26m; U.S.
Director: Laura Sky
Synopsis: This film documents the closing down of an American-owned branch plant, with all the personal trauma that such a decision causes the workers. The employees discuss the dilemma of working in an economy dominated by foreign ownership and the lack of government action to protect jobs in American-owned branch plants.
Contact: http://www.onf-nfb.gc.ca/eng/collection/film/?id=13252
123m; U.S.
Director: Michael Moore
Cast: Michael Moore, Tucker Albrizzi and Tony Benn
Synopsis (IMDB): Documentary look at health care in the United States as provided by profit-oriented health maintenance organizations (HMOs) compared to free, universal care in Canada, the U.K., and France. Moore contrasts U.S. media reports on Canadian care with the experiences of Canadians in hospitals and clinics there. He interviews patients and doctors in the U.K. about cost, quality, and salaries. He examines why Nixon promoted HMOs in 1971, and why the Clintons’ reform effort failed in the 1990s. He talks to U.S. ex-pats in Paris about French services, and he takes three 9/11 clean-up volunteers, who developed respiratory problems, to Cuba for care. He asks of Americans, “Who are we?”
92m; U.S.
Director: Rob Nilsson
Cast: Bill Ackridge, Dan Leegant and John Tidwell
Synopsis (New York Times): The title refers to a radio distress call for a taxi driver in trouble and the movie is about people in various states of distress and the subtle signals for help they send out. It’s also about pride, loneliness, friendship, ambition, failure, fear and hope, as seen through the daily lives of a group of middle-aged cab drivers. The film follows two of them, Marty and Speed, played with depth and sensitivity by Dan Leegant and Bill Ackridge, through a night’s rounds at a time when one of their colleagues is brutally murdered. They audition for parts, play cards, trade tall tales, pick up fares, cope with the murder and try to get on with life.
By Tami Gold, Dan Gordon, Erik Lewis
1980, 45 minutes, Color and B&W, Video
On July 21, 1978 thousands of postal workers across the country walked off their jobs when their contract expired, saying “No” to mandatory overtime, forced speedups and hazardous working conditions. As a result of this wildcat strike, six hundred thousand postal workers won a better contract. But two hundred workers were arbitrarily fired by management to teach all postal workers a lesson.
SIGNED, SEALED and DELIVERED… is the story of the struggle these postal workers waged to win back their jobs. It follows their fight into the streets, onto the floor of the American Postal Workers Union’s National Convention and among workers and communities nationwide. But it took the tragic death of Michael McDermott, a 25 year old mailhandler who was sucked into a conveyor belt and crushed to death, to bring their hazardous working conditions to national attention.
SIGNED, SEALED and DELIVERED… speaks loudly and clearly to people everywhere who are organizing for safe and humane conditions in the workplace.
http://andersongoldfilms.com/films/documentaries/ssd.htm
14m; Pakistan/France
Director: Aisha Gazdar
Synopsis: The stories of women home-based workers in Pakistan told in a gritty and realistic style
45m; Turkey
Director: Ethem Özgüven, Petra Holzer, Selçuk Erzurumlu
Synopsis: At one end of the chain of distribution, there are the popular blue jeans. While on the other end are the unregistered workshops. The workers who make these jeans have contracted life threatening lung diseases. The expensive stonewashed jeans shine while the worker’s lives fade away from their dangerous work.
Contact: petramh@gmail.com
26m; Thailand
Director: Committee for Asian Women
Synopsis: Shows how the economic policies of the IMF and World Bank have made women pay a heavy price in their struggle to survive.
Contact: http://www.cawinfo.org
30m; U.S.
Director: Barbara Wolf
Synopsis: Organizing in academia.
Contact: Michael Dembrow, PCC Faculty Federation, mdembrow@pcc.edu
Director: Students Informing Now (SIN)
Synopsis: Experiences of UCSC students from migrant backgrounds.
Contact: Jennifer McNulty (831) 459-2495; jmcnulty@ucsc.edu (wrote story on UCSC website: http://www.ucsc.edu/news_events/text.asp?pid=2149) Pedro Espinosa: joelfilms@gmail.com
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