19m; U.S.
Director: Diane Krauthamer
Synopsis: The Confederation of Haitian Workers (CTH) invited an Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) delegation to Haiti to learn about their fight against “le plan neoliberal” and recruit help in the form of material aid and solidarity. The delegation was in Haiti April 24 to May 5 2008, two weeks after the country erupted in mass protest at burgeoning food prices. This video shares the stories and experiences
Synopsis: Documentary about the workers who built the Golden Gate Bridge.
54m; U.S.
Director: Vivian Price
Synopsis: Female construction workers.
Contact: www.hammeringitout.com; Vivian Price vprice@csudh.edu/blues3@verizon.net; Women Make Movies 212-925-0606 ADDRESS: C/O Susanne Davis 2225 East Ocean Blvd Long Beach CA 90803
Directr: Adrian Muys
Synopsis/Contact: This is Adrian Muys writing, the filmmaker you met at the AFI. Here is a short summary of Hands of Harvest and how the AFL-CIO would fit into it. Hands of Harvest chronicles the journey of a group of Mexican women who travel on work visas from the Hidalgo region to the Eastern Shore of Maryland to pick crabs in seafood plants. The film focuses on the H2-B visa program and how it has impacted the culture of both a small Maryland fishing village and a remote hamlet in Mexico. What I would like to interview someone at the AFL-CIO about it their stance on visa workers and how it has affected the American work force. Hands of Harvest is about workers, both American and Mexican, who will go to great lengths to support their families and uphold traditions and I have always taken an unbiased approach to the film in order to get as many opinions as possible about a subject that is very important at this moment in US labor history. I think having the opinion of the AFL-CIO would widen the scope of the film and bring another important point of view to the table. Please call me if you have any questions about the film: (917) 743-3714 Thanks Adrian Muys Chapel Cove Productions adrianmuys@yahoo.com
Synopsis: Immigrant German photographer joins struggle for workers & human rights in US
103m; U.S.
Director: Barbara Kopple
Cast: Norman Yarborough (Himself – Eastover Mining President); Houston Elmore (Himself – UMW organizer); Phil Spark (Himself – UMW staff); John Corcoran (Himself – Consolidated Coal President); John O’Leary (Himself – former Bureau of Mines director); Dr. Donald Rasmussen (Himself – Blackwing Clinic, WV); Dr. Hawley Wells Jr. (Himself); Tom Williams (Himself – Boyle campaigner); Chip Yablonski (Himself); Ken Yablonski (Himself); Logan Patterson (Himself – negotiator); Harry Patrick (Himself – UMW secretary-treasurer); Mike Trbovich (Himself – UMW VP); Bernie Aronson (Himself – UMW staff); Guy Farmer Himself (BCPA General Counsel)
http://www.cabincreekfilms.com/films_harlancounty.html
Synopsis: Harlan County, USA is a 1976 documentary film covering the efforts of 180 coal miners on strike against the Eastover Mining Company in Harlan County, Kentucky in 1973. It was directed by Barbara Kopple, who has long been an advocate of workers’ rights. Harlan County, U.S.A. Coal miners. The film won the 1976 Oscar for Best Documentary. Kopple and her crew spent three years filming within the mining community and 180 families’ bitter struggle to win a contract. Facing dangerous and violent anti-union gun thugs and the brutal murder of one of their own, the striking miners fearlessly face the picket line day in and day out in the hopes of securing a fare wage and a better way of life for their families. The film is a tribute to the working families of America, particularly the women of Harlan County who actively organized and spearheaded efforts to keep the struggle alive.
60m; U.S.
Director: Palmer Williams
Synopsis: From the CBS reports series, this film is a comprehensive report on the problems of migratory fame workers in the US, showing the conditions under which they lie and work.
Director: Arun Kumar
Synopsis (HRFF): In 1994 the “upper” caste militias [in Bihar, a State of eastern India] coalesced to form the highly armed Ranvir Sena under the leadership of the Bhumihar caste and masterminded nearly a dozen massacres to quell the emerging movement of the poor and the landless. A section of the Left, known as the People’s War and Maoist Communist Centre, parallely killed upper caste landlords in championing its cause for the lowly and the deprived.
Hashiye Par Zindagi – Life on the Margin documents the voices of widows of these massacres in the State. The women filmed represent both the “lower” and the “upper” castes of Bihar. The film tries to bring out what women think of killings; how they cope with loneliness, hunger and insecurity after the incident. They also tell us what they see as a possible way out from the current quagmire of violence.
The film has been made by the Violence Mitigation and Amelioration Project (VMAP). It is central to a State-wide campaign against violence, initiated in Bihar a year ago. It has to date, been watched by over 50,000 people. It is hoped that the Campaign will start a debate on the futility of violence.
Director: Connie Field
Synopsis: The Road to Resistance (58 mins.) In 1948, South Africa institutes apartheid, a system of segregation that infiltrates every aspect of life. The Sharpeville Massacre shocks the world, and Nelson Mandela and other leaders of the African National Congress (ANC) are jailed. Hundreds escape into exile. Hell of a Job (58 mins.) Oliver Tambo heads the resistance from exile (opposition within South Africa has been effectively crushed). A worldwide movement begins with support from the Soviet Union and Sweden. The New Generation (58 mins.) The Soweto Uprising, led by a younger generation, inspires an international response; apartheid opponent Steve Biko is murdered; the United Nations issues a mandatory arms embargo against South Africa. Fair Play (95 mins.) An international sports boycott takes shape when African teams refuse to compete in the Olympics with South Africa’s all-white teams. Only SA’s world champion Springboks rugby team remains on the field. [Clint Eastwood’s INVICTUS features the Springboks during the post-apartheid era.] From Selma to Soweto (90 mins.) With the success of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement, African-Americans push for economic sanctions against South Africa. Despite President Reagan’s opposition, Congress finally imposes sanctions. The Bottom Line (83 mins.) Employees and consumers worldwide pressure Polaroid, General Motors, Barclay’s Bank and other corporate giants to divest from South Africa. A financial crisis ensues when a mass exodus of corporations isolates the white regime. Free at Last (75 mins.) The campaign to free Nelson Mandela (imprisoned 27 years) gains momentum. His release, coupled with ongoing international pressure and an unstoppable internal mass movement, lead to the toppling of apartheid and the holding of democratic elections.
This brilliant series on the most important international social justice movement of the 20th century is a landmark work of global significance.”—Professor Clayborne Carson, Stanford University “EXEMPLARY… A TRIUMPH of maximalist filmmaking. Field’s nonfiction epic is a monumental chronicle not just of one nation and its hideous regime, but of the second half of the 20th century. … deftly toggles between the macro and the micro.” –The Village Voice, “Every part could stand on its own, Yet the doc’s real impact is cumulative.” —Time Out New York CRITICS’ PICK! Engrossing and surprisingly exciting… –New York magazine “Like THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS, functions almost as a manual on how to topple an unjust regime.” –The New York Times “Mandatory viewing! Epic! Exhilarating! More compelling and instructive than any fictionalized movies on the subject. The figure who stands out as the blood, guts, and mind of the movement… is Oliver Tambo. Shown in rare interview footage, he emerges as a dynamic leader of impressive intellect and courage. (The film) demonstrates Field’s talent for weaving an extraordinarily complex tapestry of historical events and international personages into a dramatic structure, complete with climax and catharsis. The number of impressive individuals that Field has assembled to flesh out this story is astounding. —Artforum Essential viewing…thoroughly gripping.. –Hollywood Reporter “EYE OPENING! a staggering, panoramic film history — Vanity Fair “Simply the most important documentary of the year, if not the decade… —SF Weekly
Contact: Connie Field, Producer/Director Clarity Films The Saul Zaentz Film Center 2600 Tenth Street, Suite 412 Berkeley, CA 94710 Tele: 510-841-3469 Cell; 510-289-5025 Connie@clarityfilms.org http://www.clarityfilms.org/
56m; U.S.
Director: Mimi Pickering
Synopsis: Documentary on folksinger Hazel Dickens. Profiles a “modern” woman dealing with contemporary issues from a feminist perspective which has evolved from her own experiences, being Appalachian, displaced physically and culturally, poor and working class, a woman artist in a man’s world, and a bearer of tradition. Includes a number of complete song performances of feminist ballads and union rousers. Interweaves threads of feminism, folksinging and union organizing, though the focus is definitely more on the first two.
Contact: Pacific Film Archive Laura Deutch Outreach Coordinator Pacific Film Archive 2625 Durant Avenue Berkeley, CA 94720-2250 510/642-6883 http://www.bampfa.berkeley.edu/pfa
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