Workin

The senior investment banker Jochen Walther is at the peak of his career at the Deutche Bank. He just finished the deal of his life along with his personal assistant Tom Slezak, when during the celebrations he suddendly jumps from the roof of the bank's headquarters in Frankfurt. Was it suicide or even a murder?

In this sobering look at the current state of the American Dream, comedian Rich Hall explains how the US viewed and treated labour throughout its history and why this inevitably led to the economic and social problems Americans face today. Award-winning comedian Rich Hall explores the American dream and the dictum that came over with the very first pilgrims who set foot on Plymouth Rock - work hard and you will succeed. With his sharp wit and acerbic insight, Rich looks at how Americans strive to achieve this dream and how it's been explored and perpetuated by politicians, industrialists, artists, writers and film-makers.

The factory that once employed the entire town and surrounding villages has been closed down due to a questionable privatization process, coinciding with a tragic incident where a group of its workers perished in a deliberately set fire. The remaining workers, devastated by the loss of their loved ones and the subsequent corrupt sale of the factory, initiate protests, but their efforts seem futile, yielding no concrete results. Feeling abandoned not only by the authorities but also by their cherished church, they find themselves seeking solace and answers in the supernatural.

Short silent documentary from 1931 about those working on the River Douro in Oporto.

No film-maker has ever before been given permission to follow a Dutch election campaign with the camera. On the basis of a few contractual conditions, film-maker Niek Koppen was given a glimpse into the 'kitchen' of the Labour Party election campaign in 1998. From the making of the publicity photos by Anton Corbijn to the celebration of the election victory on 6 May 1998. In the Prime Minister's residence, Koppen recorded how decisions were taken during intimate discussions, phone calls and meals. The film focuses on the arduous cooperation between the veterans Wim Kok and Jacques Wallage and the much younger campaign director Karin Adelmund. De keuken van Kok (Working for Labour) provides a picture of the emotions, ambitions, tactics and the ups and downs of a long and tiring process. (filmcommission.nl)

A strange and yet unique story about hoodlums who spend most of their times either on gambling or dealing pornographies, high school students who sell their bodies, and prostitutes.

The daughter of a stadium owner and a young vendor and they become romantically involved. Complications ensue because of the teenagers' diverse social class and economic backgrounds. His dad is out of work, she spends winters in Aspen and summers in Switzerland. Her parents and friends are against the relationship as well and then he begins to have thoughts too. An HBO production. Based on a novel for young adults by Todd Strasser.

A dramatisation of the workers' protests in June 1976 in Radom, seen from the perspective of the local Secretary of the Polish United Workers' Party. [Produced in 1981, but not commercially released until 1996.]

This film is the first of a two-part historical and biographical portrait of the communist politician and anti-fascist Ernst Thälmann. In early November 1918, Ernst Thälmann is an unwilling soldier serving on the western front. As the revolutionary movement at home is threatened by the betrayal of the Social Democrats and fissures in the working class, Thälmann calls on his fellow soldiers to put down their weapons and unite with the workers in the communist struggle at home. Thälmann’s qualms about which side he is fighting on continue, but when the local police attempt to prevent a shipment of provisions and supplies from reaching the people in Petrograd, he intervenes and the ship is unloaded. With this moment of clarity, Thälmann continues to follow his political convictions and joins the workers at the Hamburg uprising in October 1923.

Shapely burlesque dancer Hot Garters Gertie aka Angela Gardner meets her future drama professor. Her new landlady proves to be the professor's wife. Angela helps breath life into the annual school stage show...but someone has discovered her secret past.

In this sequel, which assumes a more political bent, are blue-collar workers, salesladies, and common laborers.

Stylized with dramatic interiors and a distorted frame rate, this early documentary miniature from Szulkin depicts six sequences of solitary, repetitious labor.

The inner lives of sad, meek, bored and despondent office workers unravel during a late-night staff meeting. Narrated by Lee Lin Chin, Working Late is a black comedy combining live-action performances with miniature sets. Captured in a single locked-off shot, the film utilises digital zooms to offer unique perspectives of a singular event.

This musical adaptation of the Studs Terkel book examines the average worker's viewpoint--showing that he or she is anything but average. Based on a series of interviews with real working people--construction workers, waitresses, firemen, secretaries, and cleaning women, Working is both an exploration of the individuals' occupations and a lament for lost hopes and dreams.

Roy Conover has just returned to his village home from college.

Muddy Waters peforms in various taped clips during his later years as an elder statesman of the Chicago Blues.

Documentary by Frank H. Woodward.

Gus and Elmo while away pumping gas on the night shift. A bumbling cop and Elmo's delinquent cousin inspire the duo to parlay the local bakery's robbery into the same action at the bank.

Lin, a migrant female worker from Cambodia, and Yeon-hee, a Korean, are friends who work together at a factory at night. One day, the two will go to the sea together for the weekend. However, the factory manager only forces Lin to work overtime on the weekend, while Lin finds out that Yeon-hee is leaving Korea for Australia soon.