
Test Dept : DS30
Test Dept : DS30 -
2016 - Black and white with color - 65 mn - Original version with no subtitles - United Kingdom - Documentary
French premiere.
Founded last year on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the infamous English minor strike during the winter of 1984-1985, as a protest against Thatcher’s government, DS30 is a retrospective tribute made of archives gathered by Test Dept during their cult tour Fuel to Fight that took place in England in support of the striking miners. A memorable human adventure, which allowed the band to collaborate with local activists as well as a choir of Welsh miners.
A moving account recorded on the beautiful record Shoulder to shoulder in 1985, which served as a fund raiser for the minors and their families. 30 years later, it’s still a film that’s more than ever accurate and already held as one of the most exhaustive political musical short ever made.
The movie will be screened along with a selection of the best films of the group, restored on behalf of the recent release of the retrospective Total State Machine, on the history of Test Dept, and followed by a conversation with Paul Jamrozy and Graham Cunnington, founding members of the band, as well as Rebecca Shatwell, director of the Newcastle AV Festival and curator of the DS30 project.