by Alberto Segre
Italia-Inghilterra, 2023, 17'
Redibis Film
Earth, Wind and Fire is a documentary about Rugby League and coalmining in the North of England. The film will describe the social relations between the Rugby League players and the working class, focusing on the miners of Yorkshire and Lancashire. The purpose of the work is to show the determination, pride, family ties and, above all, humanity of the people of northern England, particularly those working in the coalmining industry and fighting for the survival of their communities while supporting and playing for their local Rugby League teams. The period covered will run from the end of the 70s up to the mid 90s, with a strong focus on Featherstone Rovers, from when they won the Challenge Cup in 1983 to relegation four years later.
My film will show the close relation between the coalmining industry and the Rugby League, looking at miners/players’ everyday lives. Earth, Wind and Fire will tell the tale of Rugby League as a means of social and human expression.
With this film I carry on my analysis of the world of work through sentiments and emotions of the workers. It’s my second documentary after Nogoson, where I filmed the intimacy of high school teachers from the suburbs of Paris and their relation to the city, to the place they live in. In Earth, Wind and Fire, as in Nogoson, I am interested in a specific social context and by deduction, I extract lessons in order to analyse the evolution of similar societies.