The untold story of the film that traumatised a generation.
On 23 September 1984, Threads was shown on BBC2. A low-budget docudrama, it depicted a nuclear attack on the city of Sheffield, UK and spoke to an era gripped by the terror of nuclear armageddon. Unflinching in its approach, it combined documentary aesthetics with kitchen sink drama and appeared terrifyingly, hauntingly real – leaving a psychological mark on all who saw it. Discussed all over the globe, there is a case to be made that Threads changed the world – but there is no doubt that it changed the lives of those who took part in making it.
Survivors: The Spectre of Threads is their story. Constructed from interviews with cast and crew – including director Mick Jackson, associate producer Peter Wolfes, makeup artist Jan Nethercot and stars Reece Dinsdale and Rita May – and in-depth discussions with some of the hundreds of local people who took part as extras, it explores the impact that the film has had on them and their lives. Around their personal stories, it builds a picture of the larger social, cultural and political impact of Threads in a decade defined by nuclear paranoia and anti-nuclear protest.
A Severin Films production.
The screening on 30 August will be followed by a Q&A with filmmakers Craig Ian Mann and Robert Nevitt, and the second screening on 31 August will feature an introduction by filmmakers Craig Ian Mann and Robert Nevitt.
Part of Sheffield Film Festival, Showroom Cinema’s annual celebration of the city’s rich film heritage and the thriving film culture of Sheffield and the surrounding region.
