Today we are proud to see that My ‘45, a digital companion for Ken Loach’s new film The Spirit of ’45 has launched, transporting audiences back to 1945 and revealing what their lives might have been like without the huge social changes of that era.
In 1945, buoyed by the post-war unity of a nation, a newly-elected Labour government changed the shape of British society, with developments across health, housing and jobs having an impact on all aspects of life. But what would your life be like if those changes hadn’t happened? How many years would you have left to live? Where would you be living? What would your job be? How many children would you have? Would all of them have survived?
At www.thespiritof45.com users can get a sense of how their own lives have been individually shaped by those wide-reaching reforms almost seventy years ago, with basic information on their current circumstances revealing how different their situation would be today without them. Individual My ’45 results can then be easily shared across social media. The My ’45 digital experience also offers exclusive extended interviews and bespoke archive materials, enabling audiences to delve deeper into the stories of those featured in The Spirit of ‘45, and interactive, visually-led timelines of the key developments in the post-war society.
The Spirit of '45 is in cinemas March 15th, and on 17th March cinemas nationwide will take part in a satellite event, with a Q&A panel with Ken Loach, author Owen Jones, NPC general secretary (and film interviewee) Dot Gibson and hosted by comedian Jeremy Hardy. The panel will be simulcast across the land, broadcast by satellite directly from the screening at the Ritzy Cinema in Brixton - tickets are now on sale for all cinemas!
1945 was a pivotal year in British history. The unity that carried Britain through the war allied to the bitter memories of the inter-war years led to a vision of a better society. The spirit of the age was to be our brother's and our sister's keeper. Director Ken Loach has used film from Britain's regional and national archives, alongside sound recordings and contemporary interviews to create a rich political and social narrative. The Spirit of '45 hopes to illuminate and celebrate a period of unprecedented community spirit in the UK, the impact of which endured for many years and which may yet be rediscovered today.
Find out more at www.thespiritof45.com and give the film a follow on Twitter or a like on Facebook for more updates: