Nae Pasaran: Story behind East Kilbride Rolls Royce workers who grounded Chilean air force to show in East Kilbride

Nae Pasaran, which follows the story of Rolls Royce workers in East Kilbride blacked the engines of Hawker Hunters bound for Chile in 1973.

Engines were held at the factory until 1978 and it is believed this action saved the lives of countless Chileans throughout Pinochet's regime.

It will be shown as part of a special screening in Calderglen Park in East Kilbride tomorrow evening and tickets are free. John Keenan, one of the workers featured in the film said: “I’m very proud of what we did. Not just me but everybody who was involved."

“At the time we were not aware of the effect it had but we felt we were doing the right thing.”

Speaking at the time of release, he said: "Based on the policy of the major union at that time, we had a boycott on arms for Chile. Our shop stewards had previously condemned the coup in 1973 when it happened, so based on those two things, we decided, as a workforce to boycott these engines."

The engines were put away in a shed until they went missing in 1978 where rumours suggested they might have ended up in Chile.

When it was released in 2018, Nae Pasaran won plaudits from across the political spectrum and a motion was put into parliament congratulating the men who took part which included John as well as Robert Somerville and Bob Fulton. They were made commanders of Chile in a moving ceremony in the City Chambers in 2018 for their efforts.

John added:“Some of the young people who have seen the film have said it made them interested in joining a trade union themselves.”

Cinescapes Co-Director Amanda Rogers said: “Nae Pasaran is an incredibly powerful film. It really moves people and it is a really emotional account of how the actions of a group of workers in Scotland had an incredible impact.

“The setting of Calderglen Country Park is perfect for an outdoor screening and we have always wanted to show Nae Pasaran.”

Sambrooke Scott, Head of Audience Development at Screen Scotland said: “Cinescapes draws a powerful connection between film and place. Already their screenings of Trainspotting in Edinburgh and Under The Skin in Glasgow have showcased cinematic stories in the towns and cities where they were set and filmed, with East Kilbride and Oban still to come in that season.

“Now, more than ever, cinema provides much-needed escapism. Cinetopia's Cinescapes programme promises to be a hugely imaginative series of events that will break down barriers to participation, illuminate the communities it visits and provide audiences across Scotland a little bit of cinematic magic in these difficult times.”

The festival is supported by Film Hub Scotland and Scotland’s Events Recovery Fund, which was set up by EventScotland in collaboration with the Scottish Government to support Scotland’s events sector plan and deliver events through to the end of 2021 and help it respond and adapt to the effects of the pandemic."