Director: Laura Sky
Synopsis: Women steelworkers
Category Archives: Working Class
My Life to Live (Vivre sa vie: Film en douze tableaux) [1962]
80m; France
Director: Jean-Luc Godard
Cast: Anna Karina, Sady Rebbot and André S. Labarthe
Synopsis: This film explores a Parisian woman’s descent into prostitution. The movie is comprised of a series of 12 “tableaux”– scenes which are basically unconnected episodes, each presented with a worded introduction.
My Name Is Joe (1998)
105m; U.K.
Director: Ken Loach
Cast: Peter Mullan, Louise Goodall and Gary Lewis
Synopsis: Two thirtysomethings, unemployed former alcoholic Joe and community health worker Sarah, start a romantic relationship in the one of the toughest Glasgow neighbourhoods.
My Second Brother (Nianchan) [1960]
101m; Japan
Director: Shôhei Imamura
Cast: Hiroyuki Nagato, Kayo Matsuo and Takeshi Okimura
Synopsis (IMDB): Set during Japan’s depression years in the 50s, Nianchan (read: My Second Brother) tells the story about a family of 4 orphans, who are forced by circumstances to fend for themselves. Being in a mining town where the mining company is beginning to right-size its operations, jobs are getting scarce, and wages are getting lower with frequent cuts. Sticking together trying to find a way out of the vicious circle is close to impossible, and they realize that they have a better chance at carving a living if they split up.
Nana (1934)
90m; U.S.
Director: Dorothy Arzner
Cast: Anna Sten, Phillips Holmes and Lionel Atwill
Synopsis: Prostitution; based on Zola’s novel.
Never Steal Anything Small (1959)
94m; U.S.
Director: Charles Lederer
Cast: James Cagney, Shirley Jones and Roger Smith
Synopsis (IMDB): Jake MacIllaney will do just about anything to win the presidential election of longshoreman union Local 26. When he encounters young upright attorney Dan Cabot and Cabot’s attractive wife, Linda, MacIllaney breaks up their marriage, pursues Linda, and pins a grand larceny rap on Dan. And all set to music!
Next Year Country (2009)
56m; U.S.
Director: Joseph Aguirre
Synopsis: Faced with losing their farms, three Montana families hire a rainmaker in a desperate attempt to bring relief to their drought-stricken communities. NEXT YEAR COUNTRY tells the heartfelt story of three families and the optimism which sustains them in their struggle to hold on to a vanishing way of life.
Contact: info@nextyearcountry.com
No Sweat (2006)
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
Not This Time – The Story Of The Simon Jones Memorial Campaign (
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.
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