56m; U.S.
Director: David Appleby, Allison Graham, Steven Ross
Synopsis: Documents the 1968 Memphis sanitation workers’ strike and the historical forces which came together with the death of Dr. Martin Luther King. NOTE: see I Am A Man for a 10m version.
Opening Sequence
132m; Italy
Director: Gillo Pontecorvo
Cast: Marlon Brando, Evaristo Márquez and Norman Hill
Synopsis: Pontecorvo’s follow-up to The Battle of Algiers tells a story of imperial intrigue on a fictional Portuguese “sugar and slaves” colony in the Caribbean in the 1840s. Marlon Brando plays a British agent who helps convince Jose Dolores, one of the island’s many African slaves, to lead a revolt – which temporarily aligns with the local elite and wins independence. However, the African slaves’ economic and social position remains virtually the same under the new regime. Years later, Brando’s character must return as the Africans are now revolting against their new masters. Pontecorvo uses the story as a metaphor less for any one particular historical incident, but as a left-wing commentary on the full history of slavery, empire, neo-colonialism and resistance for the past two centuries.
Opening Title
Full Film (in 12 Parts)
94m; Iran
Director: Majid Majidi
Synopsis: Immigrant construction workers in Tehran through the eyes of a young child worker.
Trailer
110m; U.S.
Director: Ken Loach
Cast: Pilar Padilla, Adrien Brody and Elpidia Carrillo
Synopsis (IMDB): Maya is a quick-witted young woman who comes over the Mexican border without papers and makes her way to the LA home of her older sister Rosa. Rosa gets Maya a job as a janitor: a non-union janitorial service has the contract, the foul-mouthed supervisor can fire workers on a whim, and the service-workers’ union has assigned organizer Sam Shapiro to bring its “justice for janitors” campaign to the building. Sam finds Maya a willing listener, she’s also attracted to him. Rosa resists, she has an ailing husband to consider. The workers try for public support; management intimidates workers to divide and conquer. Rosa and Maya as well as workers and management may be set to collide.
Trailer
78m; Israel
Director: Ido Haar
Palestinian men build luxury condominiums by day, and hide in makeshift tents to avoid the authorities at night
112m; U.K.
Director: John Schlesinger
A young man (Alan Bates), inching his way up from working-class traditions via a white-collar job, finds himself trapped by the frightening reality of his girlfriend’s (June Richie) pregnancy and is forced into marrying her and moving in with his mother-in-law due to a housing shortage in their Northern England town.
92m
Director: Jill Freidberg
Synopsis: When the people of Oaxaca decided they’d had enough of bad government, they didn’t take their story to the media…they TOOK the media.
info@corrugate.org 206-851-6785 (Cell)
5m; U.S.
Director: Terry Lively
A short film on the West Virginia Public Workers Union – United Electrical Workers Local 170. State, county, and municipal workers in West Virginia brought the only union controlled by the rank and file to the state in spring 2007, marking a new chapter in organizing blue and white collar government workers. Terry Lively, a member of UE Local 170, and president of the West Virginia Filmmakers Guild, began a new film about contemporary unions in the state.
91m; U.S.
Director: Jan Egleson
Cast: Michael Caine, Elizabeth McGovern
Synopsis: Focuses on office politics, featuring sneaky personalities and office traitors. It is dark and brooding.
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