98m; France
Director: John Berry
Cast: Dorothy Dandridge, Curt Jürgens and Jean Servais
Synopsis (IMDB): A Dutch slave captain, on a voyage to Cuba, faces a revolt fomented by a newly captured African slave, Tamango. The slaves capture the captain’s mistress, forcing a showdown.
75m; Australia
Director: Maree Delofski
Synopsis: This striking film shows the struggle of Japanese Oki Electric Manufacturing worker and singer Tetsuro Tanaka. Tanaka refused to accept the militarization of his job through calisthenics and the mind control of the company. As result, he is harassed and fired by the company. Rather than giving up, he decides to sing every day in front of the factory. He has continued this battle for 28 years, and in the process, has exposed the nature of this corporate management system. Tanaka has been to LaborFest before, and his music continues to ring out. His words “Never import the corporate fascism of Japan!” continue to have meaning.
Contact: http://www.tanakafilm.com http://www.din.or.jp/~okidentt/eigohome.htm http://unionsong.com/u218.html
90m; Africa
Director: Kollo Daniel Sanou
Synopsis (NYT): Sogo Sanou (played with dignity and reserve by Mamadou Zerbo) is a veteran of the French colonial army who saw battle in Indochina and Algiers. Long retired to his tiny village, atop a rock-strewn hill in a distant outback, Sogo has been patiently waiting for his pension from the French government. But each time he makes the arduous trip to town, bumping his bicycle along dirt roads, he is met with blank stares at the government offices. No, his name is not on the list today. Maybe tomorrow.
30m; Senegal (Africa)
Director: Ousmane Sembene
Synopsis: A young unemployed man fends off accusations of laziness and makes a home for his pregnant girlfriend who has been rejected by her family.
55m; U.S.
Director: Ermena Vinluan
Synopsis: Chronicle of the first three Asian women to become members of the NYPD.
Contact: Ermena Vinluan teaandjustice@yahoo.com c: (212) 729-0148 http://www.teaandjustice.com/ touchbaseproductions@yahoo.com 212-729-0148 (Cell)
Director: Joanna Head
Cast: Muhammed Ahsan, Rafik Bakayev and Pramanik Bharadwaj
Synopsis (IMDB): These days, 90% of taxicab license applicants are born outside of the U. S… Taxi Dreams follows the stories of five of these immigrant drivers…on the road to the American dream.
51m; U.S.
Director: Christopher Walken
Synopsis (Icarus Film): Alpha is a New York City taxi-driver. He comes from Batama, a village in the poorest region of Mali, Africa, a country among the poorest on earth. Since the drought of 1973, there has never been enough rain – the rivers have dried up, the animals have died, the trees are gone and the fields have turned to desert. The men of Batama have gone abroad, hoping to earn enough to keep the women and children alive.
107m; U.S.
Director: Arthur Hiller
Cast: Nick Nolte, JoBeth Williams and Judd Hirsch, Morgan Freeman, Laura Dern
Synopsis (IMDB): A teacher overcomes his frustration in a high-school full of flunkies. As he attempts to educate his students, his attempts to help them gets him into trouble with the school board, which only adds to his problems. With the support of his students he beats the school board and his frustration.
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