documentary/social-justice-related film recommendations?

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

please? i have to come up with some ideas for a "social justice film series" and hours of googling are not turning out very successful. ("nobelity" looks interesting, though - i want to see it so why wouldn't other people? also, we have already shown "darfur diaries.")

requirements:
-films college students would presumably give up some free time to see (so perhaps not documentaries...? or super-topical ones?)
-films i could probably get the rights to show publicly without having to pay hundreds of dollars

i know this isn't a super-fun question, but i would really appreciate your help. ilxers are good with suggestions in general. thank you so much for any help.

― Maria e (Maria), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 21:53 (seventeen years ago) link

HARLAN COUNTY USA

― Tyrone Slothrop (Tyrone Slothrop), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 21:56 (seventeen years ago) link

I am required by marriage and my social conscience to mention Sheriff, which is Wiseman-style verite and therefore the opposite of super-topical BUT worth mentioning anyway...

http://www.workseries.com/sheriff/

― Armando Grouse (Armando ), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 22:00 (seventeen years ago) link

I saw a decent labor film a couple years ago about SEIU organizing janitors. Can't for the life of me remember what it's called.

― Hurting (A-Ron Hubbard), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 22:02 (seventeen years ago) link

Matewan

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 22:03 (seventeen years ago) link

search Ken Loach films, see what applies (pref with subtitles)

― Dr M (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 22:14 (seventeen years ago) link

I loved Delivered Vacant, which is about the gentrification of Hoboken, NJ. But it wasn't widely released and I think it might be expensive - not sure. If you google it I think the site for the distributor comes up.

― Hurting (A-Ron Hubbard), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 22:18 (seventeen years ago) link

Stence OTM re: Harlan County.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 22:28 (seventeen years ago) link

Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills

― Nu-Edward III (edward iii), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 22:33 (seventeen years ago) link

But not the depressingly poorly constructed sequel.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 22:58 (seventeen years ago) link

there's taht vietnam movie hearts and minds and thumbs and butts and gutts or whatever it's called, too.

― Tyrone Slothrop (Tyrone Slothrop), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 23:02 (seventeen years ago) link

Blue Vinyl and A Healthy Baby Girl and The Uprising of '34 by Judith Helfand are all really really good. Funny, smart, personal and fast-paced.

― Euai Kapaui (tracerhand), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 23:38 (seventeen years ago) link

Judith is also very approachable and open to ideas.

― Euai Kapaui (tracerhand), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 23:39 (seventeen years ago) link

A woman I know was able to show "Vienna Tribunal" and "Born Into Brothels" as part of her social justice film festival at Mt. Holyoke. College. i could find out more details for you, but probably not until next semester.
Both are very good.The films.

― aimurchie (aimurchie), Thursday, 21 December 2006 00:47 (seventeen years ago) link

East Side Story, a really unusual, thoughtful & entertaining flick about the 14 musicals made in Soviet Russia/East Germany. It talks about how hard it is to make creative films when all is supposed to be heavy social commentary. Might be a nice reprieve from The Sorrow & the Pity. Maybe not.

― Abbott (Abbott), Thursday, 21 December 2006 02:28 (seventeen years ago) link

abbott otm

― reading murder books, tryin' to stay hip (get bent), Thursday, 21 December 2006 02:34 (seventeen years ago) link

God Sleeps in Rwanda

― Tape Store (Tape Store), Thursday, 21 December 2006 02:39 (seventeen years ago) link

With Babies and Banners
harlan county otm.
also the janitors one is poss. ken loach's "bread and roses" -- i thort it was pretty corny but ok.
farmingville was pretty awesome.

― sterl clover (s_clover), Thursday, 21 December 2006 03:18 (seventeen years ago) link

East Side Story is a bit of a stretch for "social justice films."

Ousmane Sembene's Moolaade (or several of his others -- no idea about cost)

― Dr M (Dr Morbius), Thursday, 21 December 2006 14:51 (seventeen years ago) link

The best recent fiction film on the subject is definitely Human Resources (Ressources humaines). It's a French flick about a young lawyer who goes to work on the factory where his dad is a manual labourer, but realizes that during the transition period to the 35 hour work week their going to screw a bunch of workers (including his dad) up the ass, so he decides to help them organize a strike. Very effective stuff both on an artistic and political level.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Thursday, 21 December 2006 16:32 (seventeen years ago) link

As for the documentary side, I'd recommend Dark Days. It's about homeless people who live in the sewers of NYC, the director shot it for years, and at one point ended up living there himself. It's such a unbelievable-yet-true story that it should interest even bored college students.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Thursday, 21 December 2006 16:38 (seventeen years ago) link

'nightcleaners' (1975)

― temporary enrique (temporary enrique), Thursday, 21 December 2006 16:39 (seventeen years ago) link

If you're willing to show a very left-wing but also very effective anti-globalism/neoliberalism documentary, I'd recommend this fine flick made by a Haitian director.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Thursday, 21 December 2006 16:44 (seventeen years ago) link

The Take - recentish documentary about workers in Argentina who take over their closed factory and refuse to leave: http://www.thetake.org/

― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Thursday, 21 December 2006 16:45 (seventeen years ago) link

Also, if you're looking for a non-documentary, you can't ever go wrong with Salt Of The Earth: http://imdb.com/title/tt0047443/

― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Thursday, 21 December 2006 16:47 (seventeen years ago) link

Nor La Haine.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Thursday, 21 December 2006 16:49 (seventeen years ago) link

Tuomas, none of the films you're recommending are social-justice-related documentaries! Which is not to say they're not good! But to me it sounds like Maria is looking for specific stories of people organizing themselves to take control of situations where capitalism and/or governments are conspiring to fuck up their lives.

I've never heard of The Take, it looks good.

My mom has been working for years on a movie tentatively titled Morristown, about Latino poultry workers in Tennessee. It's not out yet but if you're interested I have no doubt she would give you "the fine cut" of it, Maria!

― Euai Kapaui (tracerhand), Thursday, 21 December 2006 17:03 (seventeen years ago) link

I thought this would be a pullapartgirl thread.

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 21 December 2006 17:07 (seventeen years ago) link

But to me it sounds like Maria is looking for specific stories of people organizing themselves to take control of situations where capitalism and/or governments are conspiring to fuck up their lives.

Well, at least Human Resources is exactly about that, and she didn't say they need to be documentaries. Also, I'm not sure if a "social justice related films" should necessarily be about people organizing, can't they just be critiques of the injustices of capitalism?

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Thursday, 21 December 2006 17:10 (seventeen years ago) link

I enthusiastically second Matewan. It not only fits the bill, it's a great movie, too.

Also maybe Norma Rae and North Country.

― Handgun O. Mendocino (pullapartgirl), Thursday, 21 December 2006 17:21 (seventeen years ago) link

I think Dark Days is an appropriate recommendation, definitely.

― Handgun O. Mendocino (pullapartgirl), Thursday, 21 December 2006 17:23 (seventeen years ago) link

I haven't actually seen The Two Towns of Jasper yet, but I've heard great things about it (and it sounds great)...

― Tape Store (Tape Store), Thursday, 21 December 2006 17:55 (seventeen years ago) link

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.