Genre | THE LABOR FILM DATABASE

The Spirit of ’45 (2013)

directed by Ken Loach
UK
Documentary

An impassioned documentary about how the spirit of unity which buoyed Britain during the war years carried through to create a vision of a fairer, united society

1945 was a pivotal year in British history. The unity that carried Britain through the war allied to the bitter memories of the inter-war years led to a vision of a better society. The spirit of the age was to be our brothers and our sisters keeper.

Director Ken Loach has used film from Britain’s regional and national archives, alongside sound recordings and contemporary interviews to create a rich political and social narrative. The Spirit of 45 hopes to illuminate and celebrate a period of unprecedented community spirit in the UK, the impact of which endured for many years and which may yet be rediscovered today.

Distributor: Dogwoof
Patrick Hurley
patrick@dogwoof.com

The Spirit of ’45 – first look review (The Guardian)

The Spirit of ’45: Berlin Review (The Hollywood Reporter)

Ken Loach’s ‘The Spirit Of 45’ An Effective But Conservatively Presented Doc About Radical Social Change (IndieWire)

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Posted by Labor Film Database on February 14, 2013 in Documentary, Labor History, Public Sector, Safety & Health

Brooklyn Castle (2012)

14 Feb

US
101m
documentary
http://www.brooklyncastle.com/

Tells the stories of five members of the chess team at a below-the-poverty-line inner city junior high school that has won more national championships than any other in the country. The film follows the challenges these kids face in their personal lives as well as on the chessboard, and is as much about the sting of their losses as it is about the anticipation of their victories. Ironically, the biggest obstacle thrust upon them arises not from other competitors but from recessionary budget cuts to all the extracurricular activities at their school. BROOKLYN CASTLE shows how these kids’ dedication to chess magnifies their belief in what is possible for their lives. After all, if they can master the world’s most difficult game, what can’t they do?

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Posted by Labor Film Database on February 14, 2013 in Blacks, Children, Cities-Urban, Documentary, Education

Black and White and Dead All Over (2012)

10 Jan

Directed by Lenny Feinberg & Chris Foster
83m; US

An in-depth look at the newspaper industry as it struggles to remain financially viable and to keep the presses rolling. Through the voices of prominent journalists including Bob Woodward of the Washington Post and David Carr of the New York Times, we reveal an industry in the midst of a financial death spiral, as readers abandon print for online news sources. We see publishers and editors desperately trying to create a sustainable business model for their dying papers.

Our film examines the importance journalism has on our society by following two fearless investigators into the badlands of North Philadelphia. With the economic crisis in the newsroom threatening to shutter their struggling tabloid, these courageous women bring down a dangerous and corrupt narcotics squad.

If the American newspaper dies, who will conduct investigative journalism, who will hold public officials accountable?

Click here to see the trailer
For more information on the film visit blackandwhiteanddeadallover.net

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Posted by Labor Film Database on January 10, 2013 in Arts/Culture, Communications, Documentary

The Second Cooler (est 2013)

04 Dec

Writer / Director Ellin Jimmerson
Narrated by Martin Sheen
Run time: approximately 87 minutes
Anticipated release date is Winter, 2013
Sub-titled in English and Spanish

SYNOPSIS
Documentary about illegal immigration shot primarily in Alabama, Arizona, and northern Mexico. The premise is that Arizona is the new Alabama, the epicenter of an intense struggle for migrant justice. The documentary’s purpose is to bring basic immigration issues into focus. Those issues include the impact of free trade agreements on migration, the lack of a legal way for poor Latin Americans to come to the United States, the inherent abuses of the guest worker program, the fact that many migrants are indigenous people, anti-immigrant politics, the reality of thousands of migrant deaths at the border, and an escalating ideology of the border.
The Second Cooler raises the question “Who benefits?” from illegal migration. It has interviews with 25 illegal migrants, including three children under the age of 12. It follows several of them throughout the film. In addition, it includes interviews with 55 professionals including historians, lawyers, clergy, labor union organizers, politicians, a Border Patrol agent, human rights advocates and others who untangle the threads of a complicated issue. When a viewer reaches the end of The Second Cooler, he or she will understand why 12 million migrants are in the United States illegally and will be able to offer an informed answer to the question, “Who benefits?”

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Posted by Labor Film Database on December 4, 2012 in Documentary, Immigrants/Immigration

161 Days: The Vita Cortex Workers Struggle (2012)

03 Dec

Ireland | 2012 | 45mins | Colour
The 16th of December 2011 was to be the final day for workers at the Vita Cortex plant in Cork. Their redundancy payments had been agreed but in the final days of their employment they were informed that the payments could not or would not be made. A decision was made to occupy the plant which they did for 161 days, one of the longest running industrial disputes in the history of the Irish state.
The campaign attracted support from football stars Alex Ferguson and Paul McGrath, former President Mary Robinson, actor Cillian Murphy and philosopher Noam Chomsky.
This is the story of the occupation.

Producer Barra O’Connell
Print Sourceinfo@wildacre.ie

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Posted by Labor Film Database on December 3, 2012 in Documentary, Industrial/Mine/Manufacturing, Working Class

Drivers Wanted (2012)

30 Nov

Directed by Jean Tsien & Joshua Z Weinstein
Run time: 53 min. | USA

It takes persistence to run a taxi service in New York City, and new drivers are always needed. Long hours, disrespectful customers and the blinding snow of a blizzard are just some of the challenges they must face. DRIVERS WANTED explores the daily workings of one Queens garage as a new driver transitions from double-decker tour buses to taxis. Throughout it all, 90-year-old Johnnie “Spider” Footman keeps showing up for work. – MRR

Click here for trailer.

Joshuazweinstein@gmail.com
WeinsteinFilm.com

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Posted by Labor Film Database on November 30, 2012 in Documentary, Service Workers, Transportation

The Women on the 6th Floor (Les femmes du 6ème étage) (2010)

26 Nov

Director: Philippe Le Guay
Writers: Philippe Le Guay, Jérôme Tonnerre
Stars: Fabrice Luchini, Sandrine Kiberlain and Natalia Verbeke
104 min – Comedy

In 1960s Paris, a conservative couple’s lives are turned upside down by two Spanish maids.

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Posted by Labor Film Database on November 26, 2012 in Class, Comedy, Netflix Watch Instantly, Service Workers, Women, Working Class

A Day’s Work (2008)

20 Nov

2008
written/directed by Rajeev Dassani
35mm in color, 17m
screening formats available: 35mm print, HDCAM, Digibeta, Betacam, DV or DVCAM, and DVD.

Alone in Los Angeles, Enrique doesn’t speak a word of English. Forced to work as a day laborer to earn money for loved ones back home, his loyalties are put to the test when a simple job escalates into a matter of life and death.

Synopsis: Enrique is a young man far from home trying to make a living wage as a day laborer on the streets of Los Angeles. He thinks he has finally caught a break when Marcus and Kathy pick him up, along with two other immigrant laborers, to help them move. On the job Enrique meets and befriends their teenage son Zack as he helps pack up his childhood room. But things quickly take a turn for the worst when Marcus attempts to pay the men with a check, unaware that day laborers are often cheated out of their wages with bad checks. A simple misunderstanding explodes into a violent standoff with Enrique stuck in the middle.

“A Day’s Work” examines the hopes and fears inherent to the immigrant story, both on the part those crossing the border and those learning to live in a rapidly changing America. When violence erupts, the prejudices of all involved are brought to light and mistrust, assumption and language stand as barriers to an easy resolution.

http://www.daysworkfilm.com/index.html

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Posted by Labor Film Database on November 20, 2012 in Drama, Immigrants/Immigration, Migrant workers

Portraits from Cameroon

20 Nov

Director: Jan Nimmo
Cameroon/ Scotland
between 2.30 mins and 4 mins

A collection of banana workers’ testimonies filmed in the Fako region of Cameroon. These short stories give the viewer an intimate insight into what daily life is like for workers who produce bananas for the European market. The online testimonies were edited for Make Fruit Fair/ Banana Link and these stories are also available as a video wall installation for exhibitions and events.

The films are currently being edited into one short film of around 18 mins for festival distribution – for more information contact Jan Nimmo: jan@greengold.org.uk

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Posted by Labor Film Database on November 20, 2012 in Big Business/Corporations, Documentary, Farm & Food

My Piece of the Pie (2011)

13 Nov

Ma part du gâteau

France: 109 min

After losing her job at a local factory, a single mother enrolls in a housekeeper training program, soon landing work cleaning the Paris apartment of handsome but cocky power broker, who happens to be the same one responsible for the layoffs at her factory.

Director: Cédric Klapisch
Writer: Cédric Klapisch (scenario)
Stars: Karin Viard, Gilles Lellouche and Audrey Lamy | See full cast and crew