Few films released over 40 years ago can claim to be as relevant today as when they first came out. The Wobblies is one of them.
The 1979 documentary, directed by Stewart Bird and Deborah Shaffer, recounts in oral history form the story of the Industrial Workers of the World union, otherwise known as the Wobblies. The labor organization, founded in 1905, espoused the brash idea that workers should share in company profits, get medical care if they were injured on the job, and work an 8-hour day.
The Iww stood apart for other reasons—it was a general union (as opposed to a craft union) that welcomed men and women, regardless of race or ethnic background. And it represented the great mass of unskilled workers, the kind of laborers who toiled in factories for long hours, for low wages, typically in dangerous conditions.
“They were opening up to everyone–anyone who earned...
The 1979 documentary, directed by Stewart Bird and Deborah Shaffer, recounts in oral history form the story of the Industrial Workers of the World union, otherwise known as the Wobblies. The labor organization, founded in 1905, espoused the brash idea that workers should share in company profits, get medical care if they were injured on the job, and work an 8-hour day.
The Iww stood apart for other reasons—it was a general union (as opposed to a craft union) that welcomed men and women, regardless of race or ethnic background. And it represented the great mass of unskilled workers, the kind of laborers who toiled in factories for long hours, for low wages, typically in dangerous conditions.
“They were opening up to everyone–anyone who earned...
- 5/4/2022
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
What's in a name? A lot more than we initially suspect, frankly. We have been talking about "what is "Indie"" for decades--and probably will for decades to come. My attempt to define "Truly Free Film" has lead me to be called on the carpet more than once for not making Truly Free Film (we can talk about that in a future post). And that discussion is just for specific monikers. What happens when we start to get poetic and delve in to the realm of metaphor? Today's guest post is from contributor and filmmaker James Fair, and he shows quite…...
- 3/14/2011
- Hope for Film
Yesterday, James Fair guest posted here on "The Path To The New Model: Join The Community". Today he returns with an important recommendation for all us to share not just what works, but what doesn't. We can get beyond the repetitive culture of remakes of yesterday's hits. We can find new stories, new formats, and new ways of working, but it takes the willingness to be both Fail and Share the experience. Perhaps the barrier to a successful ‘revolution’ is our own inability to share our failures. We are always keen to promote our successes to others but we rarely…...
- 3/4/2011
- Hope for Film
It is easy to speak and to write of community, but how do we actually work together to make it better? We are dispersed across the globe, some professional, some amateur, but all driven by passion for a more diverse and ambitious film culture. We have the tools. We have the know how, but we still have a long road before us. Stepping down the path requires us to put one foot in front of the other, and make some progress, even if it might be in the wrong direction. Today's guest post is from filmmaker and lecturer James Fair,…...
- 3/3/2011
- Hope for Film
The Melbourne International Film Festival has announced this year’s favourite films, as voted by the audience.
Nz’s Boy (directed by Taika Waititi and opening in Australia on August 26) was the top film, while Bill Cunningham: New York was the favourite documentary. Australian features The Wedding Party and Summer Coda were also in the top 10, at numbers six and 10 respectively
Top 10 Features
1. Boy Dir. Taika Waititi (Nz)
2. Desert Flower Dir. Sherry Hoffman (Germany/Austria/France)
3. Certified Copy Dir. Abbas Kiarostami (France/Italy)
4. Four Lions Dir. Chris Morris (UK)
5. Summer Wars Dir. Mamoru Hosoda (Japan)
6. The Wedding Party Dir. Amanda Jane (Australia)
7. I Love You Phillip Morris Dir. Glenn Ficarra, John Requa (USA/Canada)
8. Women Without Men Dir. Shirin Neshat (Germany/Austria/France)
9. The Ballad of Des and Mo Dir. James Fair (Ireland)
10. Summer Coda Dir Richard Gray (Australia)
Top 10 Documentaries
1. Bill Cunningham New York Dir. Richard Press (USA)
2. The Invention of Dr.
Nz’s Boy (directed by Taika Waititi and opening in Australia on August 26) was the top film, while Bill Cunningham: New York was the favourite documentary. Australian features The Wedding Party and Summer Coda were also in the top 10, at numbers six and 10 respectively
Top 10 Features
1. Boy Dir. Taika Waititi (Nz)
2. Desert Flower Dir. Sherry Hoffman (Germany/Austria/France)
3. Certified Copy Dir. Abbas Kiarostami (France/Italy)
4. Four Lions Dir. Chris Morris (UK)
5. Summer Wars Dir. Mamoru Hosoda (Japan)
6. The Wedding Party Dir. Amanda Jane (Australia)
7. I Love You Phillip Morris Dir. Glenn Ficarra, John Requa (USA/Canada)
8. Women Without Men Dir. Shirin Neshat (Germany/Austria/France)
9. The Ballad of Des and Mo Dir. James Fair (Ireland)
10. Summer Coda Dir Richard Gray (Australia)
Top 10 Documentaries
1. Bill Cunningham New York Dir. Richard Press (USA)
2. The Invention of Dr.
- 8/24/2010
- by Miguel Gonzalez
- Encore Magazine
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