Oscar-Winning 'Harlan County' and 'American Dream' Screen Virtually In Honor of May Day | | |
Free and On Demand
Now Thru May 20th (Tues, 10PM ET)
| | These classic films from Barbara Kopple document two memorable and heartbreaking strikes - one between coal miners in the 1970s and the Duke Power company, who refused to recognize their union, and another among workers at Hormel Foods in the 1980s after their wages and benefits were cut. | | Harlan County USA unflinchingly documents a grueling coal miners’ strike in a small Kentucky town. With unprecedented access, Kopple and her crew captured the miners’ sometimes violent struggles with strikebreakers, local police, and company thugs. Featuring a haunting soundtrack - with legendary country and bluegrass artists Hazel Dickens, Merle Travis, Sarah Gunning, and Florence Reece - the film is a heartbreaking record of the thirteen-month struggle between a community fighting to survive and a corporation dedicated to the bottom line. (103 min, 1976, Director: Barbara Kopple) (Trailer) | | |
American Dream - “The people in this film are so real they make most movie characters look like inhabitants of the funny page. Families are torn apart. One brother goes back to work, another stays on the picket lines. Workers have tears in their eyes as they describe not being able to support their families. It becomes clear that no possible win by the members of P-9 could compensate them for the wages they have already lost - especially as they are striking, not for a raise, but against a pay cut. A nobility creeps onto the scene, as people make enormous financial and personal sacrifices simply for what they believe is morally right. Our hearts are torn, because on the basis of this film we are not sure they have chosen the wisest path.
[…] Is there a lesson at the end of "American Dream"? I think there is. I think the lesson is that the American tradition of collective bargaining will break down if companies can simply ignore a legal strike, hire replacements, and continue as before. There was a time in American history when such behavior by management would have been seen as not only illegal but immoral. The new management philosophers who won ascendency in the 1980s dismiss such views as sentimentalism. They are concerned only with the bottom line, where they see profits, not people.” - Roger Ebert
(98 min, 1990, Directors: Barbara Kopple, Cathy Caplan, and Thomas Haneke) (Trailer)
| | To watch, all you need is a free login on Eventive (you'll be prompted when getting a ticket). Once adding a film to your account, you can also choose to watch on your TV by downloading the "Eventive TV" app. | | |
May virtual screenings are sponsored in part by the DC Labor Film Fest and the Global Film Festival Network.
| | In the D.C. Area? DC LaborFest Is Screening Films at AFI Silver May 1-29 | | Now Playing In Theaters Nationwide | | Golden Globe winner/Academy Award nominee Patricia Clarkson stars in a new feature film based on the life of fair pay activist Lilly Ledbetter. | | |
Submissions Are Open for WUFF14!
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Main Live Festival
Oct 17-30th, 2025
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Films are accepted in the following categories, from anywhere in the globe (English language or subtitles):
- Documentary Short
- Narrative Short
- Documentary Feature (50 min or more)
- Narrative Feature (50 min or more)
- Working Lives Screenplay Competition
- Films from the Frontlines (3-15 min)
You must have an account with Film Freeway to submit your work through their website at https://filmfreeway.com/TheWorkersUniteFilmFestival
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If you need assistance or have further questions about fees, deadlines, or content requirements, we'd love to hear from you. Contact us at melanie@workersuniteff.org or 646-455-2225.
| | Thank You to Our Early Season 14 Sponsors! | | Interested in sponsoring the main festival this October? Just reply to this email or message us here. | | |
Season 13 Designs Are Up on Worx
New Union Cooperative Print Shop
Season 14 Designs Coming Soon!
| | Merchandise from the festival web store makes a perfect gift for labor loving friends and family. | | Prefer to donate? Every tax-deductible donation of $30 or more allows you to select a beautiful 2024 festival tee shirt, mug, hat, or shopping tote to receive as a thank you. Just indicate the items that you want in the notes area. | | Congratulations, #WUFF13 Winners! | | Check out the featured winners on our homepage and a full listing with trailers in our last blog post. | | Missed the Season 13 Festival? You can watch all trailers below. | | |
Thank You to Our Season 13 Sponsors!
You make all these screenings possible.
| | Interested in becoming a Season 14 supporter? Email andrew@workersuniteff.org | | |
Your Support Means More Screenings and Special Events Throughout the Year
| | Every $30 donation is a huge help and gets you a 2024 T-shirt, hat, or tote bag as a thank you if you so wish. | | Your donations support our work to keep workers voices in the spotlight whenever possible, from our main film festival every season to special events year-round. | |
WUFF is growing and is now recognized with support from the Office of the Manhattan Borough President, along with the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC), NYS AFL-CIO, and NYC Central Labor Council. Dozens of unions from all parts of the working world also support the Workers Unite Film Festival.
We are honored to have their support, but we need yours too. Please donate today!
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We Stand With Workers,
Not Billionaires.
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The Workers Unite Film Festival brings together activists, academics, and filmmakers of all ages and backgrounds for a celebration of social justice and the arts. Through dozens of documentary screenings, community forums, and interactive events across New York City, the festival provides working people with a platform to tell their stories while leading a movement for meaningful change. In recent years, we've incorporated theater production, live music, and poetry/spoken word nights.
We are the largest worker solidarity themed film festival in the nation and the only one in NYC with the full support of NYC Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, NYC Central Labor Council, National & NY State AFL-CIO, IBEW Local 3, IAMAW, PEF, 1199SEIU, the NY Labor History Association, UFT, RWDSU Local 338, SAG-AFTRA, and many more. Join us!
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Contact: andrew@workersuniteff.org
646-455-2225
Workers Unite Film Festival, Inc. is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit entity.
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