Community Cinema at UCL East - The Case Against Space + Filmmaker Q&A

UCL East Community Cinema Screening is proud to host the screening of The Case Against Space (2026),

English | Documentary | 2026 | 72 min | 15

Graeme Arnfield’s second feature, The Case Against Space, depicts what

appears to be the first organised labour strike beyond Earth. The film

reconstructs the 1973 NASA mission to the Skylab space station, during which

the three astronauts on board temporarily ceased work and cut

communications with Mission Control in protest against their working

conditions.

Drawing directly from NASA transcripts, the film combines extensive research

with speculative interpretation to reimagine the circumstances leading up to

the strike. Filmed in black and white using a 1970s CCTV surveillance camera,

Arnfield collaborated with three actors to restage Skylab in a studio, charting

the mounting tensions between the crew and ground control as an

overwhelming workload and constant micromanagement take an increasing

toll on the astronauts. The Case Against Space extends Arnfield’s previous

found-footage investigations into the politics of technology, revisiting a rare act

of collective dissent in the history of space exploration.

The screening will be followed by a conversation with director Graeme Arnfield.

Presented by Open City Documentary Festival.

Event venue & nearby stays

UCL East - One Pool Street, 1 Pool Street, London, United Kingdom

Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.

Get the app →

Discover more events by tag