106m; Italy
Director: Riccardo Milani
Cast: Silvio Orlando, Michele Placido and Claudio Santamaria
Synopsis (IMDB): Three workers of a tire factory, in southern Italy, lead the struggle against the American company owner of the factory who wants to close the Italian branch in which they work.
82m; U.S.S.R.
Director: Sergei M. Eisenstein
Cast: Grigori Aleksandrov, Maksim Shtraukh and Mikhail Gomorov
Synopsis: In Russia’s factory region during Czarist rule, there’s restlessness and strike planning among workers; management brings in spies and external agents. When a worker hangs himself after being falsely accused of thievery, the workers strike. At first, there’s excitement in workers’ households and in public places as they develop their demands communally. Then, as the strike drags on and management rejects demands, hunger mounts, as does domestic and civic distress. Provocateurs recruited from the lumpen and in league with the police and the fire department bring problems to the workers; the spies do their dirty work; and, the military arrives to liquidate strikers.
Trailer
134m; France
Director: Laurent Cantet
Cast: Aurélien Recoing, Karin Viard and Serge Livrozet
Synopsis (IMDB): Recently fired from his job, but unable to confess the truth to his close-knit family, Vincent spends his days driving around the countryside, talking into his cell phone and staring into space. Vincent fabricates a new job for himself so his family and friends will not know that he is out of work. At one point, he even sneaks into an office building. As Vincent roams the building’s sterile halls, peeking into meeting rooms where men are busy at work, we see a man who yearns not just for a new job, but also for a place in the world. While this pantomime of work initially registers as sad and even a little pathetic, it slowly and unnervingly becomes terrifying.
Trailer
122m; Austria/Germany
Director: Michael Glawogger
Synopsis: Deconstructs contemporary conceptions of work – by showcasing six of the most grueling and dangerous professions. Incredibly beautiful and moving, with virtually no dialogue or narration.
127m; U.K.
Director: Ken Loach
Cast: Cillian Murphy, Padraic Delaney and Liam Cunningham
Synopsis (IMDB): Ireland, 1920. Damien and Teddy are brothers. But while the latter is already the leader of a guerrilla squad fighting for the independence of his motherland, Damien, a medical graduate of University College, would rather further his training at the London hospital where he has found a place. However, shortly before his departure, he happens to witness atrocities committed by the ferocious Black and Tans and finally decides to join the resistance group led by Teddy. The two brothers fight side by side until a truce is signed. But peace is short-lived and when one faction of the freedom-fighters accepts a treaty with the British that is regarded as unfair by the other faction, a civil war ensues, pitting Irishmen against Irishmen, brothers against brothers, Teddy against Damien.
Trailer
99m; France
Director: Jean-Marc Moutout
Cast: Jérémie Renier, Laurent Lucas and Cylia Malki
Synopsis (IMDB): Philippe Seigner, a charming business school graduate from the French Pyrenees, starts his career in business consulting at the posh Paris seat of McGregor. His first serious task is a delicate one, an audit at the Janson food cans factory in the provinces, which is about to be taken over. As he soon realizes, this will mean sacking about 80 employees, as his boss Hugo Paradis knew from the start. However, his Paris girl friend reproaches him collaborating with ruthless capitalism, as if any of the downsizing could be stopped or mitigated by him bowing out. Nevertheless, as he gets to knew the threatened staff better he considers risking his career when his boss orders him to chose who should go. Meanwhile the factory staff starts realizing what’s about to happening
Contact: Antoine Sebire frenchcinemawashington@yahoo.com Audiovisual Affairs Embassy of France – La Maison Française 4101 Reservoir Road, NW Washington DC, 20007 Ph: 202.944.6287 Fax: 202.944.6043 http://www.la-maison-francaise.org
120m; US
Director Billy Wilder
A man tries to rise in his company by letting its executives use his apartment for trysts, but complications and a romance of his own ensue.
122m; France
Director: Costa-Gavras
Cast: José Garcia, Karin Viard and Geordy Monfils
Synopsis (IMDB): Bruno Davert, a chemist working for a paper company, is fired. After three years he’s still unemployed, too much competition for the few job position he could fit in his sector. He sent tons of resumes, he attended many qualifying courses, he tried everything but there is nothing to do: no job for him in the industry. The only healthy company in the sector is “Arcadia”, but joining it is just an impossible dream. At this point Bruno is desperate. What he could do: to kill all the competitors? Could he?
Length: 95 minutes
Country: France
Director: Rene Clair
Cast:
Synopsis (long) Comedy which traces the uneven fortunes of pals who escape from prison – one becoming the employee of the other.
Distributor:
Contact Info:
98m; US
Director: Seth Gordon
Stars: Jason Bateman, Charlie Day and Jason Sudeikis
For Nick (Jason Bateman), Kurt (Jason Sudeikis) and Dale (Charlie Day), the only thing that would make the daily grind more tolerable would be to grind their intolerable bosses (Kevin Spacey, Colin Farrell, Jennifer Aniston) into dust. Quitting is not an option, so, with the benefit of a few-too-many drinks and some dubious advice from a hustling ex-con (Jamie Foxx), the three friends devise a convoluted and seemingly foolproof plan to rid themselves of their respective employers… permanently. There’s only one problem: even the best laid plans are only as foolproof as the brains behind them.
— (C) Warner Bros
THE LABOR FILM DATABASE 