Screening

About

Winstanley portrays the life of 17th Century social reformer and writer Gerrard Winstanley. Along with a small band of dedicated followers known as the Diggers, Winstanley tried to establish a self-sufficient farming community on common land at St. George's Hill near Cobham, Surrey. This community soon came under scrutiny from the oppressive regime of Oliver Cromwell, and the film follows the ensuing struggle between the Diggers and the authorities. Great care was taken to render the film as historically authentic as possible, indeed, the armour used for the battle scenes was actually borrowed from the Tower of London. Despite this attention to historical detail, the film has many contemporary resonances, dealing with issues such as the confrontation between authority and dissidents and class consciousness.