2021 Library of Congress National Film Registry Inductee
A Film by Stewart Bird & NYWIFT Member Deborah Shaffer
Kino Lorber Presents a New 4k Restoration of the Landmark Labor Movement Documentary
OPENS APRIL 29 IN NYC AT METROGRAPH
NYWIFT members receive discounted tickets at box office
MAY 2 WFPF SCREENING & RECEPTION EVENT
Introduction and Q&A by the Women’s Film Preservation Fund with filmmaker Deborah Shaffer. Post reception in lobby bar to follow.
Screening at 6:45p.m.
The film boldly investigates a nation torn by naked corporate greed and the red-hot rift between the industrial masters and the rabble-rousing workers in the field and factory.” The film tells the story of the creation of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) union, founded in Chicago in 1905. It was also recently introduced into the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress. The filmmakers weave history, archival film footage, interviews with former workers (in their 80s & 90s during the making of the film), cartoons, original art, and classic Wobbly songs (many written by Joe Hill) to pay tribute to the legacy of these rebels who paved the way. This looks like a fascinating doc that’s even more relevant with the current events and recent news.Watch the 4K re-release trailer for Bird & Shaffer’s doc The Wobblies.
FILMMAKER STATEMENT
When we started production on The Wobblies in 1977 our goal was to rescue and record an almost completely neglected chapter of American history as told by its elderly survivors. We never imagined then that the themes of labor exploitation, anti-immigrant legislation, and racial and gender discrimination would resonate as strongly today. We couldn’t be prouder to have the film included last year in the National Film Registry, and to have Kino Lorber present the new MoMA restoration nationwide on International Workers Day.
– Stewart Bird & Deborah Shaffer
The Wobblies was originally preserved to film by the Women’s Film Preservation Fund in 2003. The new beautiful digital restoration is getting re-released in theaters in NYC and online via the Metrograph streaming service, as well as nationwide on May 1st.
Watch the re-release trailer for Bird & Shaffer’s doc The Wobblies.
Discounted $12 tickets are available to members who use the code NYWIFT at the box office. To purchase a Metrograph trial membership, which grants access to its streaming platform and $10 member tickets use code NYWIFT at checkout.
Visit https://metrograph.com/membership/
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NYWIFT programs, screenings and events are supported, in part, by grants from New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.
