The docudrama "Die Mutigen 56 - Germany's Longest Strike" brings a unique labor dispute to life. Today, continued payment of wages in the event of illness is taken for granted. But workers in the 1950s, unlike employees, receive no pay at all for the first three days of illness and only a little after that.

The workers no longer want to put up with this unequal treatment. Emma (Anna Schimrigk) and Alfred (David Bredin) embody the life of the fictional Kiel working-class family Freese and bring the challenges of the time to life in all their harshness.

Emma is a typical housewife and mother of the time. We see this time of privation through her eyes and follow the Freeses' struggle for a decent life. The war and its hardships have left their mark on this generation, but now things are looking up again.

When her husband Alfred falls ill at the Kiel Howaldtswerft shipyard, Emma despairs. He has to take it easy, but how is the family supposed to get by without the wages? Things can't go on like this!

In October 1956, up to 34,000 metalworkers in the shipyards and factories of Schleswig-Holstein finally walk off the job to fight for justice and dignity.

This strike is still considered the toughest and longest strike in the industry in Germany.

Employers and politicians stood in the strikers' way with resolute harshness. Max Herbrechter and Peter Lohmeyer (Josef Schiml), among others, portray the employers' side of the then booming shipbuilding industry. Peter Sikorski, David C. Bunners and Ronald Kukulies play well-known trade unionists who orchestrated the strike and led it to success.

The film was directed by Berlin director Sabine Bernardi and Hamburg documentary filmmaker and historian Ingo Helm and was shot in Cuxhaven and the surrounding area. They immersed themselves in the 1950s, examined sources and interviewed contemporary witnesses. These include the then 17-year-old Björn Engholm, who was led into politics by this strike. Philipp Sichler is responsible for the fictional image design.

Click here for the trailer and here for the film in the ARD Mediathek.

"Die Mutigen 56 - Germany's Longest Strike" is a production of eikon nord GmbH on behalf of NDR, SWR and Radio Bremen for ARD.

The film was supported with funds from nordmedia - Film- und Mediengesellschaft Niedersachsen/Bremen mbH.