87m; U.S.
Director: Sean Baker, Shih-Ching Tsou
Cast: Charles Jang, Jeng-Hua Yu and Wang-Thye Lee
Synopsis: An illegal Chinese immigrant falls behind on payments on an enormous smuggling debt. Ming Ding has only until the end of the day to come up with the money.
Director: Gus Trikonis
Cast: Robert Hays, Art Carney and Barbara Hershey
Synopsis (IMDB): The “Alison Group” has bought four beer breweries in difficulties. The young but rising top manager Franck Macklin is sent to reorganize one of them – the one which happens to be the main company in his home town. At first his old buddies are reluctant to have him as new boss, but since he can’t save all of them from the severe changes, the climate soon changes. Then he learns that he increased the profit so much, that the his bosses have decided to resell his brewery profitably to an incompetent Texas oil millionaire…
Director: Bann Roy
60m
What if your gender barred you from applying for a job, and once you were allowed to apply, the rules changed to make it impossible for you to qualify? What if you took legal action to be considered fairly for the job but then faced overwhelming discrimination and hostility from your co-workers? Welcome to the world of Captain Brenda Berkman and the first women to join one of the most celebrated—and macho—lifesaving organizations in the world: the New York City Fire Department.
TAKING THE HEAT: The First Women Firefighters of New York City tells the story of Berkman and the small group of women who dared to want a “man’s job.” Through one-on-one interviews, filmmaker Bann Roy exposes the loneliness, violence and even sexual abuse these women endured to serve their communities.
Home and educational video copies of TAKING THE HEAT: The First Women Firefighters of New York City are available from:
Anjali Films
Email: yoon@takingtheheat.com
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.
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.
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