16/04/2026
The Case Against Space (Graeme Arnfield, 2026)
Graeme Arnfield’s second feature The Case Against Space depicts, what appears to be, the first organised strike beyond Earth’s orbit. The film reconstructs the events of the 1973 Skylab 4 mission: in protest against the pressures and working conditions aboard their space station, commander, pilot and science pilot ceased work and cut communications with mission control.
Drawing on transcripts of exchanges between the crew and NASA, Arnfield combines extensive research with speculative interpretation, imagining the tensions and human dynamics that led to this unprecedented event. He employs a distinctly lo-fi aesthetic, recreating the Skylab space station in a studio. The astronauts’ testimonies are performed by actors and filmed in claustrophobic close-ups using 1970s CCTV black-and-white cameras.
The intersection between technology and ecology is a recurring theme in Arnfield’s work. This new project extends these ideas and upon his earlier found footage works to craft a compelling reconstruction of a unique moment in the history of space exploration.
The film closes the festival Sunday 19 April at the , 7pm 🚀
