Art27 Scotland and UNISON Fife are excited to present three specially curated screenings of The Happy Lands (2012) to mark the centenary of the UK General Strike of 1926. Taking place across Fife in May and June 2026, these events will commemorate one of the most significant moments in British labour history, when over one million workers withdrew their labour for nine days in solidarity with locked-out miners. The screenings invite audiences to explore the legacy of the strike, connect past struggles to present realities, and commemorate the spirit of community resilience and solidarity thay remains as vital today as ever.
Directed and produced by Art27 Scotland's Robert Rae and Helen Trew, The Happy Lands is a powerful community-made drama depicting the lives of Fife mining families during the General Strike. Created through a groundbreaking participatory process, the film involved more than 1,000 local residents from across Fife as researchers, performers, crew members and designers. Contributors shared family histories, memories and lived experiences of mining and industrial heritage. The result is a deeply moving portrayal of collective struggle and resilience, rooted in collaboration and community practice.
The programme opens on May 6th (apologies for the short notice) in Cardenden with a community-focused screening and post-film discussion with poet, playwright and Scots language activist William Hershaw in the village closely tied to the film's creation, and to the legacy of miner, poet and playwright Joe Corrie whose seminal play In Time O'Strife (1926) remains one of the most important cultural responses to the General Strike.
A gala screening at the Adam Smith Theatre in Kirkcaldy follows on 26th May, with brass band music and banners to evoke the atmosphere of the period. Dress to impress for this special red-carpet style event.
The programme culminates at the Lochgelly Centre on June 4th with a screening and Q&A, exploring community empowerment and the role of storytelling today. Looking to the future, it asks how the lessons of 1926 can inform collective action in the face of ongoing social and economic inequality.
Tickets for all three events are available here: https://happlandsgeneralstrike.my.canva.site/screenings