THE INSPIRING story of how Scottish factory workers played their part in undermining General Pinochet's regime in Chile is to be screened at a North Yorkshire cinema.

The documentary, Nae Pasaran! tells the tale of the Rolls-Royce East Kilbride workers, who in 1974 refused to repair and return military jet engines of Pinochet's Air Force in protest against their use during the September 11, 1973 air raid on Santiago.

The Chilean coup overthrew Salvador Allende, the first democratically-elected left-wing Government in Latin America.

The translation of Nae Pasaran is 'they shall not pass' – a rallying cry used by the resistance to the Pinochet regime, but with the Scottish dialect of 'nae' instead of 'no'.

Felipe Bustos Sierra is an award-winning filmmaker based in Scotland, whose father was a Chilean journalist exiled to Belgium.

It was at solidarity events in Brussels that, as a child, Mr Bustos Sierra first heard the story of the Scottish boycott.

He founded Debasers Filums in Edinburgh in 2010, and through this he produced the film, with help from a crowdfunding campaign.

One of those who supported the crowdfunding was Richmond resident Hilary Plews, who with her partner Celine Barry, spent a year in Chile in 2009.

The film is now set to be shown at the Leyburn Arts and Community Centre cinema on Tuesday, March 5 at 7pm.

Ms Plews said: "Felipe was the child of one of the refugees exiled from Chile to Belgium and he ended up in Scotland.

"When he heard the story of the Scottish Rolls-Royce workers he set about finding them – and he did.

"They were very old by this time but he brought them together to tell the story, and at an early screening of the film, they were surprised to also find the Chilean Ambassador there who presented them with the highest honour Chile can bestow on a foreigner for their services to the country.

"Back in 1974, the factory workers had heard about General Pinochet's planes being used to bomb the Presidential palace in Santiago during the September 11, 1973 coup to overthrown the Government and wanted no part in supporting it."

Ms Plews added: "They didn't feel it was right to be rebuilding machines which had been used to kill people and get rid of a Government that had been democratically elected.

"It was a moral stance but it had a massive effect.

"My partner Celine and I spent a year in Latin America in 2009 and volunteered at an arts foundation set up by Joan Jara, widow of Victor Jara."

Victor Jara was a Chilean songwriter who was a supporter of President Allende and was murdered during the coup.

Ms Plews said: "Jara is a real hero in Chile and his English widow Joan set up an arts foundation while Pinochet was still in power, which helped people from poor or marginalised backgrounds get into performing.

"We heard about this film when we got back home and wanted to support it in its crowdfunding campaign.

"It is a lovely story of solidarity, which is much-needed at the moment with so much going on in the world."

For tickets, which cost £6 or £5 concessions, visit http://www.leyburnartscentre.com/Contact-Us.