A salaryman in Japan is a white collar worker that devotes his life to his employer. Salarymen’s relentless work ethic helped build the country into the global superpower it is today. It’s 3:00 am, the last trains have left and the loud hustle and bustle of Tokyo has turned quiet. Costa Rican artist Allegra Pacheco walks through the neon city to find it littered with drunk men in suits sleeping on the street. Some are curled up on sidewalks, others rest their heads on briefcases used as pillows. Only to her foreign eyes this every-day scene seems off, as if she were the only witness to a massacre. In an attempt to draw attention to this "abnormal normality," Allegra endeavors into a socio-historical journey investigating the strange phenomenon of salarymen. Her artistic practice takes her into a deep exploration that follows the lives of the men and women that work to live, or live to work. Through performance art, visual documentation and animation Salaryman brings the sensibility of the artist into the office world and questions global work practices of modern-day life imposed by capitalism. Salaryman comes at an unprecedented time, where the stakes of rethinking our working methods are higher than ever.

Salaryman

An exploration of the culture of overwork in Japan.

Room Without A View chronicles the dire reality of foreign domestic workers in Middle Eastern countries such as Lebanon. By combining a multitude of perspectives, it offers intimate insights into the private lives of employers, agents and maids.&nbsp;From the legal framework that creates a structure of power and control that is conducive to corruption and abuse, analyzing the architectural patterns of the city founded on racism, to the private sphere of the house that serves to reproduce a patriarchal system that discriminates against Lebanese women and which in turn undermines the rights of foreign domestic workers in the household. Exposing modern forms of slavery, it also reflects on the role of women and domestic work at large in capitalist societies.

Room Without A View

A thought-provoking gaze at the exploitative working conditions experienced by migrant domestic workers hired under the Kafala system in Lebanon.

When Uber and Lyft decimated Austin’s taxi industry, a group of immigrant drivers decided to fight back by starting a driver-owned taxi cooperative. However, they must transform themselves from competitors vying for fares to equal citizens within a democracy. Just as the drivers start to gain traction, Uber and Lyft force an election on transportation regulations. The drivers join a grassroots fight ahead of the citywide referendum, as their livelihoods depend on it. One Driver, One Mic chronicles the drivers' difficult journey and serves as a cautionary tale for workers trying to unite in a rapidly transforming economy.

One Driver, One Mic

Austin taxi drivers form a cooperative to fight back against Uber and Lyft, and save their industry.

In Honduras, the most dangerous place in the world to be a land defender, the Lenca and Garífuna people are not backing down. They are fighting to uphold their rights and Indigenous and Black cultures in the face of state backed mega-projects and narco-traffickers who seek to assassinate them, destroy their lands, and erase their existence.

La Lucha Sigue

In Honduras, the most dangerous place in the world to be a land defender, the Lenca and Garífuna people are not backing down.

A Public Art Project that celebrates the resilience and diversity of essential workers in New York City. Throughout the festival, we screened 10 of the 14 short films, each of which profiles a different worker who introduces us to their world, their work, and their dreams for the future. This video features 8 of them. The project also involves banners with life-size painted portraits, posters, and a planned wall mural at the Electrical Workers Training Center (IBEW Local #3) in Long Island City. Featuring: Lost Time You Can’t Get Back (7m) - Tonia Ifill, UPS Package Car DriverThe Sunsets (8m) - Sean Heron, Deck Hand at New York City FerryWe Are Down Here On Earth Not Up There In Space (8m) - Renee King, Cashier at Whole FoodsA Future We Didn’t Have (4m) - Edwiges Luna Osorio, Tamale Maker and VendorYou Can Too (13m) - Lowely Cheung, Union Electrician (IBEW Local 3)Head On A Swivel (7m) - Adam Lopez, Longshore Worker Red Hook Container TerminalsIt’s Not Over Yet (12m) - David Van De Carr, Respiratory Therapist (1199 SEIU)I Love Stamps (8m) - Carolin Herrera Ward, USPS Window Clerk

The Song of the Essential Worker - 8 Profiles

Profiles of essential workers in NYC who introduce us to their world, their work, and their dreams for the future.

When director Stephen Kolb moved from California to Washington, DC in 2007, he didn't realize he was giving up his citizenship. He learned that the 14th and 15th Amendments to the US Constitution didn't apply to DC, because DC isn't a state! Most Americans don't know much about DC except that it's the nation's capitol. And they don't know that real people live, work and pay very high taxes in the District of Columbia. Who Cares About DC? tells the story of DC's status as America's last plantation through the voices of activists who have been working for decades to make DC the 51st State, realizing the dream of full American citizenship for its more than 700,000 residents.

Who Cares About DC?

Activists fight to make DC the 51st State, realizing the dream of full American citizenship for its more than 700,000 residents.

An experimental documentary that gives agency, voice, and perspective into the world of a female trucker. Weaving together the stories of three truckers, Sandi, Lori, and Tracy, Long Haulers shares how each woman started trucking and what keeps them trucking. Moving between the intimate stories of their lives in tandem with the working conditions of being a trucker, Long Haulers aims to provoke audiences to question stereotypes, sexism, and gender roles not only in trucking, but in the larger workforce of blue collar positions.

Long Haulers

A feature-length documentary that gives agency, voice, and perspective into the world of a female trucker in the U.S.

The life and the soul of fishermen, where the triumph of a lifetime of sacrifices finds its right appreciation in family ties and in the true values we too often tend to ignore or forget exist. The generational tradition, the respect for the sea, the fear and the challenge of man’s adventure, the survival to eat and trade. Nothing is created, nothing is destroyed, and everything is transformed. The ports of small towns, just like the one in Fano, have changed over the years. Yet, their richness has not.

PESCAMARE

The life and soul of Italian fishermen by the ports in Fano.

Portolani is a journey through the port environment, people, and the professions of the sea. Set in the port of Ancona, the Capital city of the Le Marche region, it shows the mood, the atmosphere, and the human and social reality of Italian seaside towns. The camera enters into the daily life of the port, recounting the spaces, the looks of the protagonists, the rhythms of work. It does not explain or describe them, but narrates them through images, colors, times, the lights of dawn, sunset and night, the glances of the portolans, the words of work. The aim is to give voice to an open-air factory in which the professionalism of each sector constitutes the fibers of the productive fabric.

Portolani

A journey through the port environment, people, and the professions of the sea in the port of Ancona, Italy.

Set in the grassroots of the Himalayan Mountains, Tashi’s Turbine is an uplifting tale of a small village’s attempt to harness renewable, sustainable energy with the power of the wind. The story begins with the strong friendship between Tashi Bista and Jeevan, who journey from Kathmandu to Namdok with hopes of building a stronger Nepal, one wind turbine at a time.

Tashi's Turbine

An uplifting tale of a small Nepalese village’s attempt to harness renewable, sustainable energy with the power of the wind.

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Tickets are now disabled for our main Season 11 festival films.  Winners will be announced on our website (workersunitefilmfestival.org) in November, along with info on 2023 submissions.  Questions? melanie@workersuniteff.org

The Workers Unite Film Festival is a celebration of global labor solidarity, bringing together activists, academics, and filmmakers all over the world who aim to publicize the struggles, successes, and daily lives of workers. We are non-profit, based out of NYC, and in our 11th season.

Here's what's coming up soon. Can't make it? No sweat. Many live streams will be available for on-demand viewing as well.