Australia
Director: Sandra Pires
Synopsis: A history of coal mining in the Illawarra in Australia, including the 1887 strike at Old Bulli Colliery and Australia’s two most tragic and largest industrial disasters.
Contact: Sandra Pires, Director/Producer sandra@whydocumentaries.com.au Tel: 02 4285 3545 | Fax: 02 4285 7560 | Mob: 0418 452 088 http://www.beneathblackskies.com.au
3m; U.S.
Director: Hope Tucker
Synopsis: Life of garment workers.
U.S.
Director: Ravi Kumar
Cast: Martin Sheen, Mischa Barton and Kal Penn
Synopsis: The story follows a young rickshaw-puller in Bhopal who gets a menial job at a chemical plant, but in December of 1984 a chemical spill in India takes the lives of almost 15,000 people and injuring more than 100,000. The film follows how the industrial disaster in the city changes his life and those of others. Stories of people in India and US as they face dilemmas of life time in the months leading to the biggest Industrial disaster in human history.
Contact: Serotonin Films + (0) 207 494 8293 Dominic Norris: dominic@serotoninfilms.com 4 Great Chapel Street, London, W1F 8FD, United Kingdom
91m; U.S.
Director: Michael Moore
Synopsis: On his book tour, Michael Moore exposes more wrongdoing by greedy big businesses and callous politicians around America.
28m
Synopsis (WV Div. of Culture): Using archival footage, the story of this 1960’s populist uprising in West Virginia is told in cinema verité style. Interviews with several miners with black lung are mixed with comments by many West Virginia experts on coal mine safety to tell a compelling story of their success fighting their own union, the State Legislature, and the U.S. Congress. Their victory was the much-heralded Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969. Congressman Ken Hechler, primary author of the bill, is shown addressing miners in Kanawha County. Doctors, labor leaders, and government officials of the day are also interviewed.
Contact: MSHA Printing & Training Materials Distribution, http://www.msha.gov/TRAINING/prodintr.htm
29:03; U.S.
Director: Mark Catlin
Cast: Studs Terkel
Synopsis: “Studs Terkel narrates this fast-paced history of occupational health and safety in the U.S. from the Industrial Revolution to the 1970s, which OSHA produced in 1979. Rare archival footage and photos illustrate the problems behind dramatic tragedies as well as the daily dangers that put workers at risk for long-term health problems. It also connects the health and safety movement with the civil rights and environmental movements. This is one of three wonderful films produced and distributed by OSHA during the administration of Dr. Eula Bingham – Can’t Take No More; Worker to Worker; and OSHA. Then in 1981, the new head of OSHA, under the Reagan Administration, Thorne Auchter recalled most copies and they disappeared. A few copies were kept alive by union officials who refused to return their copies. The penalty for being discovered in possession of one of these films was losing all OSHA funding for their safety and health programs.”
14m; Germany
Director: Moritz Siebert
Synopsis: This short documentary shows the dire labour conditions of migrant workers in the Malaysian electronics industry. Men and women from Nepal, Indonesia and other countries come as contract workers to work for Dell, HP, Intell and other well known brand companies. Migrant workers pay several thousands of dollars in commission to labour agents to get work permits. Workers often engage in heavy debts to obtain such permits which may grant them a stay in Malaysia for five year maximum. Time to pay off these debts is limited, while pay is low. Migrant workers face discrimination in Malaysian society as well as on the work floor, and have to accept bad housing conditions. The work load is heavy, and when worker fail to meet set targets, they risk immediate dismissal. When workers get pregnant or fall ill, they are sent back home at their own expenses. The documentary has been produced by Moritz Siebert in cooperation with World Economy, Ecology, development (WEED), for the European Procure IT Fair campaign.
Contact: http://www.vimeo.com/18617196
131m; U.S.
Director: Mike Nichols
Cast: Meryl Streep, Kurt Russell and Cher
Synopsis: Biographical film about Karen Silkwood, a chemical technician at a Kerr-McGee nuclear power plant in Oklahoma. Silkwood became increasingly concerned about all manner of safety and health violations at the plant and worked with her union, the Oil, Chemical & Atomic Workers to try to address them. This led to escalating pressure from the company and eventually Silkwood’s death in a suspicious car accident.
Trailer
122m; Austria/Germany
Director: Michael Glawogger
Synopsis: Deconstructs contemporary conceptions of work – by showcasing six of the most grueling and dangerous professions. Incredibly beautiful and moving, with virtually no dialogue or narration.
http://www.cultureunplugged.com/play/4451/Alethea
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