces that its highly anticipated documentary about the 1984-85 miners’ strike Still The Enemy Within and winner of this year’s International Sheffield Documentary Festival Audience Award, will be released across the UK from 3rd October 2014. The film has secured a screening in over 45 different venues- a full list can be found here

Still the Enemy Within is a unique human insight into one of Britain’s most dramatic struggles, the 1984-85 Miners’ Strike. No experts. No politicians. Thirty years on, this is the raw emotional story of the extraordinary people who drove Britain’s longest strike.

Against all the forces the government could throw at them, 160,000 coal miners took up the fight and became part of a battle that would change the course of history.  Still the Enemy Within tells the story of a group of miners and supporters who were on the frontline of the strike for an entire year. These were people that Margaret Thatcher labelled ‘The Enemy Within’. Many of them have never spoken on camera before.

Using interviews and a wealth of rare and never before seen archive, Still the Enemy Within draws together personal experiences – whether tragic, funny or terrifying – to take the audience on an emotionally powerful journey through the dramatic events of that year. It is ultimately a universal tale of ordinary people standing up for what they believe in. It challenges us to look again at our past so that in the words of one miner, “we can still seek to do something about the future”.

Directed by Owen Gower, produced by Sinead Kirwan and Mark Lacey, executive produced by Christopher Hird and crowd-funded, the film has the support of Ken Loach, John Pilger and Lee Hall (writer of Billy Elliott). Still The Enemy Within will be released in UK cinemas from 3rd October before a London Premiere at the Prince Charles Cinema, Leicester Square and just after the much anticipated Pride starring Bill Nighy and Imelda Staunton, which features the dramatized story of Mike Jackson one of the film’s contributors.

Director Owen Gower said, “We are immensely honoured to have worked with some of the finest people I have ever met, and to have been allowed to tell their story. I just hope that more people will have the chance to be inspired by their courage through our movie, just as I have.”

Producer Sinead Kirwan said, “The response to the film so far has been incredibly and we cannot wait to share the story of these, funny courageous and extraordinary people with the wider public.”

Crowdfunded documentary Still the Enemy Within wins prestigious Audience Award at Sheffield Doc/Fest 2014

The innovative crowd-funded documentary Still the Enemy Within, produced by Bad Bonobo Films, has been selected by cinemagoers as the audience favourite at the International Sheffield Documentary Festival.

Watch the trailer here: http://vimeo.com/96834463

Playing to sold-out rooms throughout its run at the festival, the film’s passion, sense of justice and extraordinary images resonated with audiences, who voted in droves for the only award chosen by ordinary viewers.

“It means a great deal to us to know that people not only enjoyed our film, but felt strongly about it enough to give us their votes, especially considering the quality of the competition,” says director Owen Gower. “We are immensely honoured to have worked with some of the finest people I have ever met, and to have been allowed to tell their story. I just hope that more people will have the chance to be inspired by their courage through our movie, just as I have.”

With the roaring success of the premiere behind them, the filmmakers will be keeping up the pace after Sheffield, with a special showing at the Durham Miners’ Gala on July 13th.

Full cinematic release is tentatively scheduled for Autumn 2014, with further funding sought for distribution.

“It’s a triumph to have got this far,” says producer Sinead Kirwan. “And this latest award only confirms what we’ve known from the beginning, that this is a story that needs to be told. We’re very grateful for the groundswell of support that has got us this far, but we’re looking for a final push to get our film on as many screens as possible.”

Full details and notice of future showings are available on the film’s website at www.the-enemy-within.org.uk.

Still the Enemy Within is a unique human insight into one of Britain’s most dramatic struggles, the 1984-85 Miners’ Strike. No experts. No politicians. Thirty years on, this is the raw emotional story of the extraordinary people who drove Britain’s longest strike.

The film is being made by Bad Bonobo ltd, producers Sinead Kirwan and Mark Lacey, with director Owen Gower. The Executive Producer is Christopher Hird from Dartmouth Films.  The film has the support of Ken Loach, John Pilger, Lee Hall (writer Billy Elliott). The film will be released just after the much anticipated Pride starring Bill Nighy and Imelda Staunton which features the dramatized story of Mike Jackson one of Still the Enemy Within’s contributors.