Canadian Labour Film Series

The Winnipeg Human Rights Committee is inviting you to this year’s viewings of the Canadian Labour International Film Festival (CLIFF) films.  CLIFF aims to tell the stories of workers – unionized and non-unionized – and to showcase those stories that have been made into films. The Committee has arranged for four packages of films to be available on Nov 1, 8, 15, and 22.  Members can register for one package or all four. There is no cost to view. You will have 24 hours to view the films from the start time on each date.

Please see below for more information:

November 1– 6:30pm (CDT Manitoba)

Package A

https://watch.eventive.org/cliff2021/play/616cc076f205d100683ab712

• Do Nothing and Do It Well – The true story of Melbourne’s radical Chinese cabinetmakers whose militant union defined racial stereotypes and struck fear into the White Australian establishment)

• Treaty Walk – A Journey for Common Ground – The film follows a group of Indigenous Elders, healthcare workers, and others as they embark on a two week long walking journey from Edmonton, Alberta/Treaty 6 Territory to Calgary, Alberta/Treaty 7 Territory to explore together what it means to be treaty people, working and living on common ground.
• Mixi – An unreleased film entirely made using ‘seeds’. Real pulses, grams and sprouts were used in motion to create scenarios as a metaphorical representation of growth and future of a nation and shows the ‘dark reality’ behind your favourite dish.
• A Highrise Laundry Room – Within the laundry room’s common space, six housekeepers gradually share their own highly personal stories.
• People Show 138: Last Day – A short dreamlike drama about power, loss and loyalty. The film follows HR manager, Sidney, who after thirty years of working at an industrial sock factory faces a challenging dilemma that could affect the livelihood of his employees.

November 8– 6:30pm (CDT Manitoba)

Package B

https://watch.eventive.org/cliff2021/play/616cc19343a6de004561d1e1

• Class Action – A teacher killed herself a few weeks before high school diploma exams and her colleagues go on strike (Trigger warning)
• Street Traders on the Move – On March 27, 2020, street vendors and market traders in South Africa were banned from operating under the country’s first Covid-19 lockdown. While restrictions were lifted, traders have struggled to resume work that was precarious long before the lockdown.
• Longa Distância – An immigrant housekeeper works to provide for her son back home in Portugal. When she is accused of stealing from a client, she fears that what she has been working towards will all come crashing down.
• Salvage – The film questions the allure of old objects by reimagining obsolete tools as reliquaries haunted by the souls of disgruntled workers who resent their new jobs. This hybrid intersectional documentary uses magic realism to critique the inequities of gender, ethnicity, and class that underpin consumer capitalism.

November 16– 6:30pm (CDT Manitoba)

Package C

https://watch.eventive.org/cliff2021/play/616cc6c470df2e0086f648e2

• Justice & Dignity for All: Stories from the Struggle for Pay Equity – For decades the sisters and brothers who delivered the mail in rural and suburban Canada were forced to work without any benefits just like gig workers today. No sick leave, no maternity leave, no holiday pay. They made less than minimum wage. The vast majority of them were women.
• The Invisible Monster – Aminodin’s father always smiles because he says ‘happy people live longer’. That’s why, at 8 years old, Aminodin puts his best smile while working at the Papandayan dump where he lives with his family. His cousin Aliman on the other hand lost his when bombs started falling from the sky in the City of Marawi.
• Migranta con M de mamá – Three migrant women in Canada under the Agricultural Worker Program open their hearts to let us delve into the complex world of maternity from afar. Being women and originating from rural communities, they put at risk their emotional stability and their children’s.
• Dare to Struggle Dare to Win – The Life and Politics of Jack Mundey – In the 1970’s Jack Mundey led the Builders Labourers Federation (BLF) in Sydney, Australia. A combination of strikes, direct action and negotiation led the Green Ban movement to many wins saving urban bushland, low cost housing and heritage buildings from the corrupt plans of greedy developers.

November 22– 6:30pm (CDT Manitoba)

Package D

https://watch.eventive.org/cliff2021/play/616cc5c3a4b0d30030039600

• Women of Steel – Working class/migrant women experience discrimination. They were denied jobs in the steelworks in Wollongong, New South Wales’ which is the main employer. Their 14 year campaign for the right to work pitted them against BHP, the richest and most powerful company in Australia
• I Stand for Us – A social realist drama. When hotel cleaners are faced with unfair working conditions, Naomi works to unite the team in solidarity against destructive zero hour contracts.
• One Million Trees – Every Spring, thousands of Canadians leave the comfort of their homes to live rough in remote bush camps planning hundreds of millions of trees collectively. This is their journey.

Visit the CLIFF website to find out more about the Festival: https://labourfilms.ca/