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Rebellion Documentary: The Two Films and the Stories Behind Them

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There are two documentaries called Rebellion, and they tell very different stories. The 2026 film by Ken Fero and Tariq Mehmood is about the Bradford 12, while the 2021 film by Maia Kenworthy and Elena Sánchez Bellot follows the climate protest movement Extinction Rebellion (XR). If you mean the Bradford 12 film, its account is rooted in the 1981 case: twelve young Asian men prepared petrol bombs to defend their community from an anticipated racist attack, were charged with terrorism, and were acquitted. The filmmakers’ framing and reconstruction should be distinguished from the underlying case facts.

Which Rebellion documentary do you mean?

The title identifies two separate films, not different versions of the same documentary. The newer film, directed by Ken Fero and Tariq Mehmood, centers on the Bradford 12 and the events of 1981. The 2021 film is about Extinction Rebellion, the climate protest movement. Their subjects, directors, runtimes and viewing routes are different, so check the year and subject before deciding whether a result is the film you meant.

The British Council UK Films Database entry lists the Bradford 12 documentary as an 80-minute film. The BBFC listing identifies the other Rebellion as an 82-minute UK documentary directed by Maia Kenworthy and Elena Sánchez Bellot. The shared title is the main reason accounts of one film can be mistakenly attributed to the other.

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A quick way to check is to look for the subject in the listing: Bradford, the 1981 case, or the Bradford 12 indicates the film by Fero and Mehmood; XR, climate protest, or the April 2019 London demonstrations points to Kenworthy and Sánchez Bellot’s film. The year is also a useful clue, but the subject and directors are stronger identifiers if a listing leaves its date unclear.

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What is the story behind the Bradford 12 documentary?

The 2026 film concerns twelve young Asian men in Bradford who, according to the film’s official account, prepared petrol bombs in 1981 to defend their community against an anticipated attack by racist skinheads. They were charged with terrorism, became the focus of a national and international support campaign, stood trial and were acquitted. The filmmakers’ account presents this as a story about community self-defence and the campaign that formed around the case.

It is important to keep the distinction between the documented case outline and the film’s interpretation. The sources establish the men’s preparation of petrol bombs, the terrorism charges and the acquittal; the account of the expected attack and the meaning of the events is presented through the filmmakers’ framing. It is fair to describe what the film argues, but not to treat every interpretive element in its synopsis as a separate court finding.

The acquittal is a central part of the story: the men were charged and tried, but the case ended with them being found not guilty. The film’s subject is therefore not simply the act of preparing weapons; it also includes the response to the charges and the support campaign. The available sources do not provide enough detail to reconstruct the full trial record or independently assess every claim made about the case.

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The phrase “true story” can mean two different things here: the historical events the film addresses, and the way its makers choose to interpret and present them. The basic outline in the film materials is that the twelve prepared petrol bombs, faced terrorism charges, received support, went to trial and were acquitted. The filmmakers describe the anticipated attack and the case’s wider significance as part of their account. A careful summary should preserve both points without collapsing the documentary’s perspective into a complete legal history.

How does the Bradford 12 film tell the story?

The film combines archival material and testimony with a collectively staged reconstruction of the trial, according to the British Council database and the filmmakers. The reconstruction is a dramatic means of revisiting the case; it is not a recording of the 1981 proceedings. The British Council entry describes the film as 80 minutes and identifies Migrant Media as its production and sales company.

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The combination of forms matters. Archive supplies historical material, testimony brings participants’ accounts into the film, and the staged reconstruction revisits the courtroom through a collective performance involving people connected to the case. Those elements can make the story accessible and personal, but they serve different purposes. A viewer should not mistake reenactment for contemporaneous footage or regard one participant’s testimony as a complete transcript of the proceedings.

The film also has a personal dimension for co-director Tariq Mehmood, who was one of the defendants. Leeds Film reproduces his statement: “For me, this film is personal. It has taken me 40 years to tell it, and it is a story of the wounds of my own life, in the scars of my generation, and in the courage of those who stood with us.” — Tariq Mehmood, co-director. His connection to the case helps explain why the film is both a historical account and a retrospective telling by someone directly involved.

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That perspective matters when interpreting the documentary. Testimony, archive and a staged trial reconstruction can bring viewers close to participants’ memories and the filmmakers’ understanding of the case, but they do not make the film a neutral substitute for the complete historical or legal record. A useful way to watch it is to notice which parts are described as events, which are testimony, and which are the filmmakers’ interpretation of what the case meant.

This approach is particularly useful if you are watching for a class, discussion or historical overview. Keep the distinction between the case outcome and the film’s argument in view: the cited film sources state that the defendants were acquitted, while the broader meaning of the events is presented through the documentary’s testimony and framing. The materials cited here do not provide a full trial transcript or an independent account of every detail, so the film should not be treated as a replacement for those records.

What is the 2021 Rebellion about?

The earlier film follows Extinction Rebellion, not the Bradford 12. Its official synopsis says XR emerged in 2018 using mass civil disobedience as a tactic. The documentary follows the movement’s co-founders and international lawyer Farhana Yamin, including the April 2019 London protests and later internal tensions over power and social inequality.

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The synopsis also presents the movement’s political effects and its relationship to protest law from the filmmakers’ perspective. It includes Yamin’s account of the limits of relying on evidence and law in the face of powerful lobbying: “I’d come into the UN system thinking it’s a fair fight – we’ve got science and law and economic analysis. But you had intensive lobbying from the fossil fuel industries, and the financial industries that support them, and it wasn’t a fair fight.” — Farhana Yamin, international lawyer. This is her statement as quoted in the film’s materials, not a neutral summary of every factor in climate policy.

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That makes this film different in both subject and emphasis. Rather than recounting one criminal case and its trial, it follows a protest movement, its public actions and debates within the movement. Its official account connects mass civil disobedience with questions about political influence, protest law, power and social inequality. These are the filmmakers’ chosen lines of inquiry, not a claim that the documentary settles every debate about climate campaigning or protest tactics.

The film is listed by the BBFC as 82 minutes and classified for strong language. Its directors are Maia Kenworthy and Elena Sánchez Bellot. Those details distinguish it from the 2026 Bradford 12 film, which is directed by Ken Fero and Tariq Mehmood and runs 80 minutes according to the British Council database. If you are choosing between them, the runtime difference is small; the decisive distinction is whether you want a film about the Bradford 12 case or one about XR.

Where can you watch either film?

Availability is time-sensitive. The Bradford 12 filmmakers’ site invites screening enquiries, and festival and university listings document screenings, but the sources available here do not establish a current physical edition or general streaming-subscription option. Check the film’s official site and confirm dates and access directly with the screening organiser.

For the 2021 XR documentary, the official site has a watch page, but the available sources do not confirm a current subscription service. Check that page for present options rather than relying on an old listing. A screening listing or enquiry page is not itself proof that the film is currently available to stream or buy.

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If you are arranging a group or educational screening of the Bradford 12 film, the filmmakers’ screening-enquiry route is the established next step. Festival and university listings show that screenings have taken place, but an old event page does not confirm a future date, venue or access arrangement. Ask the organiser about the current screening, any booking requirements and whether access is open to the public.

Neither film’s cited materials establish a DVD or Blu-ray edition, a named companion book, or film-specific merchandise. Nor do they establish a particular paid streaming service for general subscribers. That is not proof that no option could ever appear; it means viewers should verify any current listing with the official film site or the screening organiser before paying or making plans.

So what is the true story behind Rebellion?

First identify which film you mean. The Bradford 12 documentary looks back at the 1981 case involving twelve young Asian men who prepared petrol bombs in anticipation of a racist attack, faced terrorism charges and were acquitted. It tells that history through archive, testimony and a collectively staged reconstruction, while its account of the incident’s significance reflects the filmmakers’ perspective. The 2021 documentary instead follows XR and its protests, leadership and internal tensions. Neither film’s title alone is enough to identify its subject.

In short, the Bradford 12 film is a personal, historically focused retelling of a case and the support campaign around it; the 2021 film is a movement-focused documentary about Extinction Rebellion. For either title, identify the year and directors, then treat the film’s interpretation as a perspective to understand rather than as a substitute for every underlying record. For current access, use the respective official site and check the specific screening or watch option.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does an acquittal mean the Bradford 12 were never charged?

No. The film sources describe both terrorism charges and a later acquittal. An acquittal means the trial ended with a not-guilty outcome; it does not erase the fact that the defendants were charged.

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Is the Bradford 12 trial scene original courtroom footage?

The sources describe a collectively staged reconstruction, alongside archive and testimony. That means the reconstruction should be understood as a presentation of the trial, not as footage recorded during the 1981 proceedings.

Why might Farhana Yamin appear in the XR documentary?

The film follows Yamin alongside XR’s co-founders. Its official synopsis connects her perspective as an international lawyer to questions about climate politics, lobbying and whether legal and scientific arguments alone can make a fair contest.

How can I tell which Rebellion film a listing refers to?

Check its year, directors and subject. The 2026 film by Ken Fero and Tariq Mehmood concerns the Bradford 12; the 2021 film by Maia Kenworthy and Elena Sánchez Bellot follows Extinction Rebellion.

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Is either film definitely available on a subscription streaming service or disc?

The cited materials establish an official watch page for the 2021 film and screening enquiries for the Bradford 12 film, but do not confirm a current general subscription option or physical edition. Check the relevant official site for current access.

The Bottom Line

Rebellion can refer to two different documentaries: Ken Fero and Tariq Mehmood’s 2026 film about the Bradford 12, or Maia Kenworthy and Elena Sánchez Bellot’s 2021 film about Extinction Rebellion. The first revisits the 1981 case through archive, testimony and a staged trial reconstruction; the second follows XR, including the 2019 London protests and later internal tensions. Check the year and subject before choosing a film, and verify current viewing options with its official site.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply. Prices as of November 14, 2026 2:14 pm GMT+0530.

About the author

— The DocumentaryTube Team writes The Screening Room's guides, reviews and news, and keeps the directory's records of documentaries, their directors and where to watch them. How DocumentaryTube works.

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