54m; U.S.
Director: Amie Williams
Synopsis (IMDB): An all-American tale about an all-American garment: The T-shirt, NO SWEAT takes a wild ride into the bowels of Los Angeles garment industry. Mostly undocumented workers at American Apparel and SweatX are offered better wages, benefits, even a shot at worker-ownership. But what’s really behind the label?
Contact: http://www.balmaidenfilms.com/who.html
29m; Mexico
Director: Caitlin Manning
Synopsis (mediarights.org): A documentary by Caitlin Manning and the Videoactivista collective about the movement of peaceful civil disobedience that took over the heart of Mexico City for 49 days July trough September of this year. The movement was catalyzed by the fraudulent elections in July 2006. The documentary provides background and context for the current upsurge of social unrest in Mexico.
29m; Canada
Director: Helene Klodawsky
Synopsis: Kwai Fong Lai is from Hong Kong, Alberta Onyejekwe from Ghana, and Angela Williams from Jamaica. They are immigrants to Canada, visible minorities, and women, a combination designed to make their lives difficult. While Canadian society has yet to accustom itself to its immigrant reality, these strong and resilient women manage to adapt and survive. At home and at work, they speak candidly about the conditions that shape their lives. (Synopsis from: http://onf-nfb.gc.ca/eng/collection/film/?id=18377)
10m; Morocco
Synopsis: Child labour is one of the biggest obstacles to Education International’s aim of building a world in which every child has access to free, quality public education. In Morocco, where thousands of children every year are forced to drop out of primary school and go to work to help support their families, the Syndicat national de L’Enseignement (SNE) has had great success with its program to fight child labour by keeping children in school. The film follows Sara, who was compelled into domestic servitude because her family could no longer afford to feed her. With the help of the union, Sara is now back in school and working towards her dream of becoming a paediatrician.
53m; Cameroon, Africa
Director: François Ducat
Synopsis (icarusfilms.com): Since the arrival of the Internet in the African republic of Cameroon, Internet Cafés have mushroomed. In a country where nearly half the population lives under the poverty threshold, many young women, who dream of escaping a life of misery by marrying a rich, white foreigner, surf the Internet for European marriage prospects at cybercafés such as Love.com, Affection.org, Flirt.net and Meeting.com.
In the capital city of Yaoundé, NORTH-SOUTH.COM interviews many of these young women who see Europe as a “paradise,” and who express incredibly naïve beliefs about European men-that they are more masculine, more romantic, have lots of money and always tell the truth.
The film also tells the stories of several Cameroonian women who married white Europeans, showing their current situations, the cultural differences with which they deal, and the personal sacrifices they made in exchange for economic security. We also learn of the tragedy of a 19-year-old woman who was lured to Paris by an Internet correspondent, taken captive and forced into prostitution for nine months before escaping.
In relating these heartrending stories of dreams, hopes, disappointments and happiness that develop from on-line encounters between black women and white men, NORTH-SOUTH.COM also provides a provocative contemporary portrait of the relationship between the “developed” and “developing” worlds.
Contact: http://icarusfilms.com/new2009/nsc.html lori@icarusfilms.com sending screener
95m; U.S.
Director: John Hanson, Rob Nilsson
Cast: Robert Behling, Susan Lynch and Joe Spano
Synopsis: Northern Lights tells the story of North Dakota farmers who rebel against the economic tyranny of the railroads, grain dealers, and bankers by working for the election of Nonpartisan League candidates in 1916. (from http://jetson.unl.edu/cocoon/encyclopedia/doc/egp.fil.051)
18m; Canada
Director: Edie Steiner
Synopsis: Filmmaker’s quest to bring social justice to her family, in light of her father’s death from occupational illness.
Contact: espix@sympatico.ca 416 260-2734 (Home)
11m; U.S.
Director: Jon Lewis
Synopsis: Farm Workers’ struggle in the US.
24m; U.K.
Available on Vimeo
Film about the death of Simon Jones and the campaign that grew out if it. The film looks at the events surrounding Simon’s death, the formation of the memorial campaign, the campaign’s actions, including the occupation of the Department of Trade and Industry during George Galloway’s parliamentary debate on Simon’s death and the closure of Southwark Bridge outside the Health and Safety Executive and interviews with Simon’s family, friends and supporters.
The Simon Jones Memorial Campaign was set up after casual dock worker Simon Jones was decapitated in an industrial accident on April 24, 1998. He was working for Euromin on the south coast of England. The campaign argued that failure to train Simon for a dangerous job was tantamount to murder and that the pursuit of profit was put ahead of life. Simon died on his first day at work and was known to have no experience.
The campaign, supported by anti-casualisation campaigners from the trade unions, initially took its fight to Euromin and the employment agency who offered him the work, Personnel Selection. It has been characterised by direct action: six months after Simon’s death there was an occupation of his workplace and frequent pickets of the employment agency have taken place. When theHealth and Safety Executive refused to take up the issue, protestors blockaded the road for three hours. The incident was taken up by Members of Parliament and a minister acknowledged that the government plans for protecting workers were “not enough”.
The Crown Prosecution Service decision to not prosecute Euromin was overturned on March 23, 2000 by a judicial review, the first time a judicial review has ever insisted on prosecuting corporate manslaughter. Euromin were ultimately fined £50,000 for breach of safety regulations. The manager was acquitted of manslaughter by a majority decision of the jury.
The anti-casualisation element of the campaign persists with the slogan “casualisation kills”, the purple stickers can be seen around various casual employers or agencies. The campaigners do workshops on their methods and support others who have been affected by deaths in the workplace.
THE LABOR FILM DATABASE 