Winners for Workers Unite Film Festival 2023!

We are proud to announce the winners for #WUFF12.

For our 12th season, we maintained a hybrid festival, with in-person screenings and talkbacks at Cinema Village October 27th to November 2nd followed by a virtual festival on our Eventive streaming page Nov 3rd-10th. We featured several shorts from journalists at More Perfect Union and partnered with The People's Forum, Local 802 AFM, Empire State University's Harry Van Arsdale Jr. School of Labor Studies, and the Penn South Mutual Redevelopment Houses for additional in-person screenings through November 12th with a host of special guests.

Audience Favorite

There Goes the Neighborhood - Directed by Ian Phillips

Special Jury Award (Feature)

The American Dream and Other Fairy Tales - Directed by Abigail E. Disney and Kathleen Hughes

Special Jury Award (Short)

Where Have All the Smiles Gone? - Directed by Anja Strelec

Best Documentary Feature

Stonebreakers - Directed by Valerio Ciriaci

Honorable Mention • Documentary Feature (Tie)

Storming Caesars Palace - Directed by Hazel Gurland-Pooler

Rabble Rousers: Frances Goldin and the Fight for Cooper Square - Directed by Kathryn Barnier, Ryan Joseph, and Kelly Anderson

Best Narrative Feature

Smile As You Kill - Directed by Michael Sarrow

Honorable Mention • Narrative Feature

Fight Like Hell: The Testimony of Mother Jones - Directed by Ian Cheney

Best Narrative Short

The Kill Floor - Directed by Carlos Avila

Honorable Mention • Narrative Short

The Devil's Avocado - Directed by Kees-Jan Mulder

Best Documentary Short

Made In Italy (By the Chinese) - Directed by DJ Clark and Mingjie Wang

Honorable Mention • Documentary Short

The Last Cobbler - Directed by Matan Berman

Best Film from the Frontlines

How AI Could Kill Your Favorite TV Show - Produced by More Perfect Union

Honorable Mention • Films from the Frontlines

Fault Lines from the Front Line - Directed by Rob Viscardis

Best Screenplay

Barlow Bierlow - Written by David Kirkham

Honorable Mention • Screenplay

The Coal Miner's War - Written by Randall R. Reese

Trailers Below:

Read summaries on the Films and Directors list.

Winners for Workers Unite Film Festival 2022!

We are proud to announce the winners for #WUFF11.

For our 11th season, we maintained a hybrid festival, with in-person screenings and talkbacks at Cinema Village October 7th-13th followed by a virtual festival on our Eventive streaming page Oct 14th-21st. We added the promotion of a book launch for Kim Kelly’s Fight Like Hell: The Untold History of American Labor — and saw the return of our Activist Filmmaker Bootcamp! This time, it was held at the new SUNY Empire HVASLS headquarters at 4 Park Ave. Then, to finish things out, we hosted a stage reading of a new play at The People's Forum, a perfect venue to partner with for future events.

Audience Favorite (Overall)

The Lost Generation: Outside the Mainstream - Directed by William Hooker

Audience Favorite (Eventive Balloting)

Spread Thin - Directed by Bashirah Mack

Special Jury Award (Feature)

Salaryman - Directed by Allegra Pacheco

Special Jury Award (Short)

The Glove - Directed by Mimi Chakarova

Best Documentary Feature

Americonned - Directed by Sean Claffey

Honorable Mention • Documentary Feature

Room Without A View - Directed by Roser Corella

Best Narrative Feature

The Sea Was Never Blue - Directed by Adam Assad

Honorable Mention • Narrative Feature

Mother of Color - Directed by Dawn Jones Redstone

Best Narrative Short (Tie)

Not Machine Enough - Directed by Yvan Iturriaga

Chinese Laundry - Directed by Giorgio Fontana

Honorable Mention • Narrative Short

Gabby Antonio Smashes the Imperialist, White Supremacist, Capitalist Patriarchy! (Episodes 1-4) - Directed by Christian Henry

Best Documentary Short

When We Fight - Directed by Yael Bridge and Yoni Golijov

Honorable Mention • Documentary Short

Feed/back - Directed by MacKenzie River Foy

Best Film from the Frontlines

Rally for Respect: New School Part-Time Faculty - Directed by Douglas Morse

Honorable Mention • Films from the Frontlines

The Song of the Essential Worker - Directed by Zoe Beloff and Eric Muzzy

Best Screenplay

Revolt of the Good Guys - Written by Christy Daniels and Paul Daniels

Honorable Mention • Screenplay

Mother Jones - Written by Lindsay Waite

Trailers Below:

Read summaries on the Films and Directors List.

Winners for Workers Unite Film Festival 2021!

We are proud to announce the winners for #WUFF10.

Our 10th Anniversary Season took place during the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Unsure of whether movie theaters would re-open, we rolled out a virtual preview festival in May. Then, from October 8th-24th, we went hybrid (in-person and online), making our return to Cinema Village Theater for the first full week, where patrons were required to be vaccinated. The turn out was quite good! The following days continued with films on our Eventive streaming page.

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Our final live show was a fantastic evening of powerful films, including Company Town and Conversations Between Shifts, with Directors Peter Findlay and Ben Basem for a spirited Q&A alongside special guests Jerry Dias, President of Unifor (Canada) and Rebecca Damon, Exec VP of SAG-AFTRA, who explained the ease of micro budgets/contracts for new indie filmmakers. Bruce Raynor, Director of the Hillman Foundation, and our NYC Central Labor Council Chief of Staff Brendan Griffith, were also in attendance. WUFF thanks everyone for their support!

Audience Favorite (Overall)

Haymarket: The Bomb, The Anarchists, The Labor Struggle - Directed by Adrian Prawica

Audience Favorite (Eventive Balloting)

Tales from the Long Memory - Directed by Charles Hall


Special Jury Award (Feature)

Backstreet to the American Dream - Directed by Patricia Nazario

Special Jury Award (Short)

The Last Cut - Directed by Ben Wang


Best Documentary Feature

Company Town - Directed by Peter Findlay

Honorable Mention • Documentary Feature (Tie)

Drills of Liberation - Directed by Juan C. Dávila Santiago
Last Call: The Shutdown of NYC Bars - Directed by Johnny Sweet


Best Narrative Feature

This Is Not A War Story - Directed by Talia Lugacy

Honorable Mention • Narrative Feature

Yangzhen's Journey - Directed by Chengxu Lan


Best Narrative Short

Stormchaser - Directed by Gretl Claggett

Honorable Mention • Narrative Short

Grinning Skull - Directed by Sikivu Hutchinson


Best Documentary Short

Conversations Between Shifts - Directed by Ben Basem

Honorable Mention • Documentary Short

Long Distance - Directed by Kiana Rawji


Best Film from the Frontlines (Tie)

How to Form A Union - Directed by Gretta Wing Miller
Mommy & Me: Achieving In Local 3 - Directed by Nikita Stewart

Honorable Mention • Films from the Frontlines

Precarity U - Directed by Laura Dasilva


Best Screenplay

Mr. Buchman Goes to Washington - Written by Bill Baber

Honorable Mention • Screenplay

Aliens Venmoed Me A Trillion Dollars - Written by Daniel L. Abrams

Trailers Below:

Read summaries on the Films and Directors List.

10th Anniversary Festival this May 7-10th (Virtual) and October (In Person)

Welcome to Season 10! Virtual on Eventive May 7th-10th and Live in NYC Oct 8th-17th (if theaters open). We're thrilled about the next chapter and look forward to a new pro-labor era in the White House, complete with a former union leader as Labor Secretary.

We exist to support and promote workers' labor actions everywhere, like the Hunts Point Market strike where 1,400 essential NY Teamsters produce workers have just won a $1 raise, or Los Deliveristas Unidos organizing delivery workers during COVID-19.

Submissions are still open on Film Freeway for 2021!

Reference: https://www.thecity.nyc/bronx/2021/1/19/22239797/hunts-point-market-strike

Reference: https://www.curbed.com/2020/12/los-deliveristas-unidos-essential-workers-nyc-delivery.html

Winners for Workers Unite Film Festival 2020!

We are proud to announce the winners for #WUFF9.

This was a hard year with the COVID-19 pandemic, and movie theaters shutting their doors as a result. But, we debuted three virtual film festivals in 2020 (May and July in part and for free on Vimeo), the last round of which involved our move to Eventive, a major virtual streaming platform, to showcase all films Oct 8th-18th.

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We will continue to present content on this platform year-round (workersunitefilmfest2020.eventive.org) and are very excited about what's to come.

Now, without further ado, here are the winners for Season 9 of the Workers Unite Film Festival! We added two categories: “Audience Favorite - Eventive Balloting” (how online viewers rated the film) and “Special Jury Award - Short”.

Audience Favorite

Veins of Resistance - Directed by Joshua Tucker

Audience Favorite (Eventive Balloting)

Nightshift Spitalfields - Directed by Julius-Cezar MacQuarie

Special Jury Award (Feature)

Digging for Weldon Irvine - Directed by Victorious DeCosta

Special Jury Award (Short)

We Can't Breathe - Directed by Clarence Williams IV

Best Documentary Feature

The Great Postal Heist - Directed by Jay Galione

Honorable Mention • Documentary Feature (tie)

Town of Widows - Directed by Natasha Luckhardt and Rob Viscardis

Betrayal: When the Government Took Over the Teamsters Union - Directed by George Bogdanich

Best Narrative Feature

Fall Back Down - Directed by S.B. Edwards

Honorable Mention • Narrative Feature

Pureza - Directed by Renato Barbieri

Best Narrative Short

In the Basement There's Some Money - Directed by Gianluca Randazzo

Honorable Mention • Narrative Short

Out of Order - Directed by Brandon Laventure and Cameron Laventure

Best Documentary Short

COVER/AGE - Directed by Set Hernandez Rongkilyo

Honorable Mention • Documentary Short (tie)

Sophia Dawson: Purpose - Directed by Justin M. Thomas

Night Cleaners - Directed by Hanna Nordenswan

Best Film from the Frontlines

LSI: Under Construction - Directed Frank D'Ambrosio

Honorable Mention • Films from the Frontlines (tie)

Healthcare Worker Day of Action - Directed by Eloise Sherrid and Yoni Golijov

Feet On the Street: Dirty Patti at the L.A. Teacher's Strike - Directed by Christina Elaine Vasquez (a.k.a., Dirty Patti) and Crispin Rosenkranz

Best Screenplay

Rednecks - Written by Christopher Byram

Honorable Mention • Screenplay

Beguiling Dreams - Written by Fred Stemme

Trailers Below:

Veins of Resistance

Digging for Weldon Irvine

The Great Postal Heist

Town of Widows

Betrayal: When the Government Took Over the Teamsters Union

Pureza

In the Basement There’s Some Money

Night Cleaners

Sophia Dawson: Purpose

Read summaries on the 2020 Films and Directors List.

Police Abuse and BLM Focus of 2nd Virtual Film Festival Screenings - July 31st to August 4th

Movie theaters are still closed due to COVID-19, but you can catch a second preview of select Workers Unite Film Festival Season 9 films free on our homepage (plus some from past seasons along the BLM theme).

How It Works:

On Friday, July 31st, starting at 12:00 p.m. (EST), go to the homepage and simply play the videos that are embedded on the top of our page. They will remain there for 12 hours and be switched out at 12:00 a.m. midnight. The next batch of videos play from 12:00 a.m. to approx. 12:00 p.m. the next day. Note that there are two available screening windows (Screen 1, Screen 2) for the main day time slot playing different programs of films. There is no charge for watching or login requirements.

Full Schedule Below:

Friday, July 31st (12:00 P.M. - 12:00 A.M. EST)

Screen 1:

Sophia Dawson: Purpose - The story of renowned Brooklyn visual artist and activist Sophia Dawson, an intimate and powerful portrait of a brilliant young woman determined to use her creative gifts to enlighten and empower her community. (15 min, Director: Justin M. Thomas) (Trailer)

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To Be Us: To Work - A narrative shattering documentary that holds a mirror to the treatment of Black people in the workplace. This film features participants from a diverse class of professions and disciplines who share a common experience. For many participants, the time of filming was their first opportunity to name and vocalize their pain. Each interview explores recurring themes of racism, misogynoir, retaliation, wrongful terminations, and discriminatory practices from employers. “TO BE US: To Work” also carefully highlights the psychological and chronic health consequences of racism. The physical act of working is exhausting in itself, but what happens to our body when it’s in a constant state of stress? (1 hr 36m, Directors: Tosca Davis, Cedrick Smith, Terrance Thomas) (Trailer)

Screen 2:

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We Can’t Breathe - A young couple clashes in the wake of a racially charged murder committed by a police officer. (10 min, Director: Clarence Williams IV)

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I Heard It Through the Grapevine - James Baldwin retraces his time in the South during the Civil Rights Movement, reflecting with his trademark brilliance and insight on the passage of more than two decades. From Selma and Birmingham, and Atlanta, to the battleground beaches of St. Augustine, Florida, with Chinua Achebe, and back north for a visit to Newark with Amiri Baraka, Baldwin lays bare the fiction of progress in post–Civil Rights America—wondering “what happened to the children” and those “who did not die, but whose lives were smashed on Freedom Road.” (1 hr 35m, Directors: Dick Fontaine and Pat Hartley) (Clip)

Friday Overnight (12:00 A.M. - 12:00 P.M. EST, technically Sat 8/1)

Screen 1:

A Job I Can Enjoy - The first time Shymara Jones, a Popeye’s worker, went to a protest, she didn’t know where she was supposed to stand. The second time she went on strike, she brought 6 of her coworkers with her. As a leaders in the growing movement for $15 and a union for fast food workers, Shymara is making a way for her two-year-old son Jaden to have a better future. They’ve come a long way, but they know the movement won’t stop when they win the fight for $15. (9m, Director: Milena Velis)

Detroit 48202: Conversations Along A Postal Route - The rise, demise, and contested resurgence of the City of Detroit through the lens of African-American mail carrier, Wendell Watkins, and the committed community he faithfully served for thirty years. In “DETROIT 48202”, we take a journey with Wendell along his route, which winds through the center of what was, once upon a time, a vital and thriving city. We listen in on his conversations with his customers – the resilient Detroiters who share stories of resistance: pushing back against racial segregation in housing; challenging industrial and political disinvestment; and living on reduced pensions as a result of the 2014 municipal bankruptcy. Our characters share stories of hope and propose creative ways to re-imagine an inclusive, productive, equitable and re-invigorated city. (1 hr 22m, Director: Pam Sporn) (Trailer)


Saturday, August 1st (12:00 P.M. - 12:00 A.M. EST)

Screen 1:

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We Can’t Breathe - A young couple clashes in the wake of a racially charged murder committed by a police officer. (10 min, Director: Clarence Williams IV)

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Raided - A multi-part series from The Appeal, “Raided” uses the largest gang raid in New York City's history as a starting point to examine the consequences of a new era of "precision" and "community" policing practices. In contrast to Stop and Frisk, which targeted large swaths of New Yorkers, precision policing prides itself on singling out the supposed worst of the worst: gang members. Part One explores precision policing’s use of coercive conspiracy prosecutions, the repurposing of old and low-level offenses, and racially disproportionate surveillance. Combining personal stories, archival footage and interviews with experts, this film shows that harmful policing practices that disproportionately target people of color have not been eradicated in New York City. They have evolved. Part Two reveals two major Freedom of Information Act responses, shedding light on the role of private technology companies, and the expansion of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) into domestic policing. (36 min, Director: Simon Davis-Cohen)

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Profiled - Some of the victims—Eric Garner, Michael Brown—are now familiar the world over. Others, like Shantel Davis and Kimani Gray, are remembered mostly by family and friends in their New York neighborhoods. Profiled knits the stories of mothers of black and Latin youth murdered by the NYPD into a powerful indictment of racial profiling and police brutality, and places them within a historical context of the roots of racism in the U.S. Moving interviews with the women are juxtaposed with sharply etched analyses by evolutionary biologist, Joseph L.Graves, Jr, and civil rights lawyer, Chauniqua D. Young. The women organize vigils and rallies to keep the memory of their loved ones alive and seek indictments of the officers responsible for the deaths. As their demands for justice are ignored we see them transition from grieving parents to activists who join the growing nation-wide, grass roots movement against police brutality and racial profiling that is spreading across the country. (53 min, Director: Kathleen Foster) (Trailer)

WITNESS - Protest Tips Compilation - Understanding your rights and how you can prepare before filming at a protest. For more information, visit bit.ly/FilmPolice_USA (4m)

Boricua - Shouting on Sunset Park - The shouting of the drums playing BOMBA on the street. Cameras all around cop-watching. People marching against racism and police brutality. Dennis Flores and El Grito de Sunset Park are voices of the resistance in the Latin New York. (19m, Director: Victor Ribeiro) (Trailer)

Screen 2:

LSI: Under Construction - COVID-19 inspired rap music video from apprentice UA Local 1 Plumbers. This project was submitted as part of the Workers/Artists class at SUNY Empire State’s Harry Van Arsdale Jr. Center for Labor Studies, where students are empowered to share a snapshot of their working lives by creating their own short 5-6 min films. (6 min, Director: Frank D'Ambrosio, Shady Saint Music)

Union Time: Fighting for Workers’ Rights - The story of the successful 16-year fight to organize a union at the world's largest pork slaughterhouse, operated by Smithfield Foods in Tar Heel, NC.  There aren't many films about organized labor with happy endings!  This happens to be one of them. The perseverance of a courageous group of workers, their guts and determination, form the core of this film. 'Union Time' contextualizes this victory -- the largest labor victory in the U.S. in the 21st Century -- within a backdrop of fervent anti-unionism in the South, and focuses on the interconnections between the labor and the civil rights movements in the U.S. (1 hr 10m, Director: Matthew Barr) (Trailer)

Saturday Overnight (12:00 A.M. - 12:00 P.M. EST, technically Sun 8/2)

Screen 1:

The Layoff - Four Leaf Clover Mart’s Branch Manager told the Supervisor to get her entire team to sign the layoff agreement. The Branch Manager wondered how she got everyone to sign. This is how she did it. (8 min, Director: G-Hey Kim) (Trailer)

The Gig Economy - Be your own boss. Work when and where you want. The gig economy promises freedom, flexibility and entrepreneurship to workers, but does it deliver? From award-winning documentary filmmaker Keif Roberts (“Sick School”) comes “The Gig Economy”, a head first dive into the precarious new world of app based work. (1 hr 7m, Director: Keif Roberts) (Trailer)

Sunday, August 2nd (12:00 P.M. - 12:00 A.M. EST)

Screen 1:

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I Heard It Through the Grapevine - James Baldwin retraces his time in the South during the Civil Rights Movement, reflecting with his trademark brilliance and insight on the passage of more than two decades. From Selma and Birmingham, and Atlanta, to the battleground beaches of St. Augustine, Florida, with Chinua Achebe, and back north for a visit to Newark with Amiri Baraka, Baldwin lays bare the fiction of progress in post–Civil Rights America—wondering “what happened to the children” and those “who did not die, but whose lives were smashed on Freedom Road.” (1 hr 35m, Directors: Dick Fontaine and Pat Hartley) (Clip)

El Blues Del Charango - Music video from Singer-Songwriter Marcos Tabera (5 min, Director: Tonchy Antezana)

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Songs of Slavery and Emancipation - Explores the history and rediscovery of songs written and sung by both abolitionists and enslaved peoples throughout the 1800's. In discovering these songs, we unearth a neglected history of North American slave dissension and abolitionist action. The question of why these songs and ideas were left to fade into history is addressed by historians, musicians, and activists. Ultimately we are left to consider the strikingly contemporary content of these nearly 200 year old songs. (50 min, Director: Mat Callahan, Yvonne Moore, Joe Johnson) (Trailer)

Screen 2:

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Detroit 48202: Conversations Along A Postal Route - The rise, demise, and contested resurgence of the City of Detroit through the lens of African-American mail carrier, Wendell Watkins, and the committed community he faithfully served for thirty years. In “DETROIT 48202”, we take a journey with Wendell along his route, which winds through the center of what was, once upon a time, a vital and thriving city. We listen in on his conversations with his customers – the resilient Detroiters who share stories of resistance: pushing back against racial segregation in housing; challenging industrial and political disinvestment; and living on reduced pensions as a result of the 2014 municipal bankruptcy. Our characters share stories of hope and propose creative ways to re-imagine an inclusive, productive, equitable and re-invigorated city. (1 hr 22m, Director: Pam Sporn) (Trailer)

Sophia Dawson: Purpose - The story of renowned Brooklyn visual artist and activist Sophia Dawson, an intimate and powerful portrait of a brilliant young woman determined to use her creative gifts to enlighten and empower her community. (15 min, Director: Justin M. Thomas) (Trailer)

We Can’t Breathe - A young couple clashes in the wake of a racially charged murder committed by a police officer. (10 min, Director: Clarence Williams IV)

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Trouble Finds You - Bronx native Kraig Lewis was set to graduate with a Masters in business, determined to get his son out of the rough streets of his NYC neighborhood. Instead, his life is turned upside down when he’s caught in the city’s largest gang bust in history. Now, he has to find a new path forward. (24 min, Director: Stephanie Tangkilisan) (Trailer)

Sunday Overnight (12:00 A.M. - 12:00 P.M. EST, technically Mon 8/3)

Screen 1:

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Batay La - Today, no society is immune from the effects of capitalism. In Haiti “Batay La,” or the struggle, has been ongoing since before the slave revolution that founded the Caribbean nation. Batay La examines the current anti-imperialist movement in Haiti, led for decades by grassroots workers’ rights organization Batay Ouvriye (Workers Fight). Founded in 1994, Batay Ouvriye is known throughout Haiti as a fierce, uncompromised organization dedicated to overturning the system of exploitation of poor workers. (25 min, Director: Malia Bruker) (Trailer)

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Digging Deep - A documentary film sharing the narratives and perspectives of former Black British coal miners' work experiences in former UK coal mines. (1 hr, Director: Norma Gregory)

Monday, August 3rd (12:00 P.M. - 12:00 A.M. EST)

Screen 1:

Feet On the Street: Dirty Patti at the L.A. Teacher's Strike - She's political, she's a bit inappropriate and she's a puppet! Dirty Patti, a fixture of the Los Angeles art scene, traverses to a teachers' strike where she interviews those fighting on the front lines lines for the betterment of the teachers and students of Los Angeles Unified School District. (5 min, Directors: Crispin Rosenkranz, Christina Elaine Vasquez)

In Search of Professor Precarious - A documentary in which the director, a longtime precarious contract teacher, lifts the curtain on higher education's dirty little secret. He travels Canada to capture the experience of precarity and the fight against the exploitation of contract faculty in higher ed. The film tells the stories and struggles of a few compelling characters and groups, while examining the issue of precarious work. (1 hr 21m, Director: Gerry Potter) (Trailer)

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COVER/AGE - Confronting the healthcare exclusion of elderly undocumented immigrants in California, two immigrant leaders (one a caregiver, the other a policy advocate) champion the movement to expand healthcare coverage for everyone in the Golden State. (25 min, Director: Set Hernandez Rongkilyo) (Clip)


Screen 2:

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Profiled - Some of the victims—Eric Garner, Michael Brown—are now familiar the world over. Others, like Shantel Davis and Kimani Gray, are remembered mostly by family and friends in their New York neighborhoods. Profiled knits the stories of mothers of black and Latin youth murdered by the NYPD into a powerful indictment of racial profiling and police brutality, and places them within a historical context of the roots of racism in the U.S. Moving interviews with the women are juxtaposed with sharply etched analyses by evolutionary biologist, Joseph L.Graves, Jr, and civil rights lawyer, Chauniqua D. Young. The women organize vigils and rallies to keep the memory of their loved ones alive and seek indictments of the officers responsible for the deaths. As their demands for justice are ignored we see them transition from grieving parents to activists who join the growing nation-wide, grass roots movement against police brutality and racial profiling that is spreading across the country. (53 min, Director: Kathleen Foster) (Trailer)

WITNESS - Protest Tips Compilation - Understanding your rights and how you can prepare before filming at a protest. For more information, visit bit.ly/FilmPolice_USA (4m) 

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Raided - A multi-part series from The Appeal, “Raided” uses the largest gang raid in New York City's history as a starting point to examine the consequences of a new era of "precision" and "community" policing practices. In contrast to Stop and Frisk, which targeted large swaths of New Yorkers, precision policing prides itself on singling out the supposed worst of the worst: gang members. Part One explores precision policing’s use of coercive conspiracy prosecutions, the repurposing of old and low-level offenses, and racially disproportionate surveillance. Combining personal stories, archival footage and interviews with experts, this film shows that harmful policing practices that disproportionately target people of color have not been eradicated in New York City. They have evolved. Part Two reveals two major Freedom of Information Act responses, shedding light on the role of private technology companies, and the expansion of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) into domestic policing. (36 min, Director: Simon Davis-Cohen)

Monday Overnight (12:00 A.M. - 12:00 P.M. EST, technically Tues 8/4)

Screen 1:

Nightshift Spitalfields - Ali, a Bulgarian-Turkish porter at the London night market, works six nights a week, often on 15-hour shifts, loading and transporting goods. These nightshifts are incredibly demanding, mentally, emotionally and physically. (10m, Director: Julius-Cezar MacQuarie)

The Gig Economy - Be your own boss. Work when and where you want. The gig economy promises freedom, flexibility and entrepreneurship to workers, but does it deliver? From award-winning documentary filmmaker Keif Roberts (“Sick School”) comes “The Gig Economy”, a head first dive into the precarious new world of app based work. (1 hr 7m, Director: Keif Roberts) (Trailer)

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Tuesday, August 4th (12:00 P.M. - 12:00 A.M. EST)

Screen 1:

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“American Made: Union Built” (22 min)

LSI: Under Construction - COVID-19 inspired rap music video from apprentice UA Local 1 Plumbers. This project was submitted as part of the Workers/Artists class at SUNY Empire State’s Harry Van Arsdale Jr. Center for Labor Studies, where students are empowered to share a snapshot of their working lives by creating their own short 5-6 min films. (6 min, Director: Frank D'Ambrosio, Shady Saint Music)

American Made: Union Built - A powerful and triumphant look at the union labor movement in New York City, with a focus on the "Count Me In" movement. (22 min, Directors: Jacinta Filiaci, Spencer Santini, Peng Wang, Jordan Prieto-Valdés , Dany Zavala)

Not Going to Hide Who I Am - IBEW Local 3 Apprentice Electrician, Adonis George, gives us a glimpse into his life as a parent, union member, recent veteran, and what it's like to be transgender working in the trades and under the Trump administration. This project was submitted as part of the Labor On Film class at SUNY Empire State’s Harry Van Arsdale Jr. Center for Labor Studies, where students are empowered to share a snapshot of their working lives by creating their own short 5-6 min films. (9 min, Director: Adonis George)

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Sista In the Brotherhood - A black tradeswoman faces discrimination on a new job site and must choose between making a stand or keeping her job. The story follows an apprentice carpenter who struggles to prove herself on her first day at a new job site. An outlier in a white, male-dominated workforce, she’s forced to navigate the crew’s reactions to her. When tensions arise, she receives inspiration from a surprising source to help her decide to either make a stand or risk never being recognized as the skilled worker she has become. The film was inspired by the doctoral thesis of co-Executive Producer, Dr. Roberta Hunte and partly based on the experience of Latina director Dawn Jones Redstone's experience as a union carpenter. (21 min, Director: Dawn Jones Redstone) (Trailer)

Building the American Dream - Across Texas an unstoppable construction boom drives urban sprawl and luxury high-rises. Its dirty secret: abuse of immigrant labor. “Building the American Dream” captures a turning point as a movement forms to fight widespread construction industry injustices. Grieving their son, a Mexican family campaigns for a life-and-death safety ordinance. A Salvadorian electrician couple owed thousands in back pay fights for their children’s future. A bereaved son battles to protect others from his family's preventable tragedy. A story of courage, resilience and community, the film reveals shocking truths about the hardworking immigrants who build the American Dream, of which they are excluded. (1 hr 15m, Director: Chelsea Hernandez) (Clip)

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Christian Hurtado - construction worker, activist and DACA recipient, from “Building the American Dream” (1 hr 15m)



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A Job I Can Enjoy - The first time Shymara Jones, a Popeye’s worker, went to a protest, she didn’t know where she was supposed to stand. The second time she went on strike, she brought 6 of her coworkers with her. As a leaders in the growing movement for $15 and a union for fast food workers, Shymara is making a way for her two-year-old son Jaden to have a better future. They’ve come a long way, but they know the movement won’t stop when they win the fight for $15. (9m, Director: Milena Velis)

To Be Us: To Work - A narrative shattering documentary that holds a mirror to the treatment of Black people in the workplace. This film features participants from a diverse class of professions and disciplines who share a common experience. For many participants, the time of filming was their first opportunity to name and vocalize their pain. Each interview explores recurring themes of racism, misogynoir, retaliation, wrongful terminations, and discriminatory practices from employers. “TO BE US: To Work” also carefully highlights the psychological and chronic health consequences of racism. The physical act of working is exhausting in itself, but what happens to our body when it’s in a constant state of stress? (1 hr 36m, Directors: Tosca Davis, Cedrick Smith, Terrance Thomas) (Trailer)

How It Works:

On Friday, July 31st, starting at 12:00 p.m. (EST), go to the homepage and simply play the videos that are embedded on the top of our page. They will remain there for 12 hours and be switched out at 12:00 a.m. midnight. The next batch of videos play from 12:00 a.m. to approx. 12:00 p.m. the next day. Note that there are two available screening windows (Screen 1, Screen 2) for the main day time slot playing different programs of films. There is no charge for watching or login requirements.

The 9th Workers Unite Film Festival Honors and Salutes the Black Lives Matter Movement

It has been a month since the tragic public murder of George Floyd and so many other murders of black and non-white men and women at the hands of police. This abuse has ignited great anger and we, at the Workers Unite Film Festival, stand in solidarity with the hundreds of thousands of brothers and sisters of every color and ethnic background who march at great personal risk to their own safety at the ongoing Black Lives Matter demonstrations nationwide.

We are deeply saddened by the ongoing murders of unarmed citizens of color, some of whom, like Breonna Taylor, an EMT – a frontline worker in service to the safety of our society - was shot to death in her own apartment, in her own bed. Elijah McClain was murdered for just walking down the street after buying something from a convenience store. This must stop now.

We are dedicating this next virtual film festival to highlighting several films about race in America, overzealous policing, and racism at work. Please join us for any online discussions/Q&A’s after these films. At the festival, we showcase, advise, and teach new filmmakers and amateurs to become ‘citizen’ filmmaker journalists, and feel directly connected to the efforts to publicize the reality of constant harassment and violence that people must endure as they protest and otherwise. Social media clips (even on TikTok) highlight how frequent and geographically widespread the pattern is of police escalating minor interactions into deadly conflicts with innocent citizens. Judge, jury and executioner was never the intended role for our police officers.

Hopefully, this movement is just at the beginning of reversing a terrible trend towards the militarization of our police and the unacceptable point of view that we live in an ‘Us vs. Them’ world. We need a well-trained and respectful police force that actually ‘Protects and Serves’ every citizen, every day - not just the ones who are white.

Thank you for joining us for this second WUFF Virtual Film Festival 2020.

Free Virtual Film Festival Screenings All Memorial Day Weekend - May 22nd to May 25th

While we’re unable to meet in person this May due to COVID-19, you can still catch a preview of some of the Workers Unite Film Festival Season 9 films (in-person NYC festival postponed to Sept 25th, 2020).

Full Schedule Below:

Friday, May 22nd (12:00 p.m. and all day/night)

Program 1:

Hope Served Fresh: Recovery Friendly Employment - A pizzeria owner in Oneonta New York decides to create a "sober and recovery friendly" workplace, starting a trend that reaches the upper levels over New York State Government. (15 min, Jessica Vecchione) (Trailer)

Gone Postal - Jay Galione, son of a postal worker, investigates the dark corners of the U.S. Postal Service. Across the country, brave employees stand up to injustice on the job and fight to Save the People’s Post Office. A moving indictment of the toxic culture and push to downsize, this eye-opening documentary allows viewers to hear from experts and advocates including Ralph Nader and Richard Wolff, and directly from the selfless and courageous people hidden behind the scenes, long suffering and ignored. (1 hr 33 min, Director: Jay Galione) (Trailer)

Live Panel Q&A with Special Guests - Sat, May 23rd at 12:00 p.m. (EST), streamed from Zoom to Facebook at www.facebook.com/gonepostalfilm. Here, Jay and others will answer your questions and talk about the current threat to our Postal Service and what we can do about it. To participate, watch the film on May 22nd and send your questions or comments to usmaildoc@gmail.com.

Program 2:

Sophia Dawson: Purpose - The story of renowned Brooklyn visual artist and activist Sophia Dawson, an intimate and powerful portrait of a brilliant young woman determined to use her creative gifts to enlighten and empower her community. (15 min, Director: Justin M. Thomas) (Trailer)

Ni Uno Más / Not One More Death - Hundreds of NYC immigrant construction workers took to the streets on Workers’ Memorial Day (Día de Trabajador Caído) to commemorate their fallen co-workers and draw attention to unsafe working conditions for immigrant laborers. Learn more about the NICE (New Immigrant Community Empowerment) team and the work they're doing during COVID-19: https://www.nynice.org/about (6 min, Director: Meerkat Media Collective)

Feet On the Street: Dirty Patti at the L.A. Teacher's Strike - She's political, she's a bit inappropriate and she's a puppet! Dirty Patti, a fixture of the Los Angeles art scene, traverses to a teachers' strike where she interviews those fighting on the front lines lines for the betterment of the teachers and students of Los Angeles Unified School District. (5 min, Directors: Crispin Rosenkranz, Christina Elaine Vasquez)

I, Candy - Filmmaker Candy Kugel deconstructs a drawing she did when she was 6 years old to explore her life in animation. (22 min, Director: Candy Kugel) (Trailer)

Saturday, May 23rd (12:00 p.m. and all day/night)

Program 3:

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Town of Widows - U.S. Premiere. In a factory town both sustained and poisoned by big industry, a growing group of widows, workers and family members fight for justice in a system stacked against injured workers. Nicknamed “The Electric City”, Peterborough, Ontario, was home to a General Electric plant for over a century. Over time, employees of the plant and their families noticed more and more GE workers dying from cancer. Now, they're fighting for compensation and finding a "conspiracy of silence". (1 hr 26 min, Directors: Natasha Luckhardt and Rob Viscardis) (Trailer)

Q&A Panel: The following day, on Sunday (5/24) at 1:00pm EST, the Town of Widows team will hold a Q&A on Facebook Live at facebook.com/townofwidows. Zoom: (https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7046954606, Non-Zoom users can also join, Meeting ID: 704 695 4606)

Program 4:

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“Under the Stack”

Rethabile's Story - In the garment factories of Maseru, Lesotho (South Africa), the workers make clothes to be sold in the U.S. What is day-to-day life like in the factories? Let ex-factory worker Rethabile take you to the places she used to work, meet her friends, and share her experience in the Decent Work Regulation project. (25 min, Director: Darren Hutchinson) (Trailer)

Under the Stack - Documents the consequences of living and working under a smokestack, and celebrates citizen efforts to challenge the unsafe working conditions and toxic emissions of ASARCO, the American Smelting and Refining Company. ASARCO declared bankruptcy in order to shed its debts and its responsibilities to clean up 95 sites in the U.S. alone. Today ASARCO is profitable and workers continue to seek answers to the question: What has made our community sick? (1 hr 12 min, Directors: Anne Fischel and Lin Nelson)

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“Under the Stack”

Sunday, May 24th (12:00 p.m. and all day/night)

Program 5:

Some Luck - Stuck between shifts at his thankless pizza delivery job and crashing on his mom’s couch, Johnny searches for an escape. (9 min, Director: Joshua Hanesack) (Trailer)

At A Stranger's Table - With tensions high on immigration control, the time is right to introduce the North Carolina east coast migrant field worker to the United States consumer of produce. This documentary introduces two types of hired 'migrant’ workers who pick the US produce: the H-2A visa worker in North Carolina “legally” and the migrant worker who is "undocumented". We follow both groups of people and explore the complex state of their lives, concluding with conversations between the migrant farm workers and consumers during a dinner. (1 hr 28 min, Directors: Scott Temple and Sally Jacobs) (Trailer)

Program 6:

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“Represente: The Future Is Ours” (Spanish with English subtitles)

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“In The Basement There’s Some Money”

In the Basement There's Some Money - Three cousins of varying socioeconomic status struggle to divvy up the money their grandfather left for them. (17 min, Director: Gianluca Randazzo) (Trailer)

Represente: The Future Is Ours - Argentina's social movements generate viable alternatives of economies and human relations within a crisis-ridden, exploitative, neo-liberal and neo-colonial economic system. (1 hr, Directors: Dario Farcy, Bettina Müller, Joana Splieth, Tina Wilke) (Trailer)

Sea Is Shaking - The city of Murmansk and its citizens who dedicate their lives to hard work in the Barents Sea. (46 min, Director: Nikita Tuzov, Russian with English Subtitles) (Trailer)

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“Sea Is Shaking” (Russian with English subtitles)

Monday, May 25th (12:00 p.m. and all day/night)

Program 7:

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Filipino migrant domestic worker, Biverly, gives an interview at the “Care & Share Homely Shelter”, on May, 16th 2019 - Photo: Ivan Abreu/Rights Exposure

COVER/AGE - Confronting the healthcare exclusion of elderly undocumented immigrants in California, two immigrant leaders (one a caregiver, the other a policy advocate) champion the movement to expand healthcare coverage for everyone in the Golden State. (25 min, Director: Set Hernandez Rongkilyo) (Clip)

The Price of Justice - Follows four women as they try to pursue cases against their former employers. Taken into Kafkaesque circumstances, these workers spend their days in waiting rooms, long queues and tribunals in a frustrating attempt to get access to justice. This documentary is a collaboration with Rights Exposure for Hong Kong Federation of Domestic Workers and has the support of the International Labour Organisation. (55 min, Director: Ivan Abreu) (Trailer)

Program 8:

Produced by the Institute on Community Integration, University of Minnesota. More Info: z.umn.edu/invaluable

Keepers of the House - Eight housekeepers from hospitals in Durham, North Carolina tell moving and compassionate stories about their special human relationships with patients and the ways in which they believe their work contributes to healing. (14 min, Director: Rhonda Klevansky) (Trailer)

Invaluable: The Unrecognized Profession of Direct Support - The under-appreciated and under-funded work of direct support professionals (DSPs), the people who support individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in living full lives as members of their communities. (44 min, Director: Jerry Smith) (Trailer) (z.umn.edu/invaluable)

How It Works:

On Friday, May 22nd, starting at 12:00 p.m. (EST), go to the festival homepage and simply play the videos that are embedded on the top of our page. We will switch to the next day's virtual programming block by 12:00 p.m. (EST) the following day, giving you nearly a full 24 hours to check out each set of films. There is no charge for watching or login requirements. Both programs are available all day in two separate windows.

We will continue to host more films from our upcoming season in the following months if this is an overall success and feedback is positive. Official submissions are still being accepted, and filmmakers will be contacted about our interest to feature films of theirs online at future dates.

Workers Unite Film Festival to Go Virtual; Theater Screenings Postponed to September

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3/18/20

Dear Friends and Supporters,

Due to the extenuating circumstances of the COVID-19 Coronavirus spreading across the globe, and in light of NY State policy aiming to curb this pandemic, the Workers Unite Film Festival will be postponed until Friday, September 25th, still at Cinema Village in NYC. Our main concern, as always, is your health and safety. Hopefully, by then we will all be in a better place. Sponsorship ads and the program guide will debut in online form and be printed as well this Fall, if at all feasible.

Submissions are still open on Film Freeway for Season 9. The deadline was moved to March 27th and will be extended again to mid-July in order to accommodate these new festival dates. There will be a standing exception made for films related to the Coronavirus pandemic and what needs to be done for workers during this time. We encourage you all to document this crisis and send us your stories for free now through July at melanie@workersuniteff.org.

While we wanted to continue to have a physical festival May 8th-23rd 2020, we are working to give you a taste of this year’s programming by implementing an online festival model which will remain an integrated part of each season. Watch for the announcement of special streaming-only events to premiere this May.

Please make any donation you can (bit.ly/DonateWUFF9) to help us move these events online, as it helps pay for private servers and equipment while the film festival faces this new transition.

Be assured that we are in regular communication with theater venues and healthcare professionals to make sure that any environment is clean and sanitary where we may host a screening or event. Thanks for your understanding.

See full Coronavirus Statement: https://conta.cc/2U4bdCM

In Solidarity,

Andrew Tilson
Executive Director

Winners for Workers Unite Film Festival 2019!

We are proud to announce the winners for #WUFF8.

Special thanks to all the filmmakers who came out to support their film and help bring in a good audience. We’ve had another wonderful year, screening at Cinema Village, NYS Public Employees Federation (PEF), Workers United of NY & NJ, Empire State College, DC 1707, Penn South, and the Park Church Co-op.

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Audience Favorite

Somewhere to Be - Directed by Peter Odabashian
 

Special Jury Award

Who Killed Lt. Van Dorn? - Directed by Zachary Stauffer
 

Best Documentary Feature

Union Time: Fighting for Workers' Rights - Directed by Matthew Barr
 

Honorable Mention • Documentary Feature

Undeterred - Directed by Eva Lewis
 

Best Narrative Feature

Final Cutz - Directed by Liam Lockhart
 

Honorable Mention • Narrative Feature

The Manhattan Front - Directed by Cathy Lee Crane
 

Best Narrative Short

Lambeth Lights - Directed by Luca Bertoluzzi
 

Honorable Mention • Narrative Short

Division Ave - Directed by Tamar Glezerman
 

Best Documentary Short (tie)

The Reason We’re Still Here - Directed by Sofia Smith Hale

White Sauce Hot Sauce - Directed by Salah Anwar
 

Honorable Mention • Documentary Short (tie)

Trouble Finds You - Directed by Stephanie Tangkilisan

Dad Milks Cows in Texas - Directed by Ramon Galvan
 

Best Film from the Frontlines

50 Days: The 2018 Chicago Hotel Workers' Strike - Directed by Eve Saxon
 

Honorable Mention • Film from the Frontlines (tie)

Labor & Rights: Local 1 Union Plumbers - Directed by Kizi Lewis

My Sister In the Workplace - Directed by Scott Pullman


Best Screenplay

Homestead - Written by Lindsay Waite
 

Honorable Mention • Screenplay

Henryk in Camouflage - Written by Jason Chertoff

Trailers below:

Union Time: Fighting for Workers’ Rights

Who Killed Lt. Van Dorn?

Undeterred

Trouble Finds You

Division Ave

White Sauce Hot Sauce

The Manhattan Front

Final Cutz

Lambeth Lights

Somewhere to Be

Dad Milks Cows In Texas

The Reason We’re Still Here

Read summaries on the 2019 Films and Directors List.

Welcome To the 8th Annual Workers Unite Film Festival - May 10-23, 2019

STARTS FRIDAY EVENING, MAY 10TH, 2019 6:30PM @ CINEMA VILLAGE NYC OVER 60 FILMS

From May 10-23, the country's largest worker/labor union themed film festival will feature 60+ films and events across Manhattan & Brooklyn. This year's dual themes are the fight to defend Democracy from an ignorant anti-worker tyrant as well all workers fighting to defend their rights to unite. #RightToUnite

EXTRA Special Event: SAG-AFTRA & WGA EAST HOST A PANEL ON HOW TO MAKE YOUR LOW BUDGET FILM UNDER A UNION CONTRACT - SPECIAL GUESTS & THE FILM - THE MANHATTAN FRONT - 5/15/19 @ 6:00 PM @ Cinema Village (22 E 12th St).

NYC’S ONLY MAJOR LABOR/WORKER THEMED FILM FESTIVAL

NEW YORK - The Workers Unite Film Festival returns for its eighth season from May 10 to 23, 2019, with a slate of films from the U.S. and around the world focused on the struggles and triumphs of the labor movement, immigrant and refugee rights at work and the insanity of a militarized border with Mexico (Undeterred). We see how some retirees in NYC find community in a special place post-work lives (Somewhere To Be). We call out climate and water polluters, who kill workers with full prior knowledge (The Devil We Know), feature a zombie-comedy that targets anti-art corporate control (Final Cutz) and workers who run for office and strike and win! (50 Days: The 2018 Chicago Hotel Workers' Strike, and Councilwoman). We get to see two major union drives in action - (Dear Walmart), five years in production and still fighting it out and (Union Time: Fighting for Workers' Rights) - and winning! In NC!! Also, a full evening devoted to the vicious attacks against for-hire drivers and their livelihoods (Uberland, Run The Meter, and Freedom to Drive) with the actively organizing Independent Drivers Guild (IDG) as hosts.

COME SEE THE POWERFUL STORY OF THE FIGHT TO ORGANIZE WALMART

These are but the first few films from an incredible line-up of powerful and motivational films over the next two weeks, starting May 10th.

COME SEE WHEN A HOTEL HOUSEKEEPER AND UNION MEMBER DECIDES TO RUN FOR OFFICE

We are not like any other film festival out there. We focus on workers, their lives and their struggles to organize, build their unions and come together to create lives of dignity, fairness, opportunity and health and safety on the job. Join us to see stories ignored by the mainstream media. Make a donation if you can to support the festival and to keep the voices of workers and artists who support them active and fighting for social and economic justice every single day. Go to our site, to Eventbrite, Facebook or Instagram and follow us, learn more and join us on Friday May 10th for the start of two weeks of films, music and theater about the success, struggles and battles still to be won, by Workers Uniting Everywhere!

What happens when your work days are done? Where do you find community and friendship?

OPENING NIGHT SPECIAL EVENT WITH THE DIRECTOR AFTER FOR Q & A

Winners for Workers Unite Film Festival 2018!

We are proud to announce the winners for #WUFF7

Special thanks to all the filmmakers who came out to support their films.  We've had another wonderful year, screening at Cinema Village, Empire State College, DC 1707, and other venues across NYC.

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Audience Favorite

The Partisans of Athens - Directed by Xenofon Vardaros
 

Special Jury Award

Detroit 48202: Conversations Along A Postal Route - Directed by Pamela Sporn
 

Best Documentary Feature

COMPLICIT - Directed by Heather White & Lynn Zhang
 

Honorable Mention • Documentary Feature (tie)

Charlie vs Goliath - Directed by Reed Lindsay

Adios Amor: The Search for Maria Moreno - Directed by Laurie Coyle
 

Best Narrative Feature

S|T|R|A|Y|S - Directed by Barnaby Miller
 

Honorable Mention • Narrative Feature

SINK - Directed by Mark Gillis
 

Best Narrative Short

Mrs. Schneider - Directed by Michael Matheson Miller
 

Honorable Mention • Narrative Short

Gabby Antonio Smashes the Imperialist, White Supremacist, Capitalist Patriarchy! - Directed by Dawn Jones Redstone
 

Best Documentary Short

Scenes From A Protest - Directed by Kevin McCarthy
 

Honorable Mention • Documentary Short (tie)

Freelance Nation - Directed by Dori Cohen

Knife Skills - Directed by Thomas Lennon
 

Best Film from the Frontlines

83-85 Bowery, Manhattan Chinatown - Directed by Zishun Ning
 

Honorable Mention • Film from the Frontlines

UA Local 1 and IBEW Apprentice Citizen Films Showcase - Produced by the Harry Van Arsdale Jr. Center for Labor Studies, SUNY Empire.  Program Coordinator: Barrie Cline.
 

Best Screenplay

Machismo! - Written by Maja Ramirez
 

Honorable Mention • Screenplay

The Monkeypod - Written by Dane Krogman
 

Trailers & Clips Below:

COMPLICIT

Detroit 48202: Conversations Along A Postal Route

Adios Amor - The Search for Maria Moreno

Charlie vs Goliath

The Partisans Of Athens

S|T|R|A|Y|S

Freelance Nation

Gabby Antonio Smashes the Imperialist, White Supremacist, Capitalist Patriarchy!

SINK

Scenes From A Protest

Watch for official submission entries to open in early Fall for WUFF 2019!
 

Life of Paul Robeson explored in "Call Mr. Robeson" this May

The Workers Unite Film Festival has added a live theatrical component over each of the past three seasons ("Every Fold Matters", etc).  This year, we are fortunate enough to partner with the Castillo Theater to co-produce a presentation of "Call Mr. Robeson" on May 11th and May 12th, a special one-man play and musical retrospective based on the life of actor, singer, and progressive activist, Paul Robeson. 

Retelling Mr. Robeson’s story is critical right now as labor unions and workers battle the devastating effects of an anti-worker President, as well as an imminent attack on public sector workers to legally unionize and collect agency fees.

Tickets Available Now! (LINK)

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“They say I’m meddling in the foreign affairs of the United States Government. Now, that’s too bad, ‘cause I’m going to have to continue to meddle...”

Paul Robeson is a world-famous actor, singer and civil rights campaigner. When over the years he gets progressively too radical and outspoken for the establishment's liking, he is branded a traitor to his country, harassed, and denied opportunities to perform or travel. Just as physical, emotional and mental stress threaten to push him over the fine line between genius and madness, he is summoned to appear before the House Un-American Activities Committee, to give the most difficult and important performance of his career.

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Written and performed by Tayo Aluko.  Photo credit: Stuart Hollis

This roller-coaster journey through Robeson’s remarkable and eventful life highlights how his pioneering and heroic (but largely forgotten) political activism led many to describe him as the forerunner of the civil rights movement. It features much fiery oratory and some of his famous songs, including a dramatic rendition of Ol’ Man River.

Tayo Aluko revives one of the 20th Century’s most impressive but overlooked figures in this powerful, compelling tour-de-force performance, which was seen at New York’s Carnegie Hall in February 2012, and in London’s West End in October 2013.    (See the Trailer)

PRESS
“First-rate ... an admirable introduction to a great pioneering performer" 4 Stars - The Guardian

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Photo credit: Carol Rosegg

"A stunning piece of musical theatre.... high quality drama, first class singing" - Fringe Review, Edinburgh Fringe, 2010

"A brilliantly put together history lesson delivered as art." - Dirt & Candy

"Never less than utterly believable" - British Theatre Guide

"Simply told but immensely powerful"  - The Scotsman

“A must-see experience, a treasure of a show. TOP PICK!” - DC Theater Scene

AWARDS
Winner, Best Musical Performance, Atlantic Fringe, Halifax, Nova Scotia, September 2013
Winner, Best Solo Show, Stratford-upon-Avon Fringe, June 2013
Triple Winner (Impresario Award, Best Actor, Best Original Work) London Fringe, Canada, June 2012
Double Winner: Argus Angel Award for Artistic Excellence & Best Male Performer
Brighton Festival Fringe, May 2008

Show length: 80 min (no intermission).  Directed by Olusola Oyeleye.  More info at www.callmrrobeson.com

Winners for Workers Unite Film Festival 2017!

We are proud to announce the Winners for #WUFF6

Special thanks to all the filmmakers who came out to support their films.  We've had another wonderful year, screening at Cinema Village, Empire State College, Lantern Hall, and other venues across NYC.

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Great crowds to see EUGene V. Debs biopic - Hendrik Hertzberg from the New Yorker graciously answered questions with Director Yale Strom.  Ludlow: Greek Americans in the Colorado Coal War sold out! Thanks to Producer Frosso Tsouka for an incredible film!  Instagram: @workersunitefilmfest

Audience Favorite

American Socialist: The Life and Times of Eugene Victor Debs - Directed by Yale Strom
 

Special Jury Award

Ludlow, Greek Americans in the Colorado Coal War - Directed by Leonidas Vardaros
 

Best Documentary Feature (tie)

Detroit Dog City - Directed by Candace Barbot

Woman On Fire - Directed by Julie Sokolow
 

Honorable Mention • Documentary Feature (tie)

Denial - Directed by Derek Hallquist

Mike Morningstar: Here's to the Working Man - Directed by Richard Anderson
 

Best Narrative Feature

Thirsty - Directed by Margo Pelletier
 

Honorable Mention • Narrative Feature

August Lucey - Directed by Dylan Latimer and Jesse Karch
 

Best Narrative Short

Working Poor - Directed by Steven Bozga
 

Honorable Mention • Narrative Short (tie)

Marx Is Back - Violeta Bruk, Dolores Contreras, Javier Gabino, Jorge Gallardo, et al, TVPTS Contraimagen Group (Argentina)

Transport Workers Union (TWU) GOTV: Back to Election Day - Directed by Mary Matthews, TWU International
 

Best Documentary Short (tie)

Holding Out - Directed by Rebecca Gourevitch

The Coal Minority - Directed by Helen Butcher
 

Honorable Mention • Documentary Short

Oiltowns - Directed by Mark Street
 

Best Film from the Frontlines (tie)

Paulie - Directed by Paul Tropiano (UA Local 1 NYC Plumbers)

Some Dumb Plumbers - Directed by Luigi J. Fuschetto and Antonio D. Antonaros (UA Local 1 NYC Plumbers)
 

Honorable Mention • Film from the Frontlines

My Story - Directed by Nelium Hannibal (UA Local 1 NYC Plumbers)
 

Best Screenplay

Farm Fresh - Written by Jon Schabl
 

Honorable Mention • Screenplay

Flintown - Written by Cory Huizar


Now onto an amazing Season 7 in 2018 -- and some individual screenings planned throughout the year!  Official submissions open again in early Fall.

Save The Dates! May 5th to May 25th, The Sixth Annual Workers Unite Film Festival returns to NYC. TICKETS ON SALE NOW ON EVENTBRITE.COM

This season #WUFF6/2017 is thrilled to partner with The Radical Film Network, based in the UK, Third World Newsreel - on their 50th Anniversary of distributing progressive films, The Joseph F. Murphy Institute for Worker Education and Labor Studies and The National Writers Union (NWU/UAW) to open our festival season with A Global Gathering - The Radical Film Network in NYC. This conference, as well as the whole festival, is the perfect way to fight back against the radical right-wing, anti-worker trump regime. Over 100 filmmakers, academics from cultural programs, film festivals and cultural activists will meet to discuss and plan ways to help build the growing progressive resistance around the world, by assisting organizing and mobilization drives both here in the U.S., as well as with out progressive partners worldwide.

A Global Gathering takes place just before the Workers Unite Film Festival, May 3rd to May 5th, hosted at The Joseph F. Murphy Institute for Worker Education and Labor Studies, 25 West 43rd Street, 18th floor. Please sign up for the conference on Eventbrite here:

http://bit.ly/2p2shXz

WUFF2017 kicks off on May 5th at Cinema Village in NYC (22 East 12th Street) with an exciting opening night program, including Killing The Black Snake - a look at the anti-DAPL fight from the POV of our Native American Brothers and Sisters, Generation Revolution - where we see how Black Lives Matter struggles are organizing in the UK. This is followed by the just released feature - In Dubious Battle, directed and starring James Franco, with Selena Gomez, Zach Braff, Ed Harris, Vincent D'Onofrio, Sam Shephard, Robert Duvall and Nat Wolf, in the John Steinbeck classic about a radical organizer who heads to the Pacific Northwest to help 900 apple orchard farmworkers organize a strike during the Great Depression. We end the evening with Marx Is Back, a charming mini-series of fiction based on the Communist Manifesto.

May 6th is Music Day at the festival, with films about how creative artists are workers too and how their struggles often presage the fights of all workers in a society - such as in the amazing film, They Will Have to Kill Us First, about musicians in Mali facing mutilation and death from Jihadist occupiers, simply for doing their jobs - playing music. Saturday will also see Cab Elvis, two wonderful films about the sometimes hard road an artist must take to create their music - in 25 Tracks & Mike Morningstar: Ballad of A Working Man.   Not to be missed! Only the second screening in NYC of the beautiful new musical, Thirsty,  that tries to answer the question, where does a drag queen come from?

May 7th is our salute to LGBTQ and Trans rights are workers rights are civil rights! We have a full day and evening of films, both touching and powerful to celebrate our brothers and sisters once again under attack by the right-wing radical fringe, who have no idea of what Jesus meant when He said, "Love They Neighbor."

Anchovies, a touching short film about identity, leads us into Free Cece, a transgender woman of color who was arrested and plead guilty to second degree manslaughter for defending herself against a racist and sexist man who attacked her. Don't miss the captivating Out Run, from the Philippines, about the first Trans political party - amazing!

Our evening is anchored by Woman on Fire, the story of the first openly trans female firefighter in the FDNY. Incredible bravery on display here. And we are honored to end the night with one of the most touching films you will ever see, about climate change and trans rights, with a hero who you will wish was in your own neighborhood too, Denial.

These are just the first few days out of nearly three weeks of festival. we have music, theater and over 50! films about workers, their lives and their fight to save and build their union movements, here and world wide. Keep your eyes coming back to Workersunitefilmfestival.org as we update the calendar daily with more films, more clips ticket purchase ability through Eventbrite (by next week).

The WUFF Team has been hard at work since the Summer of 2016, writing grants, soliciting films and planning for the biggest & best Workers Unite Film Festival yet. It arrives May 5th to May 25th

New tee design for 2017

HAPPY LABOR DAY! We Salute workers and their unions today by opening up submissions to the 6th Annual Workers Unite Film Festival in NYC

Today is seen by most Americans as the end to their long summer holiday season, with the return to major work projects and their children's new school terms right around the corner. But many of us forget to salute the brave workers and their unions, who fought and died for what we now consider normal workplace existence. The 8 hour day was a huge and bitter fight, the weekend off was the same, any kind of grievance procedure, protected wages and benefits - all these were hard fought gains made by folks just like you and me. who decided the time had come to fight back against excessive greed and exploitation. Many victories were won and we enjoy the fruits of those victories even today. 

This remains true even after several years of direct assault on workers and their unions by a hard-core right wing partnership between huge employers and their Republican puppets in Congress. These ignorant and often lazy elected officials have spent the last eight years blocking every single pro-worker effort by the Obama administration, healthcare obviously being the main effort. We have seen the GOP repeatedly attempt to repeal Obamacare and now we see their corporate partners, like Humana and Aetna, trying to harm the American people by doing their best to damage this historic program to bring healthcare to millions of working Americans who had not been previously able to see a doctor due to the expense.

Workers and union members must remain vigilant in not only protecting workplaces that have already been unionized, but must continue the Fight for $15 nationwide, as well as directly organizing workers in every single workplace we can. Data from several academic studies in the past weeks has shown that the corporate/right-wing attacks against unions and workers has had a devastating effect on the earnings and economic well-being of the 99%. This must be reversed in order for a real, long-term, widely distributed economic recover to take place.

As we get ready to launch our 6th season of the Workers Unite Film Festival, we are thrilled with the films and the efforts we see all over the world to build worker consciousness, to build worker power and to make all workers understand that it is not somebody with different colored skin, or a different religion, or different sounding last name that is the cause for their feeling powerless and cast aside in this increasingly high tech society. It is directly because of a concerted attack by the 1% ownership class on their existing legal rights to organize into unions, to fight for what is fair and equitable at work and to live lives with dignity and respect for that work, that they have fallen so far behind where they expected to be.

Please send in your films and screenplays so we can keep telling the world about your brave and courageous efforts to fight back against injustice and greed. We have several special events planned for this season - a mobile phone film contest for students and over a week of community outreach with a powerful and touching multi-media production, Every Fold Matters.

More on these projects soon. Enjoy your day off and see you on September 10th at the NYC Labor Day Parade!

THANKS FOR SUPPORTING THE FESTIVAL BY ORDERING YOUR TEE SHIRT TODAY!! ONLY $25 GETS YOU THIS FANTASTIC TEE!

THANKS NYC AND ALL OUR LABOR FRIENDS FOR THE BEST FESTIVAL YET!

We Are Proud to Announce our Winners for the 5th Annual Workers Unite Film Festival – 2016

June 15th, 2016

This fifth season of the Workers Unite Film Festival was the biggest and best yet, with more attendees, more venues, more creative energy and many more submissions (nearly 160 projects on workers, their lives and their efforts to build their unions). With over 40 programs all over NYC and over 80 films and events, #WUFFNYC has grown to be one of the largest worker/labor dedicated cultural events in the country.

This year we made an effort to include a major multi-media piece – Every Fold Matters, which played to sold out crowds every night at our wonderful partner’s space in Brooklyn – Union Docs. We also included two music nights, with many talented performers and partnered with Local 802AFM to help raise awareness about the union in these burgeoning music clubs in Brooklyn and with performing artists who had not yet joined Local 802AFM. We expanded to both Queens and The Bronx with community screenings, and will continue these year round.

But our main focus remains films and we received so many excellent ones this season it was very difficult to reject several of the good ones and even harder to pick winners in each category. We love all our filmmakers and their amazing dedication to telling such important stories, stories almost continually ignored by the mainstream media. These "Best Of" and "Honorable Mention" designations, then, are the films that really stood out, both as audience favorites, but also for the skill and passion with which they tell these important stories of struggle and perseverance in societies where workers and their unions are under constant attack (including our own!).

Congratulations to all our filmmakers and screenwriters and to all of our wonderful attendees and sponsors who help make this the largest worker/labor film festival in the country. We are thrilled to have made it to 5 and with all your help (we do have some amazing festival tee shirts still available for a small donation!) – Workers Unite Film Festival 6 will be even better!

Audience Favorite

Every Fold Matters (multi-media production) - Produced and Directed by
Lynne Sachs & Lizzie Olesker

Special Jury Award

Finish Line: The Rise and Demise Of Off-Track Betting – Directed by Joseph Fusco

Best Documentary Feature

Profiled – Directed by Kathleen Foster

Documentary Feature • Honorable Mention

A Bold Peace – Directed by Matthew Eddy

Best Narrative Feature

Psychos (Russia) – Directed by Aleksey Kitaytsev

Honorable Mention • Narrative Feature

Human Resources – Directed by Keil Troisi

Best Narrative Short

Sista In the Brotherhood – Directed by Dawn Jones Redstone

Honorable Mention • Narrative Short (tie)

Wall (Greece) – Directed by Maya Tsamprou, Harris Tsambas & Mark Sargent

Under Skin In Blood (Australia) – Directed by Larissa Behrendt

Best Documentary Short

Every Row A Path – Directed by Jill Freidberg

Honorable Mention • Documentary Short

Waiting for the (T)rain (France) – Directed by Simon Panay

 Best Film from the Frontlines

The Learning Alliance (Pakistan) – Directed by Muhammad Umar Saeed

Honorable Mention • Film from the Frontlines

A Piece of The Dream Series: Amanda/Dominisha/Jahmeera –

Produced by The Workers Development Institute – Directed by: Darian Henry & Maya Suchak

Best Screenplay

Shula Sees the Light – Written by Laura Kelber

Honorable Mention – Screenplay

Slavecatcher – Written by Matthew Pillischer

Join 1199SEIU, Workmen's Circle, Others in MLK Day "Fight for 15" March

Monday, January 18th
March begins: 3:15pm
Meet 2pm at National Action Network House of Justice 106 W. 145th St, marching to the Adam Clayton Powell State Office Building

On Monday, Jan. 18, hundreds of low-wage workers will march with Rev. Al Sharpton through Harlem in support of the $15 New York State minimum wage to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “No work is insignificant,” King famously declared. “All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance.”

A $15 minimum wage would raise up more than 3 million working people and make New York a national leader in the effort to reward hard work with fair pay.  Workers will be marching in the spirit of King’s egalitarian vision, to make sure all New Yorkers can have dignity, security and the opportunity to build a better future for their children.

(United Healthcare Workers 119SEIU)