Rocking the Foundations

Pat Fiske's 1985 documentary on a NSW union's past endeavours to preserve Sydney's parks, neighbourhoods and historical buildings.

"Academic and filmmaker Susan Lambert put it so well: "Rocking the Foundations is more than a film about a union. It's a film about social change and how ordinary people can make that happen." The history of the NSW Builders' Labourers Federation (BFL) and how they stood up to the state government and developers is told through interviews and historical footage of violent protest and strikes. The workers' refusal to demolish buildings or construct on parkland in the 1970s (aka the Green Bans) has shaped the Sydney we live in today. Directed by Fiske, an Australian documentary stalwart and one-time builders' labourer, this landmark film is as resonant today as it was three decades ago." (Sydney Film Festival)

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