The 2006-2007 Labor & Community Film Series wrapped up in May. The series features compelling programs not usually found on TV or in your local movie theater. Watch this space for information on the next series, starting this September.
All the screenings are free and open to all. Each showing will be followed by a discussion of the film.
Previous programs in this series:
Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2006
Uprising of '34
7 p.m., Lakes & Plains Regional Council of Carpenters, 700 Olive St., St. Paul, Directions to the Carpenters hall
Filmmakers Judith Helfand, Susanne Rostock, George Stoney, 90 minutes
In 1934, the same year as the massive Teamster strike in Minneapolis, Southern textile workers led a nationwide walkout by half a million people -- the largest single-industry strike in the history of the United States. Some mill workers were murdered, thousands more were blacklisted, and many were so intimidated that "union" became a dirty word in Southern communities for decades to come. A thoughtful exploration of the paternalistic relationship between mill management and its employees, the dynamics between black and white workers, and the impact of the New Deal on the lives of working people, the film is intended to spark discussion on class, race, economics, and power — issues still vital today.
Friday, Oct. 20, 2006
De Nadie (No One)
7 p.m., Resource Center of the Americas, 3019 Minnehaha Ave., Minneapolis, Directions to the Resource Center
Filmmaker Tin Dirdamal, 82 minutes; Bilingual: Spanish/English
The title of the documentary refers to the millions of poor migrants from the South seeking entry to the United States as a means to escape poverty. While the anti-immigration movement in the United States focuses on preventing Mexican migration to America, limited attention is paid to the thousands of Central Americans who first have to cross Mexico before attempting to enter the United States. This documentary seeks to fill this gap by exploring their journeys.
Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2006
Boys Don't Cry
7 p.m., University of Minnesota West Bank campus, Blegen Hall, Room TBA, Directions to Blegen Hall
Filmmaker Kimberly Peirce, 116 minutes
This fictionalized drama focuses on the tragic real-life story of Brandon Teena, a FTM (female to male) person. Hilary Swank, in an Oscar-winning performance, plays Brandon, a sweet, but far-from-perfect 21-year-old drifter. The story, set in a working-class Nebraska town, follows Brandon as he falls in love with a tough-talking gal who's glad to have finally met a man who treats her with respect. But when Brandon is exposed as transgendered, ignorance, fear and transphobia drive two of his male friends to violently confront him. Unflinching in its depiction of the community and complex in its handling of all of the characters, the film humanizes a person whose only crime was to express his true self. Co-sponsored with Pride at Work, AFL-CIO and the University of Minnesota LGBT Program Office.
Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2006
Dirty Pretty Things
7 p.m., Minnesota Nurses Association, 1625 Energy Park Dr., St. Paul
(Intersection of Energy Park Drive and Snelling Ave. in St. Paul. Plenty of parking available).
Filmmaker Stephen Frears, 94 minutes
An undocumented African immigrant doctor working a service job in a London hotel fights to put an end to the gruesome trade in human organs in this award-winning thriller which exposes a side of the global economy that most people never see—as well as the dynamics between native-born and immigrant workers that union members face here and abroad. Co-sponsored with the Minnesota Nurses Association, AFL-CIO.
Friday, Jan. 26, 2007
Granito de Arena (Grain of Sand)
7 p.m., Resource Center of the Americas, 3019 Minnehaha Ave., Minneapolis, Directions to the Resource Center
Filmmaker Jill Freidberg, 60 minutes; Bilingual: Spanish/English
For over 20 years, global economic forces have been dismantling public education in Mexico, but always in the constant shadow of popular resistance. Granito de Arena is the story of that resistance—of thousands of public schoolteachers whose grassroots, non-violent movement took Mexico by surprise, and who have endured brutal repression in their 25-year struggle for social and economic justice in Mexico's public schools. Combining footage of strikes and direct actions with 25 years worth of archival images, the award-winning documentary highlights the relationship between economic globalization and the worldwide public education crisis. Co-sponsored with the Resource Center of the Americas.
Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2007
Thirst
7 p.m., Lakes & Plains Regional Council of Carpenters, 700 Olive St., St. Paul, Directions to the Carpenters hall
Filmmakers Alan Snitow and Deborah Kaufman, 62 minutes; Bilingual (Spanish/English)
Is water part of a shared "commons," a human right for all people? Or is it a commodity to be bought, sold, and traded in a global marketplace? "Thirst" tells the stories of communities in Bolivia, India, and the United States that are asking these fundamental questions. Over a billion people lack access to safe drinking water. Each year, millions of children die of diseases caused by unsafe water. The numbers are increasing. A central story in the film takes place in Stockton, California. When the mayor proposes to give control of the water system to a consortium of global water corporations, he is surprised by the reaction as residents create a new grassroots coalition to demand a say in the decision. They are worried about price hikes, water quality, and layoffs of public employees, who tend to be women and people of color. The African-American water plant supervisor sees democracy itself at stake in this battle. Co-sponsored with AFSCME Council 5. ,
Friday, March 23, 2007
Morristown
7 p.m., Resource Center of the Americas, 3019 Minnehaha Ave., Minneapolis, Directions to the Resource Center
Filmmaker Ann Lewis, 60 minutes; In Spanish and English with subtitles
What effect is globalization – and the waves of immigration it often compels – having on communities? In this hour-long documentary, director Ann Lewis chronicles nearly a decade of change in Morristown, Tennessee, through interviews with displaced or low-wage Southern workers, Mexican immigrants, and workers and families impacted by globalization. The film shows how working-class people in Mexico and eastern Tennessee are caught in the throes of massive economic change, challenging their assumptions about work, family, nation and community. "Morristown" replaces "Five Factories: Worker Control in Venezuela," which originally was scheduled for March 23. A copy of "Five Factories" could not be obtained; film series organizers regret any inconvenience this may cause.
Download a pdf flier for "Morristown"
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Meeting Face to Face: the Iraq-U.S. Labor Solidarity Tour and Breaking Walls
7 p.m., Lakes & Plains Regional Council of Carpenters, 700 Olive St., St. Paul, Directions to the Carpenters hall
Meeting Face to Face (Jonathan Levin, 27 minutes) follows six senior Iraqi labor leaders through 25 U.S. cities during the June 2005 Iraq-U.S. Labor Solidarity Tour, sponsored by U.S. Labor Against the War. Speaking to U.S. audiences for the first time, Iraqis explain why the primary condition for a peaceful resolution in Iraq is ending the U.S. occupation and why an independent labor movement is crucial in creating a democratic society. The documentary captures the energy and emotions of the tour while adding vital perspectives and experiences we almost never hear - those of the Iraqis themselves. Through the film we also see American working people bringing new energy and commitment to the movement for peace and social justice. Includes footage from the tours' Twin Cities stop at the Carpenters Hall.
Breaking Walls (Yonatan Ben Efrat, 47 minutes) is an optimistic film about art and labor activism that tracks three people whose roads entwine near a wall in the village of K'ara in Israel. One is labor muralist Mike Alewitz, the second is Danny Ben-Simhon, who abandoned a promising artistic career to work with WAC-MA'AN (Workers Advice Center); and the third is Musav Salameh, a building worker, who is kept apart from his parents in the West Bank by Israel's separation wall. Salameh came to the wall-painting as an observer on the sideline, but quickly took brush in hand. Although the film starts with Salameh's doubts about painting the wall, it ends in a moving scene in the Beit Berl art college. Salameh, together with Ben Simhon, other building laborers and art students set up an impressive exhibition, at the center of which are paintings done on walls that they built themselves in the college's gallery.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Transnational Tradeswomen and Sisters of Philadelphia
7 p.m., Lakes & Plains Regional Council of Carpenters, 700 Olive St., St. Paul, Directions to the Carpenters hall
Transnational Tradeswomen (62 minutes) is a documentary by former construction worker Vivian Price that explores the current and historical roles of women in the construction industry in Asia – discovering several startling facts. Capturing footage that shatters common stereotypes, Price discovers that women in many parts of Asia have been doing construction labor for centuries. But conversations with these women show that development and the resulting mechanization are pushing them out of the industry. Their stories disturb the notion of "progress" that many people hold and show how globalization, modernization, education and technology don't always result in gender equality and the alleviation of poverty. Celebrating a range of women workers – from a Japanese truck driver and two young Pakistani women working on a construction site in Lahore, to a Taiwanese woman who works alongside her husband – this film deftly probes the connections in their experiences.
Sisters of Philadelphia (11 minutes) is a film produced by and for women carpenters in Philadelphia. K.S. Haskey, the director, has worked as a U.B.C.J. carpenter for over 21 years. She highlights the warmth and spirit that women in the trades bring to their work and to the labor movement overall. Co-sponsored with the Lakes & Plains Council of Carpenters and Women in the Trades.
Blegen Hall is located on the University of Minnesota's West Bank Campus at 269 19th Ave. S. The nearest parking is at the 19th Avenue parking ramp.
From the north: Take 35W South to the Washington Avenue exit. Turn left on Washington Avenue, which crosses over 35W and becomes Cedar Avenue at the bend in the road. Turn left at the third stoplight on 3rd Street South. The 19th Avenue parking ramp entrance is on your right.
From the south: Take 35W North to the 3rd Street/U of M West Bank exit. Follow signs for the U of M West Bank. Turn right onto Washington Avenue, which becomes Cedar Avenue at the bend in the road. Turn left on 3rd Street South. The 19th Avenue parking ramp entrance is on your right.
From the east: Take 94 West to the Riverside Avenue exit. Turn right on Riverside Avenue and follow it a 1/4-block past 19th Avenue. The 19th Avenue parking ramp entrance is on your right.
From the west: Take 94 to the 35W North LEFT exit. On 35W, stay in the right lane and take the 3rd Street/U of M exit (#17C). Follow signs for the U of M West Bank. Turn right on Washington Avenue, which becomes Cedar Avenue at the bend in the road. Turn left on 3rd Street South. The 19th Avenue parking ramp entrance is on your right.
Take Interstate 35E in St. Paul to the Pennsylvania Ave. exit.
Go east on Pennsylvania Ave., which turns into Phalen Blvd for less than one-tenth of a mile.
Turn south onto Olive St. and you will see the parking lot entrance for the Carpenters hall.
The Resource Center is located at 3019 Minnehaha Ave., just south of the intersection of Minnehaha Ave. and Lake St. in south Minneapolis. It is three blocks east of the Lake St. stop on the Hiawatha light rail line.
