Once We Were Pitmen

Set against the backdrop of the Fridays for Future climate movement and the end of German coal mining in 2018, this documentary examines the lives of five miners. As the industry shuts down, the men navigate the emotional and social challenges of leaving their profession behind while searching for new purposes in their lives.

Directed by Christian Johannes Koch, this is the second film in his career following I Gave Everything to the Sun Except My Shadow from 2016. The project was a co-production between Germany and Switzerland, involving production companies SRF, Catpics, and Elemag Pictures. The screenplay was written by Koch and Jonas Matauschek, with Rajko Jazbec, Dario Schoch, and Tanja Georgieva-Waldhauer serving as producers. Released on May 10, 2023, the film has a runtime of 103 minutes.