The Women of Cradley

2020, 24 minutes

'The Black Country' is the story of a young woman taking on life in a chain factory and fighting for better pay and conditions.

In Cradley Heath, The Black Country, 1910, the women chain-makers had had enough of being paid inconsistent and pitiful wages for hard work, so went on a 10 week strike, demanding a proper minimum living wage. This revolution was led by suffragist and trade unionist Mary Macarthur, who is an incredibly pivotal figure in West Midlands history, yet is a name most people have never heard of. Although our short film takes place in a period of real history and serves to provide a lot of history and information to the viewers, it follows fictional main characters in a fictional factory. Sallow Iron Works is the last chain manufacturer in Cradley Heath for the strike to reach to, due to the fierce rule of its founder: Mr. Sallow. His workers fear speaking up against their unfair treatment and poor pay, due to Sallow's reputation. One young woman, however, will not stand for it, and has to fight to convince her co-workers to do the same. Eliza has reached a point where if she doesn't act, soon she won't be able to put food on the table. After investigating, she discovers that the rest of the town feels the same way, and is on the brink of revolution.

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