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Author Archives: jca

The Miners’ Hymns (2011)

14 Apr

52m

Director: Bill Morrison

Synopsis (REDCAT): Since The Film of Her (1996), award-winning filmmaker Bill Morrison has completed more than 20 experimental pieces in which he poetically and rhythmically reworks archival footage in various stages of preservation or decomposition. With The Miners’ Hymns, he teams up with Icelandic composer Jóhann Jóhannsson to celebrate the culture and political struggles of the Durham collieries in northeastern England. Weaving together stunning black-and-white footage from the early 1900s through the massive 1984 strikes, the film montages different aspects of the miners’ lives—the hardship of pit work, the role of the trade unions, the tradition of the colliery brass bands and the annual Miners’ Gala in Durham.

Website: http://billmorrisonfilm.com/feature-length-films/the-miners-hymns

 
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Posted by on April 14, 2012 in Arts/Culture, Documentary, Strikes-Strikebreaking-Lockouts, Working Class

 

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Strike in Town (1955)

12 Apr

37m

Director: Leslie McFarlane

Synopsis (NFB): This short film depicts the act of collective bargaining common to Canadian industry and shows how it affected a union, a company and a community. In Strike in Town the events that led to a deadlock in negotiations between management and employees at a furniture factory are staged against the backdrop of a one-industry town. It’s the story of a strike nobody wanted, but which everyone was powerless to stop.

Website: http://www.nfb.ca/film/strike_in_town

 
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Posted by on April 12, 2012 in Drama, Manufacturing, Strikes-Strikebreaking-Lockouts

 

We Are Wisconsin (2012)

11 Apr

74m (2013 version)WeAreWisconsin
Director: Amie Williams
Follows the day-to-day unfolding of the public outcry against Governor Walker’s bill, and lets ordinary people on the ground tell the story.  The film does not rely on pundits, experts, labor leaders and media, but instead presents the Wisconsin story through the powerful voice of ordinary citizens.  This film transcends single-issue politics, and is a powerful argument for staying in the fight. An inspiring testament to the power of citizen activism and our movement.  In addition, the latest version (March 2012) includes an updated ending to the film, with footage from the successes Nov. 6 2012 for Senator Tammy Baldwin and President Barack Obama in Wisconsin.

Synopsis (Hot Docs): “When Republican Governor Scott Walker tries to introduce a budget repair bill in early 2011 that threatens to eliminate worker rights and prevent public debate, an unlikely group of six local citizens is compelled to stand against it. A police officer, a nurse, a high school teacher, a union electrician, a county social worker and a student leader become the driving force behind a take-over of the Capitol building. In less than a month, the local population unites in a way they had never done before. We Are Wisconsin puts a different face to the stereotypes of activism as the protestors we encounter are from all walks of life, united by a common goal of fighting a hyper-conservative wave sweeping the Midwest. These six characters reveal the motives that inspire ordinary citizens to act, showing us how social movements begin and unfold.”

Website: http://wearewisconsinthefilm.com/

 
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Posted by on April 11, 2012 in Documentary, Politics

 

Struggle in the Heartland: A.E. Staley Workers Fight Back (1994)

09 Apr

19m

Synopsis (AFSC): Focuses on the events of June 4, 1994 when 5,000 workers from the midwest came together in solidarity with the 750 striking workers of the A.E. Staley company in Decatur. Helmeted police attack the workers non-violent sit-down protest of Staley’s management locking them out. Raises issues of the right to collective bargaining and to protest peacefully. Since this show does not clarify the issues involved in the strike, it is best to show it with Deadly Corn. It does not stand alone unless the purpose is to educate the audience about civil disobedience and intimidation by authorities.

 
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Posted by on April 9, 2012 in Documentary, Streaming Online (Youtube, Vimeo), Strikes-Strikebreaking-Lockouts

 

The Seafarers (1953)

09 Apr

28m

Director: Stanley Kubrick

Synopsis (SIU): The Seafarers showcases the Seafarers International Union’s service to its members and explains the benefits and job security of being part of a union. The film was directed by Stanley Kubrick, marking his first exploration into color cinematography. Kubrick was commissioned by the SIU to film the documentary. Kubrick provided his own sound and camera equipment and marshaled the Seafarers Log editorial staff as his crew.

 
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Posted by on April 9, 2012 in Documentary

 

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Taylor Chain II: A Story of Collective Bargaining (1983)

08 Apr

30m

Directors: Jerry Blumenthal, Gordon Quinn

Synopsis (Kartemquin): In 1981-2, the Kartemquin filmmakers returned to the Taylor Chain plant to show labor and management working together against the odds, trying to save the plant from becoming the latest victim of anti-union legislation and the globalization of cheap, exploitable labor.

 
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Posted by on April 8, 2012 in Collective Bargaining, Documentary, Industrial/Mine/Manufacturing

 

Labor Day (2009)

07 Apr

76m

Director: Glenn Silber

Synopsis (Labor Day): The 2008 Presidential Campaign was an extraordinary moment in U.S. history—not only because of the race and gender of the candidates, but also because of the passions they inspired.

Millions of Americans and hundreds of organizations became actively engaged in the democratic process of choosing the next president. Labor Day, a new feature documentary directed by two-time Oscar Nominee, Glenn Silber, tells the inspiring, largely unknown story of one of them, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the nation’s fastest-growing labor union with more than two million members.

Labor Day is a chronicle of this union’s mobilization to ensure a Democratic victory in 2008. For Labor, the Presidential campaign was mission critical. After eight years of Republican policies, the SEIU felt an incredible sense of urgency to change the direction of the economy and the country.

Website: http://www.labordaythemovie.com

 
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Posted by on April 7, 2012 in Documentary, Politics

 

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Trash Dance (2012)

06 Apr

65m

Director: Andrew Garrison
(512) 925-6769
info@trashdancemovie.com

Synopsis (Trash Dance): Sometimes inspiration can be found in unexpected places. Choreographer Allison Orr finds beauty and grace in garbage trucks, and in the men and women who pick up our trash. Filmmaker Andrew Garrison follows Orr as she joins city sanitation workers on their daily routes to listen, learn, and ultimately to convince them to collaborate in a unique dance performance. Hard working, often carrying a second job, their lives are already full with work, family and dreams of their own. But some step forward, and after months of rehearsal, two dozen trash collectors and their trucks perform an extraordinary spectacle. On an abandoned airport runway, thousands of people show up to see how in the world a garbage truck can “dance.”

Website: http://trashdancemovie.com

 
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Posted by on April 6, 2012 in Documentary, Public Sector

 

Employee’s Entrance (1933)

06 Apr

75m

Director: Roy del Ruth

Synopsis (WorldCat): A pre-code film about a heartless manager of a department store who makes a penniless woman pay dearly for her job. He forbids his apprentice to marry, but the apprentice secretly marries a bride with secrets of her own.

 
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Posted by on April 6, 2012 in Drama, Retail, Women

 

Who Needs Sleep? (2006)

31 Mar

78m

Director: Haskell Wexler

Synopsis: “Ahhh… the glamorous life in Hollywood. Or is it? Film crews routinely work sweatshop hours, often clocking 15 to 18 hour days at the expense of their families, their health, their well-being, and even their lives.

In 1997, after a 19-hour day on the set, assistant cameraman Brent Hershman fell asleep behind the wheel, crashed his car, and died. Deeply disturbed by Hershman’s preventable death, filmmaker and multiple-Oscar-winning cinematographer Haskell Wexler shows how sleep deprivation and long work hours are a lethal combination. Who Needs Sleep? is a commentary on our quality of life.”

http://whoneedssleep.weebly.com/index.html

 
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Posted by on March 31, 2012 in Documentary, Entertainment Industry, Safety & Health

 
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