Themes | THE LABOR FILM DATABASE

It Should Happen to You (1954)

86m; U.S.

Director: George Cukor

Cast: Judy Holliday, Jack Lemmon and Peter Lawford

Synopsis: Gladys Glover has just lost her modelling job when she meets filmmaker Pete Sheppard shooting a documentary in Central Park. For Pete it’s love at first sight, but Gladys has her mind on other things — like making a name for herself. Through a fluke of advertising she winds up with her name plastered over 10 billboards throughout city. Suddenly all of New York is clamoring for Gladys Glover without knowing why and playboy Evan Adams III is making a play for Gladys that even Pete knows will be hard to beat.

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Posted by Metro Council on March 23, 2012 in Comedy, White Collar, Women

It Takes a Child (1998)

23 Mar

56m

Director: Judy Jackson

Synopsis (Bulldog Films): Craig Kielburger was 12 years old when child labor activist Iqbal Massih was killed in Pakistan. He immediately went on a seven-week trip to South Asia. What he learned has turned him into a passionate, articulate and effective advocate on behalf of child laborers everywhere. He is determined to put child labor on the international agenda. He is 15 years old in this film.

He started a child-run organization called Free the Children, which now has 10,000 members worldwide. It directs lobbying and petition efforts at governments and big business. F.I.F.A. now won’t put its logo on any soccer balls that are made with child labor. Free the Children has raised over $150,000 to buy children out of bondage and create a school for them, while raising world awareness

Contact: http://www.bullfrogfilms.com/catalog/child.html

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Posted by Metro Council on March 23, 2012 in Children, Documentary, Global Economy, Organizing

It’s An Attack (2008)

23 Mar

8m; U.S.

Synopsis: From Seattle and the WTO, to Mexico and the struggles of Los Mineros, to Colombia and the brutal murders of trade union activists, It’s an Attack highlights the global attack on workers and the ongoing activism of the United Steelworkers in fighting for the rights of all workers, in the U.S. and around the world. The video premiered at the USW 2008 Convention.

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Posted by Metro Council on March 23, 2012 in Documentary, Global Economy, Organizing, Outsourcing, Strikes-Strikebreaking-Lockouts

Jaan Hai To Jahan Hai

23 Mar

19m; India

Synopsis: A health and safety film used by the Indian National Mineworkers’ Federation to educate workers about the consequences of not following health and safety rules and best practices. The film’s use of local language, traditions and entertainment value has proved successful in reaching workers in the mining sector that often come from rural or agrarian backgrounds. Jaan Hai to Jahan Hai is one of several documentaries the INMF has been actively involved in producing regarding workers’ health and safety.

Contact: INMF 2009 Geneva Labour Film Shorts Festival

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Posted by Metro Council on March 23, 2012 in Documentary, Safety & Health

Tags: Mining

Jack Johnson, the Big Fights (1970)

23 Mar

90m; U.S.

Director: William Cayton

Synopsis: Story of black boxer who was forced into exile in 1910.

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Posted by Metro Council on March 23, 2012 in Blacks, Documentary, Sports

James’ Journey to Jerusalem (2003)

23 Mar

91m; Israel

Director: Ra’anan Alexandrowicz

Cast: Siyabonga Melongisi Shibe, Salim Dau and Arieh Elias

Synopsis (Wikipedia): The film’s plot focuses on an African teenager named James (Siyabonga Melongisi Shibe) whom hails from the fictional African village Entshongweni, who goes on a pilgrimage journey, on behalf of his village, towards the Holy Land, Israel, and especially in order to come to Jerusalem. Upon arriving in Israel, James is suspected to be an illegal foreign worker and as a result he is arrested. Shimi (Salim Daw), a contractor of foreign workers, releases him on bail to work with him. After James explains to him that he did not travel to Israel to work, Shimi clarifies to him that since he paid for his release, James now owes him. Therefore James is forced to interrupt his journey and begin working for Shimi.

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Posted by Metro Council on March 23, 2012 in Drama, Immigrants/Immigration, Service Workers

Janie’s Janie (1970)

23 Mar

25m; U.S.

Director: Geri Ashur

Synopsis: Woman who was a white working class wife kicks her husband out. Now on welfare, she describes her new-found militancy.

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Posted by Metro Council on March 23, 2012 in Documentary, Women, Working Class

I Am A Man: Dr. King and the 1968 AFSCME Memphis Sanitation Strike

19 Mar

Synopsis: On April 3, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. traveled to Memphis to support AFSCME sanitation workers. That evening, he delivered his famous “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech to a packed room of supporters. The next day, he was assassinated. (NOTE: see At The River I Stand for a 56m version of this issue).

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Posted by Metro Council on March 19, 2012 in Blacks, Documentary, Organizing, Politics, Public Sector, Service Workers, Streaming Online (Youtube, Vimeo)

I Am Cuba (1964)

19 Mar

141m; U.S.S.R.-Cuba

Director: Mikhail Kalatozov

Cast: Sergio Corrieri, Salvador Wood and José Gallardo

Synopsis (IMDB): Four vignettes in Batista’s Cuba dramatize the need for revolution; long, mobile shots tell almost wordless stories. In Havana, Maria faces shame when a man who fancies her discovers how she earns her living. Pedro, an aging peasant, is summarily told that the land he farms has been sold to United Fruit. A university student faces down a crowd of swaggering U.S. sailors and then watches friends shot by police when they try to distribute a pro-Castro leaflet. The war arrives on the doorstep of peasants Mariano, Amelia, and their four children when Batista’s forces bomb the hills. Mariano wants peace, so he seeks out the guerrillas to join the fight. If nothing else, an incredible example of pure film-making with stunning and innovative camera work.

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Posted by Metro Council on March 19, 2012 in Drama, Farm & Food, Global Economy, Organizing, Politics, Strikes-Strikebreaking-Lockouts, War, Working Class