May Online Free Screenings for the week of International Workers Day
Hosted by the Workers Unite! Film Festival; co-sponsored by the DC Labor FilmFest; Dublin Workers Film Festival, Rochester Labor Film Series, LaborFest International Working Class Film and Video Festival (San Francisco), Reel Work May Day Labor Film Festival (Santa Cruz), Labor Film Night at the Socialist Labor Party Hall (Vermont), and the London Labour Film Festival of the Global Labor Film Festival Network (GLFFN).
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The Wobblies - Founded in Chicago in 1905, the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) took to organizing unskilled workers into one big union and changed the course of American history. This compelling documentary of the IWW (or “The Wobblies” as they were known) tells the story of workers in factories, sawmills, wheat fields, forests, mines and on the docks as they organize and demand better wages, healthcare, overtime pay and safer working conditions. 2022 Restoration by the Museum of Modern Art. (1979, 89 min, Directed by Deborah Shaffer and Stewart Bird) (Tix) (Trailer) - Available 5/6!
“... A history of the IWW, researched lovingly and corroborated by the reminiscences of some of the union’s former members, who are now in their 80’s and 90’s. – The New York Times
“Eerily echoing current times, The Wobblies boldly investigates a nation torn by naked corporate greed and the red-hot rift between the industrial masters and the rabble-rousing workers in the fields and factories.” – New York Women in Film & Television
Local 1196: A Steelworkers Strike - In March of 2021, the steelworkers of USW 1196 struck, citing unfair labor practices. Over the next four months, Local 1196 follows from late night conversations on the picket lines, to fiery debates at the union hall, to the living rooms of the members, themselves. Taken together, this film gives unique insight and access into the daily struggles of America’s blue-collar workers. The film embeds with leaders of a demographic widely stereotyped, sometimes taken for granted, sometimes ridiculed, but rarely given the chance to share their world, in their own words. (2022, 59 min, Directed by Samuel George) (Tix) (Trailer)
The Fields of Immokalee - For decades, migrant workers have worked the fields of Immokalee, harvesting tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, oranges and other produce that is then shipped across the United States. Many of the workers are undocumented, and attempting to keep their jobs even as federal migration crackdowns hover over the town. (2019, 30 min, Directed by Samuel George) (Tix)
How to Form A Union - Willy Street Grocery Co-op workers organize for a union after management implements a harsh new attendance policy and fails to pay a livable wage. (2021, 22 min, Directed by Gretta Wing Miller) (Tix) (Trailer)
The Song of the Essential Worker (Preview) - Four short films, each profiling a worker while they discuss their job and highlight the resilience and diversity of New York City. (2022, Directed by Zoe Beloff and Eric Muzzy)
Head On A Swivel (7 min) - Adam Lopez - Longshore Worker, Red Hook Container Terminals
I Love Stamps (8 min) - Carolin Herrera Ward - USPS Window Clerk
A Reality Show (14m) - Michael Paul Britto - Community Coordinator at Forsyth Satellite Academy High School, Arts Educator & Artist.
You Can Too (13m) - Lowely Cheung - Union Electrician (IBEW Local 3)
