The Co-operative Heritage Trust is to mark 180 years since the launch of Rochdale Equitable Pioneers Society in 1844 with an evening of archive footage.
The 90-minute screening, at Home cinema in Manchester, will show footage of film shot by co-ops between 1938 and 2024 for promotion, propaganda campaigns and member education.
“We have selected some archival shorts alongside contemporary footage about the role of co-ops to see how far we’ve come,” said the Trust. “Working in partnership with Home Manchester to screen this footage, we aim to reveal the wealth of this history for a new audience from those interested in film and media, to people engaged with the social and ethical economy.”
The Screening will be followed by a short Q&A with co-op archivist Jane Donaldson, young film maker Ryan Bird (a member of Midcounties Co-op) and actor John Henshall, who starred in The Rochdale Pioneers, a film made by the Co-operative Youth Film Academy in 2012.
The screening is at 6pm on Thursday, 5 December, at Home Manchester, Cinema One.
