DC Labor FilmFest SCREENINGS at the AFL-CIO, Busboys & Poets, IBEW
Organized and presented by the Metropolitan Washington Council of the AFL-CIO, the Debs-Jones-Douglass Institute and the AFI Silver, the 16th annual DC Labor FilmFest features a wide-ranging selection of films about work, workers and workers’ issues.
DREAM ON Fri, May 13 LOVE AND SOLIDARITY Fri, May 20 UNION TIME: FIGHTING FOR WORKERS’ RIGHTS (WITH DIRECTOR MATTHEW BARR) Tue, May 24 LABOR SHORTS Fri, May 27 HARVEST OF EMPIRE Tues., May 3 DC LABOR FILMFEST PREVIEWS Fri, May 6
See below for detailed film write-ups and trailers, dates, times and links to RSVP. These screenings are all FREE.
DC LABOR FILMFEST PREVIEWS
Fri, May 6, 12 noon, AFL-CIO, 815 16th Street NW, Washington DC 20006 FREE (bring your lunch!) RSVP here Sneak previews of the 2016 DC Labor FilmFest offerings, from Concussion to The 33, Joe Hill and more. Free Labor FilmFest passes for all attendees plus the LaborFest t-shirt raffle!
DREAM ON
Fri, May 13, 12 noon, AFL-CIO, 815 16th Street NW, Washington DC 20006 FREE (bring your lunch!) Free Labor FilmFest passes for all attendees, plus DC LaborFest t-shirt raffle! RSVP here In an epic road trip, political comedian John Fugelsang retraces the journey of Alexis de Tocqueville, whose study of our young country in 1831 came to define America as a place where anyone could climb the ladder of economic opportunity. Following in the Frenchman's footsteps, Fugelsang speaks with fast-food workers and retirees, prisoners and entrepreneurs, undocumented immigrants and community organizers about their hopes, dreams, and daily struggles. DREAM ON explores whether the optimistic spirit of the American Dream that Tocqueville observed is alive and well in the twenty-first century, or whether George Carlin was right when he famously quipped "It's called the American Dream because you have to be asleep to believe it." US; 1 hr, 39 min. produced and directed by Roger Weisberg; DOC Watch trailer here
LOVE AND SOLIDARITY
Fri, May 20, 12 noon, IBEW, 900 Seventh Street, WDC 20001 FREE; Free Labor FilmFest passes for all attendees! RSVP here An inspiring exploration of nonviolence and organizing through the life and teachings of Rev. James Lawson. Lawson provided crucial strategic guidance while working with Martin Luther King, Jr., in southern freedom struggles and the Memphis sanitation strike of 1968. Moving to Los Angeles in 1974, Lawson continued his nonviolence organizing in multi-racial community and worker coalitions that have helped to remake the LA labor movement. Through interviews and historical documents, acclaimed labor and civil rights historian Michael Honey and award-winning filmmaker Errol Webber put Lawson’s discourse on nonviolent direct action on the front burner of today’s struggles against economic inequality, racism and violence, and for human rights, peace, and economic justice. Runtime: 38 minutes. Watch the trailer here
Union Time: Fighting for Workers’ Rights (with Director Matthew Barr)
Tue, May 24, 6pm – 8pm; Busboys and Poets, 625 Monroe St NE, Washington, DC 20017 FREE; RSVP here Union Time tells the story of one of the greatest union victories of the 21st century — the fight to organize Smithfield Foods’ pork processing plant in Tar Heel, North Carolina. From 1993 to 2008, workers struggled against dangerous working conditions, intimidation, and low pay. They were organized by the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, whose Justice@Smithfield campaign brought national attention to the campaign. The victory led to the formation of UFCW Local 1208 and fair working conditions for 5,000 workers. 2016; directed by Matthew Barr. Narrated by Danny Glover. 86 minutes
LABOR SHORTS
Fri, May 27, 12 noon, AFL-CIO, 815 16th Street NW, Washington DC 20006 FREE; Free Labor FilmFest passes for all attendees plus LaborFest t-shirt raffle! Program of short labor videos from around the world. Click here for details: http://www.dclabor.org/dc-laborfest.html
HARVEST OF EMPIRE
Tues., May 3, 6p, Busboys & Poets, 5331 Baltimore Avenue, Hyattsville, MD 20781 RSVP here Hosted by Maryland Delegate Jimmy Tarlau and Senator Victor Ramirez; co-sponsored by Hyattsville Mayor Candace Hollingsworth & Delegate Alonzo T. Washington Based on the groundbreaking book by journalist Juan González of Democracy Now, this documentary astutely examines the role that U.S. military and corporate intervention in Latin America played in triggering massive waves of migration from Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America. The film also offers a powerful glimpse into the enormous sacrifices and rarely noted triumphs of the millions of Latino immigrants who are transforming the nation's cultural, economic and political landscape. With rarely-seen newsreel footage and perspectives from notable U.S. and international leaders, this film will appeal to all those who have an opinion about immigration. Features Geraldo Rivera, Junot Diaz, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, Maria Hinojosa, Luis Enrique, Anthony Romero, and Rigoberta Menchú and others.
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