News From Durham (1983)
Amber Current Affairs Unit
Film and Video
A discussion 'trigger tape' exploring coalfield campaign concerns in the build-up to the Miners' Strike of 1984.
ACTT Interviews (1980s)
Amber Films
ACTT Interviews (1980s)
Amber Films
Five interviews with senior ACTT members, made by Amber in the 1980s, exploring the history of trade unionism in British film and television through the voices of Kay Mander, Bessie Bond, Sid & Alf Cooper, Ralph Bond and Joe Telford.
- Film and Video
- Work & Unemployment
- UK Documentary
- 1980 – 1989
- UK
A series of five interviews with senior figures from the Association of Cinematograph, Television and Allied Technicians (ACTT), developed by Amber in the 1980s. The recordings reflect on the history of the union, the development of the British Documentary Movement and the role of trade unionism in film and television. They offer both political and personal perspectives, grounded in long working lives in the industry. The interviews were part of Amber’s wider engagement with ACTT during the Workshop Movement and were intended as a form of shared learning, contributing to the collective’s own understanding of union traditions and structures.
Together, these interviews offer a portrait of a political and creative tradition shaped by solidarity, struggle and a belief in the cultural and social role of film. They also document the groundwork that enabled the Workshop Agreement, which allowed collectives like Amber to operate within union rules and access broadcast media through channels like Channel 4.
Summary of each interview subject:
Kay Mander - A pioneering British filmmaker and continuity supervisor, active in both the documentary film movement and union organising from the 1930s.
Bessie Bond - Assistant General Secretary of the Association of Cinematograph, Television and Allied Technicians (ACTT) and a central figure in the union’s post-war development.
Sid & Alf Cooper: - Twin brothers and long-serving ACTT members who worked in technical roles in the cinema industry.
Ralph Bond - A left-wing filmmaker, writer and founding member of the 1930s Workers’ Film and Photo League, associated with the early British documentary movement.
Joe Telford - A cinema projectionist and regional union official in North East England active in the ACTT.
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