HUMAN RIGHTS AWARD
Co-presentation with Sag Harbor Cinema
UNION TOWN
SUN, 12/6, 4:30pm, 106 min
SAG HARBOR CINEMA
Director Barbara Kopple in attendance for Q&A
Director: Barbara Kopple
Producers: Hannes Hosp, Barbara Kopple, Peter Palandjian
Editors: Francisco Bello, Hannes Hosp, Deborah Peretz
Cinematographers: Timothy Grucza, Hannes Hosp, Rachel Beth Anderson
Filmed over the course of three years, delivery industry workers struggle to get a fairer deal from UPS, Amazon, and the food delivery app companies they rely on to get jobs. Among the harrowing financial realities of late capitalism are the injustices faced by countless workers who deliver everything we have come to rely on, from food orders to Amazon purchases. The workers’ stories go beyond the film’s New York City location, exploring the impact of the gig economy on workers who toil under difficult conditions but barely survive, so that others can benefit from the convenience of online orders and easy delivery.
Union Town completes Barbara Kopple’s trilogy on labor rights following her Oscar-winning films Harlan County U.S.A. (1976) and American Dream (1990). She is the first woman to win two Oscars in the Best Documentary category. She received a Primetime Emmy Award for Fallen Champ: The Untold Story of Mike Tyson. Kopple is credited with pioneering a renaissance of cinéma vérité and bringing the style to American audiences. She received the festival’s Pennebaker Career Achievement Award in 2014.