The Case Against Space
dir: Graeme Arnfield
prod: Elizabeth Dexter, Boris Garavini
UK, France / 73 minutes / 2026 / Non-Fiction, Essay, Experimental
In the days leading up to Christmas 1973 three astronauts enacted the first labour strike in outer space. Reconstructed from transcripts in claustrophobic close-up via CCTV system, The Case Against Space is a real time investigation dramatically collapsing embodied historical reenactment and speculative essayistic research - forming a collective testimony on struggle amongst the stars, of fights past, present and those yet to come.
“Through fabulation, Arnfield magnifies the precarious potentiality of the moment, simultaneously zooming out to examine the human cost of space travel—a pertinent question in light of NASA’s recent Artemis II crewed mission to the moon.” (Emily Jisoo Bowles, documentary.org)
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Director / Writer: Graeme Arnfield
Producers: Graeme Arnfield, Elizabeth Dexter, Boris Garavini
Production companies: Local Vertical / Les Films Invisibles
Cinematographers: Graeme Arnfield, Chiemi Shimada
Sound Design: Graeme Arnfield, Jules Jasko
Editor: Graeme Arnfield
Composer: Graeme ArnfieldCast
Commander Gerald Carr: Katie Smale
Navigator William Pogue: Nezar Alderazi
Pilot Edward Gibson: Yana Penrose -
Winner of the Doc Alliance Award for Best Feature Film 2026
Visions du Réel, Switzerland, April 2026 (World Premiere)
Burning Lights Competition — Special MentionOpen City Documentary Festival, UK, April 2026
Closing Film
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