Film and Media Studies Commons^™

Showing Some Fight: Kemira’S Challenge To Industrial Relations, Rebecca Coyle, Lisa Milner

Dr Rebecca Coyle

Inspired by the ‘Work Choices’ policies initiated by the Coalition-led Australian Federal Government in 2006, this paper offers a historical overview of Australian documentaries associated with industrial relations. Our paper will case study the 1984 film Kemira: Diary Of A Strike (dir. Tom Zubrycki) documenting the 1982 BHP sacking of 400 miners, and the 16-day occupation of the Kemira pit by 31 miners. As a government-funded, union-sanctioned and award-winning film, Kemira holds a particular place in Australian documentary genre. We will outline how the perspective of the film, which focused attention on the miners' families, was conveyed via the diegesis, …