86m; U.S.
The Attorney General of the United States called A. Philip Randolph “the most dangerous Negro in America.” He forced President Roosevelt to integrate the armed forces, won the first-ever contract for a Black union when he organized the Pullman porters and was the moving force behind the historic 1963 March on Washington.
95m; Poland
Director: Jacek Borcuch
Synopsis: Set in 1981, just as Poland’s Solidarity movement was about to become an active force for social and political change, writer-director Jacek Borcuch’s film blends elements of an American ’80s teen sex comedy, a Romeo and Juliet-style romance and raucous punk rock into a thoroughly winning story. In an industrial port town on the Baltic coast, Jacek (Mateusz Kosciukiewicz), the teenaged son of a navy captain, and his friends court controversy by forming a punk rock band. Jacek begins a tentative romance with schoolmate Basia (Olga Fryz), whose father is a union leader. As events come to a head, and the young lovers find their families in opposition, Jacek and his band, backed by the town’s youth, take a stand for freedom.
95m; U.S.
Director: Mira Nair and Kristi Jacobson
Synopsis: The Teamster’s Union goes on strike against Overnite Transportation, a nationwide freight company that has resisted unionization. The union, however, faces its own internecine battles as factions inside the organization, one led by James P. Hoffa vie for power. Produced by Barbara Kopple.
Japan
Synopsis: Struggle against the privatization of Japan Railways.
Contact: Labor Video Press, Tokyo
56m; Canada
Director: Elaine Brière
The story of the little-known struggle of merchant seamen to save the merchant fleet and their livelihood. It traces the history of Canadian shipping from the international strike of 1949 to the globalization of coastal shipping in Australia by Canada Steamship Lines — owned by the family of Canadian Prime Minister, Paul Martin
95m; U.S.
Director: Doug Pray
Synopsis: An exhilarating look into the soul of the American truck driver.
96m; U.K.
Director: Ken Loach
Cast: Dean Andrews, Thomas Craig and Joe Duttine
Synopsis (IMDB): In South Yorkshire, a small group of railway maintenance men discover that because of privatization, their lives will never be the same. When the trusty British Rail sign is replaced by one reading East Midland Infrastructure, it is clear that there will be the inevitable winners and losers as downsizing and efficiency become the new buzzwords. A cheery camaraderie is soon replaced by uncertainty and turmoil when their depot manager fills them in on the details of the new arrangement. Privatization means that the customer now comes first, something that is instilled into the men in new training sessions. But there are inconsistencies and shortsightedness to the new ways. Men used to working together now find themselves belonging to different, competing companies. Some even have to tender for their old jobs. Others decide to take the redundancy packages offered by the firm. As always, corners are cut in the interest of lowering costs, leading to a series of misadventures.
Contact: “From: Cary Jones cjones@firstlookmedia.com To: manderson@igc.org Subject: Date: Tue, May 7, 2002, 9:35 PM Dear Mr. Garlock: Jon Flanders sent me a copy of your inquiry regarding our film “The Navigators”. We do not have any plans to open the film until later in the fall at the very earliest. When we do open the film in the Rochester area, it might be possible to arrange a special premiere in conjunction with the opening. While I can’t tell you for sure where we will open the film, in the past we’ve often booked our films in the Little Theatre. You may want to contact them about your interest in the film. Thanks for your interest in the Navigators. Cary Jones Tiffany Naiman International Marketing Coordinator Overseas Filmgroup A Division of First Look Media 8000 Sunset Blvd., East Penthouse Los Angeles, CA 90046 Tel: 323.337.1000 Fax: 323.337.1078
Trailer
30m; US (click above for excerpt)
James Earl Jones narrates the first film made by the American Social History Project’s series on American working people and U.S. history. Using rare documents and pictures, it explores the massive national railroad strikes of 1877, a watershed event in Pittsburgh and U.S. history
95m; US
Director: Robert Townsend
Starring: André Braugher, Charles S. Dutton & Mario Van Peebles
Dramatic film inspired by the life of black organizer, A. Philip Randolph (Braugher), an early champion of the Civil Rights movement. From1925 to 1937, Randolph led the railway car porters’ bruising battle against the notoriously anti-union Pullman Company, one of the most powerful companies in the United States in the 1920’s. His efforts helped create the first black union, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. Charles S. Dutton portrays Webster, the union’s Chicago-based organizer.Mario Van Peebles plays Ashley Totten, one of the founding members of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters.Philip Randolph (Braugher) was an ardent socialist and publisher of a struggling radical Harlem magazine called “The Messenger.” Because traditional trade unions such as the American Federation of Labor (AFL)had not yet invited the black working-class to join in the 1920’s, the black labor movement was initiated by the railway porters who worked on the sleeping cars for the Pullman company. Although they were proud of their profession, the porters were often humiliated and dismissed by the upper-class white passengers. They were grossly underpaid. In the eyes of the Pullman Company and many of their patrons alike, the porters were not seen as individuals and were simply referred to “George” after the owner of the railway company.
Originally broadcast on Showtime on February 24, 2002
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