2021 DC Labor FilmFest line-up released!
April 30–June 6
Organized and presented by the Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO and the AFI Silver, the 2021 DC Labor FilmFest features a wide-ranging selection of films about work, workers and the wider issues affecting workers' lives. This year, for its 20th edition, the festival goes virtual, presenting a lineup of outstanding work-related cinema online for audiences in the Washington, DC, area and beyond.
All tickets are just $5, unless otherwise noted. CLICK HERE for details.
Films will be released to the AFI's Virtual Screening Room each week, where they'll be available to watch until June 6.
And don't miss the LABOR GOES TO THE MOVIES podcast Movie Club discussions Thursdays at 7p! Join podcast hosts Chris Garlock and Elise Bryant -- and special surprise guests -- for a freewheeling discussion of the films in this year's DC Labor FilmFest! Click here to RSVP.
NOTE: Most titles in the 2021 DC Labor FilmFest are available to view throughout the U.S. and U.S. territories, from the date the title debuts until the festival ends June 6. One exception: THE LUNCHROOM is available ONLY to viewers in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, DC.
OVERVIEW:
WORK SONGS (Available April 30): "What's the weirdest thing that ever happened at your job?"
THE LUNCHROOM [PLANTA PERMANENTE] (Available May 4): Lila (Liliana Juárez, THE SNATCH THIEF) has been a cleaner in a provincial municipality building in Argentina for more than 30 years…
IDA B. WELLS: A PASSION FOR JUSTICE (Available May 6): Recognized in 2020 with a special Pulitzer Prize, Ida B. Wells was a household name in Black America during much of her lifetime (1862–1931)…
MISS MARX (Available May 11): Bright, intelligent, passionate and free, Eleanor (Romola Garai) is Karl Marx's youngest daughter…
THE CHAMBERMAID (LA CAMARISTA] (Available May 13): In her multi-award-winning feature debut, theater director Lila Avilés turns the monotonous workday of Eve (Gabriela Cartol), a chambermaid at a high-end Mexico City hotel, into a beautifully observed film rich with detail…
THE WHISTLE AT EATON FALLS aka RICHER THAN THE EARTH (Available May 18):
Young union leader Brad Adams (Lloyd Bridges) is reluctantly appointed president of a failing plastics manufacturing plant in a small New Hampshire town…
NASRIN (Available May 20): Immersive portrait of the world's most honored human rights activist and political prisoner, attorney Nasrin Sotoudeh…
THE NEW DEAL FOR ARTISTS (Available May 21): Remastered classic explores how Depression-era theatre actors, directors, writers and painters found themselves the target of Republicans' aggressive anti-communist agendas, and the WPA under full-blown political attack…
CLICK HERE for details and tickets.
Presented by the DC Labor FilmFest and AFI Silver Theatre, with the financial support of American Income Life, National Nurses United and IFPTE.
Co-sponsored by the Rochester (NY) Labor Film Series and the Workers Unite! Film Festival.
April 30–June 6
Organized and presented by the Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO and the AFI Silver, the 2021 DC Labor FilmFest features a wide-ranging selection of films about work, workers and the wider issues affecting workers' lives. This year, for its 20th edition, the festival goes virtual, presenting a lineup of outstanding work-related cinema online for audiences in the Washington, DC, area and beyond.
All tickets are just $5, unless otherwise noted. CLICK HERE for details.
Films will be released to the AFI's Virtual Screening Room each week, where they'll be available to watch until June 6.
And don't miss the LABOR GOES TO THE MOVIES podcast Movie Club discussions Thursdays at 7p! Join podcast hosts Chris Garlock and Elise Bryant -- and special surprise guests -- for a freewheeling discussion of the films in this year's DC Labor FilmFest! Click here to RSVP.
NOTE: Most titles in the 2021 DC Labor FilmFest are available to view throughout the U.S. and U.S. territories, from the date the title debuts until the festival ends June 6. One exception: THE LUNCHROOM is available ONLY to viewers in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, DC.
OVERVIEW:
WORK SONGS (Available April 30): "What's the weirdest thing that ever happened at your job?"
THE LUNCHROOM [PLANTA PERMANENTE] (Available May 4): Lila (Liliana Juárez, THE SNATCH THIEF) has been a cleaner in a provincial municipality building in Argentina for more than 30 years…
IDA B. WELLS: A PASSION FOR JUSTICE (Available May 6): Recognized in 2020 with a special Pulitzer Prize, Ida B. Wells was a household name in Black America during much of her lifetime (1862–1931)…
MISS MARX (Available May 11): Bright, intelligent, passionate and free, Eleanor (Romola Garai) is Karl Marx's youngest daughter…
THE CHAMBERMAID (LA CAMARISTA] (Available May 13): In her multi-award-winning feature debut, theater director Lila Avilés turns the monotonous workday of Eve (Gabriela Cartol), a chambermaid at a high-end Mexico City hotel, into a beautifully observed film rich with detail…
THE WHISTLE AT EATON FALLS aka RICHER THAN THE EARTH (Available May 18):
Young union leader Brad Adams (Lloyd Bridges) is reluctantly appointed president of a failing plastics manufacturing plant in a small New Hampshire town…
NASRIN (Available May 20): Immersive portrait of the world's most honored human rights activist and political prisoner, attorney Nasrin Sotoudeh…
THE NEW DEAL FOR ARTISTS (Available May 21): Remastered classic explores how Depression-era theatre actors, directors, writers and painters found themselves the target of Republicans' aggressive anti-communist agendas, and the WPA under full-blown political attack…
CLICK HERE for details and tickets.
Presented by the DC Labor FilmFest and AFI Silver Theatre, with the financial support of American Income Life, National Nurses United and IFPTE.
Co-sponsored by the Rochester (NY) Labor Film Series and the Workers Unite! Film Festival.
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MISS MARX (2020)
Available May 11–June 6 – Tickets $5 Watch anytime starting 5/11 and join us In the LABOR GOES TO THE MOVIES podcast Movie Club discussions Thursdays at 7p! Click here to RSVP Bright, intelligent, passionate and free, Eleanor (Romola Garai) is Karl Marx's youngest daughter. Among the first women to link the themes of feminism and socialism, she takes part in the workers' battles and fights for women's rights and the abolition of child labor. In 1883, she meets Edward Aveling (Patrick Kennedy) and her life is crushed by a passionate, but tragic, love story. (Note adapted from Celluloid Dreams.) Winner, FEDIC Award for Best Film, 2020 Venice Film Festival. DIR/SCR Susanna Nicchiarelli; PROD Marta Donzelli, Gregorio Paonessa. Italy/Belgium, 2020, color, 107 min. In English. NOT RATED IDA B. WELLS: A PASSION FOR JUSTICE
Available May 6–June 6 – Tickets $5 Watch anytime starting 5/6 and join us In the LABOR GOES TO THE MOVIES podcast Movie Club discussions Thursdays at 7p! Click here to RSVP Recognized in 2020 with a special Pulitzer Prize, Ida B. Wells was a household name in Black America during much of her lifetime (1862–1931) and she was considered the equal of her well-known African American contemporaries such as Booker T. Washington and W. E. B. Du Bois. Emmy Award®-winning filmmaker William Greaves' (SYMBIOPSYCHOTAXIPLASM: TAKE ONE) IDA B. WELLS: A PASSION FOR JUSTICE documents the dramatic life and turbulent times of the pioneering African American journalist, activist, suffragist and anti-lynching crusader of the post-Reconstruction period. The words of Wells are brought to life in the film through the performance of Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison as she reads selections from Wells' memoir, "Crusade for Justice," and other writings. (Note adapted from California Newsreel.) DIR/SCR/PROD William Greaves. U.S., 1989, color/b&w, 53 min. NOT RATED THE LUNCHROOM [PLANTA PERMANENTE]
Available May 4–June 6 – Tickets $5 Watch anytime starting 5/4 and join us In the LABOR GOES TO THE MOVIES podcast Movie Club discussions Thursdays at 7p! Click here to RSVP Lila (Liliana Juárez, THE SNATCH THIEF) has been a cleaner in a provincial municipality building in Argentina for more than 30 years. She's an important figure in the office's carefully knit society because of the unofficial staff cafeteria, which she runs, together with her friend Marcela (Rosario Bléfari, SILVIA PRIETO). When Lila gets the opportunity to refurbish the lunchroom and run it officially as the boss, this sudden elevation of her status incites Marcela's envy and starts a slow decay of the office's delicate status quo. (Note adapted from New Europe Film Sales.) Winner, Best Actress (Liliana Juárez), 2019 Mar del Plata Film Festival. DIR/SCR Ezequiel Radusky; SCR/PROD Diego Lerman; PROD Nicolás Avruj. Argentina/Uruguay, 2019, color, 86 min. In Spanish with English subtitles. NOT RATED WORK SONGS
Available April 30–June 6 – Tickets $12 Watch anytime starting 4/30 and join us In the LABOR GOES TO THE MOVIES podcast Movie Club discussions Thursdays at 7p! Click here to RSVP. "What's the weirdest thing that ever happened at your job?" Inspired by the writing of the great Studs Terkel, filmmaker Mark Street interviews cab drivers, longshorewomen, a farmer, a barista and others, from California to New York. What emerges is a kaleidoscopic portrait of the United States at work and of workers' concerns about automation, the gig economy and the decline of unions. (Note adapted from Argot Pictures.) Official Selection, 2020 Beloit International Film Festival. DIR/SCR/PROD Mark Street. U.S., 2019, color, 68 min. NOT RATED THE CHAMBERMAID (2018) [LA CAMARISTA]
Available May 13–June 6 – Tickets $5 Watch anytime starting 5/13 and join us In the LABOR GOES TO THE MOVIES podcast Movie Club discussions Thursdays at 7p! Click here to RSVP In her multi-award-winning feature debut, theater director Lila Avilés turns the monotonous workday of Eve (Gabriela Cartol), a chambermaid at a high-end Mexico City hotel, into a beautifully observed film rich with detail. Set entirely in an alienating hotel environment with extended scenes taking place in the guest rooms, hallways and cleaning facilities, this minimalist-yet-sumptuous movie brings to the fore Eve's hopes, dreams and desires. As with Alfonso Cuarón's ROMA, which is set in the same city, THE CHAMBERMAID salutes the invisible women caretakers who are the hardworking backbone of society. Winner, Best First Feature, 2019 Ariel Awards; Winner, Best First Work, 2019 Havana Film Festival; Winner, Jury Prize, 2018 Marrakech International Film Festival; Winner, Best Mexican Feature Film, 2018 Morelia International Film Festival; Winner, Cine Latino Award, 2018 Palm Springs International Film Festival; Winner, Best New Director, 2018 Portland International Film Festival; Winner, Golden Gate Award, 2018 San Francisco International Film Festival; Official Selection, 2018 San Sebastián, Toronto, London and AFI FEST film festivals; 2019 New Directors/New Films and AFI Latin American Film Festival. DIR/SCR/PROD Lila Avilés; SCR Juan Carlos Marquéz; PROD Tatiana Graullera. Mexico/U.S., 2018, color, 102 min. In Spanish with English subtitles. NOT RATED 70th Anniversary
THE WHISTLE AT EATON FALLS aka RICHER THAN THE EARTH Available May 18–June 6 – Tickets $5 Watch anytime starting 5/18 and join us In the LABOR GOES TO THE MOVIES podcast Movie Club discussions Thursdays at 7p! Click here to RSVP Following its world premiere at this year's TCM Classic Film Festival, we're excited to present Flicker Alley's new restoration of Robert Siodmak's rarely seen labor-ific 1951 drama THE WHISTLE AT EATON FALLS. When young union leader Brad Adams (Lloyd Bridges) is reluctantly appointed president of a failing plastics manufacturing plant in a small New Hampshire town, he finds himself with the unenviable task of cutting costs, bringing in new labor-saving machinery and laying off employees, all while simultaneously calming labor relations. Meanwhile, the plant's recently widowed owner Mrs. Doubleday (Dorothy Gish in a rare sound-era performance) is forced to consider selling the company. The stellar supporting cast also includes Ernest Borgnine (in his debut film role), Anne Francis, Arthur O'Connell, Anne Seymour, Carleton Carpenter, Parker Fennelly, Russell Hardie, Doro Merande and James Westerfield. DIR Robert Siodmak; SCR Lemist Esler, Virginia Shaler; PROD Louis De Rochemont. U.S., 1951, b&w, 96 min. NOT RATED NASRIN
Available May 20–June 6 – Tickets $5 Watch anytime starting 5/20 and join us In the LABOR GOES TO THE MOVIES podcast Movie Club discussions Thursdays at 7p! Click here to RSVP NASRIN was secretly filmed in Iran by women and men who risked arrest to make it. It is an immersive portrait of the world's most honored human rights activist and political prisoner, attorney Nasrin Sotoudeh, and of Iran's remarkably resilient women's rights movement. In the courts and on the streets, Sotoudeh has long fought for the rights of women, children, religious minorities, journalists, artists and those facing the death penalty. In the midst of filming, she was arrested in June of 2018 for representing women who were protesting Iran's mandatory hijab law. She was sentenced to 38 years in prison, plus 148 lashes. Featuring acclaimed filmmaker Jafar Panahi, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi and journalist Ann Curry, the film is narrated by Academy Award® winner Olivia Colman. (Note adapted from Kino Lorber.) DIR/SCR/PROD Jeff Kaufman; PROD Marcia Ross. U.S., 2020, color, 92 min. In English and Persian with English subtitles. NOT RATED THE NEW DEAL FOR ARTISTS
Available May 21–June 6 – Tickets $12 Watch anytime starting 5/21 and join us In the LABOR GOES TO THE MOVIES podcast Movie Club discussions Thursdays at 7p! Click here to RSVP With the failure of President Hoover's policies at the end of 1929, marked by the stock market crash on October 24 and the ensuing Great Depression, the decade that began with the dream of endless progress and prosperity came to an end with millions unemployed. American industrial workers who had lost their jobs lined up in the streets for a bowl of soup and a hunk of bread. Depression, new technology and foreclosure by the banks drove more than half of American farmers to bankruptcy. By 1932 something had to change, and the newly elected President, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, created the New Deal to put America back to work. The Works Project Administration (WPA) and Farm Security Administration (FSA) were formed to carry out this plan. However, with the arrival of Martin Dies' House Un-American Activities Committee, theatre actors, directors, writers and painters soon found themselves the target of Republicans' aggressive anti-communist agendas, and the WPA was under full-blown political attack. Narrated by Orson Welles, this remastered classic also features interviews and commentary by John Houseman, Studs Terkel, Howard Da Silva, Arthur Rothstein, Joseph Losey, Norman Lloyd and more. (Note adapted from Corinth Films.) DIR/SCR/PROD Wieland Schulz-Keil. U.S., 1979, color/b&w, 90 min. NOT RATED 
2021 Festival Selections
Includes WOMEN OF STEEL, ANCHOR POINT, IN SEARCH OF PROFESSOR PRECARIOUS, SWEAT and much more! Watch New Films and Join Discussions with Filmmakers Classic Labor Films on Community TV and Online 
2021 Great Labor Arts Exchange: Singing Through the Hard Times
June 17-20, 2021 Join in a Celebration of the Life and Work of Anne Feeney Details to follow. |
