The Dalfram Dispute 1938: Pig Iron Bob is one of just 18 entries to make the final cut, whittled down from 180 submissions across six prize categories.

The film, directed and produced by Sandra Pires of Why Documentaries, tells the story of how Port Kembla wharfies stopped loading Australian pig iron on the Dalfram ship, which was headed for Japan in November 1938.

The workers believed the pig iron would be used by Japan in the invasion of China, where thousands had already been killed. Their actions sparked a nine-week stand-off with the Australian government and prompted the then attorney-general and future prime minister, Robert Menzies, to visit Wollongong to end the dispute.

The judges’ comments describe the film as ‘‘a well-balanced and finely crafted account of this dramatic episode in Australian political culture.’’

Producer Sandra Pires felt extremely honoured to be a finalist.

‘‘It means our work is taken very seriously on both sides of politics as an important historical record,’’ she said. ‘‘Our aim was to create dialogue and understanding between subgroups both domestically to understand that history, and internationally [between Japan and China] to promote peace.’’

If the film wins, Ms Pires said the prize money would help fund  anew Illawarra filmmaking project Yesterday Stories.

Pig Iron Bob will screen on the History Channel on November 15, exactly 77 years  after the walkout.