The 4th Annual DC Labor Filmfest

September 10-12

Organized and presented by the Metropolitan Washington Council of the AFL-CIO, the Debs-Jones-Douglass Institute and the American Film Institute, the 4th annual DC Labor Filmfest boasts an array of new and recent films about work and workers from around the world. From the American heartland to the farthest reaches of the globalized international economy, all of these films explore working life and the costs of living, through universally recognizable stories and characters.

OPENING NIGHT
15th Anniversary!
ROGER & ME

If Michael Moore is now a household name and documentaries are in your local cineplex, credit Moore's ROGER & ME for laying the groundwork. Chronicling the impact of General Motors' plant closings on the people of Flint, Michigan-Moore's hometown-this exposé highlights the absurd in the everyday, often thanks to interviewees all too ready to place their feet in their mouths. Moore's quixotic attempt to interview GM CEO Roger Smith becomes its own commentary on corporate (un)accountability.

Directed/written/produced by Michael Moore. US, 1989, color, 91 min. Rated R

MONDAYS IN THE SUN [Los Lunes al Sol]

Javier Bardem stars in this powerful story about shipyard workers in northern Spain. Laid off as a result of industrial restructuring and waterfront gentrification, workers try to make ends meet and struggle to recover identities defined by their labors. Winner of five Goyas, including best picture, best director and best actor for Bardem.

Directed/written by Fernando Leòn de Aranoa. Spain, 2002, color, 113 min. In Spanish with English subtitles. Rated R

Directors Shih-Ching Tsou and Sean Baker Live On Stage! Washington Area Premiere!

TAKE OUT

A day in the life of Ming Ding, an illegal Chinese immigrant working as a delivery man for a Chinese takeout in New York. Behind on his payments to the smuggling ring that brought him to the US, Ming faces an end-of-the-day deadline, or else. "A deeply affecting portrayal of a struggling Chinese émigré in contempo Gotham."-Variety.

Co-directed/written/produced by Shih-Ching Tsou and Sean Baker. US, 2004, color, video, 87 min. In English and Mandarin and Spanish with English subtitles. NOT Rated

Filmmakers Shih-Ching Tsou and Sean Baker will introduce the film and participate in a post-screening audience Q&A.

Director Robert M. Young and Producer Joel Ehrlich Live On Stage! Washington Area Premiere!

HUMAN ERROR [aka Below the Belt]

Directed by Robert M. Young (ALAMBRISTA!), this quirky, dark comedy features two workers who have left their families and homes for jobs in a strange factory that produces quite-possibly toxic products. Pitted against one another by their scheming, insecure manager, they wrestle over who will rise in the ranks of the decaying multinational conglomerate. Features an innovative mix of live-action and CGI. "A postindustrial, pre-apocalyptic, existential comedy."-Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide.

Directed by Robert M. Young; written by Richard Dresser; produced by Joel Ehrlich. US, 2004, color, 95 min.

Filmmakers Robert M. Young and Joel Ehrlich will introduce the film and participate in a post-screening Q&A.

Featured Artists Live On Stage! World Premiere!

TELL US THE TRUTH: THE DOCUMENTARY

Chronicling 2003's 15-city musical tour challenging media consolidation and raising global trade issues, this telling documentary includes dramatic footage of the unprovoked police attacks on demonstrators at the FTAA (Free Trade Area of the Americas) meetings in Miami. Featured artists include Billy Bragg, Steve Earle, Jill Sobule, Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello, Janeane Garafalo, Lester Chambers of the Chambers Brothers, The Coup's Boots Riley, REM's Mike Mills and Jenny Toomey, founder of the Future of Music Coalition.

Directed/written/produced by Gabriel Miller. US, 2004, color, video, 97 min.

Artists Jill Sobule, Boots Riley and Lester Chambers are scheduled to attend.

Before the film: AWARD PRESENTATION
Following the film: RECEPTION & CONCERT

LIVE ON STAGE!
2004 AFL-CIO Arts and Activism Award-recipients Jill Sobule, Lester Chambers (the Chambers Brothers) and Boots Riley (The Coup).
Tickets are $15

BLIND SHAFT [Mang Jing]

Every day, thousands of workers risk their lives in China's dangerous and often corruptly run mines. In one such mine, Song and Tang have a plan to get aheadÑone that involves murder and extortion. The simplicity and naiveté of their intended victim gradually alters the partner's relationshipÑand ultimately, their moneymaking scheme. Winner, Silver Bear, 2003 Berlin Film Festival.

Directed/written/produced by Li Yang. Germany/China, 2003, color, 92 min. In Mandarin with English subtitles. Unrated

By the Director of BATTLE OF ALGIERS!

Gillo Pontecorvo's
QUEIMADA! [BURN!]

An overlooked classic in the late, great Marlon Brando canon-newly restored to its full running length!

Italy, 1969, color, 132 min. In Italian with English subtitles. RATED PG