The Happy Lands

The Happy Lands is a 2012 British film written by Peter Cox and Robert Rae about a coal-mining community in Fife, Scotland during the long strike of 1926. The film was released on 17 February 2012. Much of the dialogue in the film is in Scots.

The film begins with a miner suffering a back injury at a colliery in the fictional village of Carhill. When confronted about working conditions, the mine owner responds by saying that the workers are locked out until they accept a settlement that involves longer working hours and lower wages. The rest of the film shows the various stages of the eight-month strike by coal miners across Britain, including the general strike launched by the Trade Union Congress in support of the miners. The film makes several references to the First World War, in which many of the striking miners fought and were rewarded for their bravery.

Cast

• Kevin Clarke as Michael Brogan
• Joki Wallace as Dan Guthrie
• Aaron Jones as Wee Baxie

External links

• Official website
• UNISON Scotland's webpage on the film
• BBC's webpage on the film
• The Happy Lands at the Internet Movie Database
• Relatives pay tribute to mining heroes of 1926 general strike in new film The Happy Lands
• Fife man keen to mine his newly-found acting talent