American dream – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

LABOR DAY 2026 WATCH LIST

August 28, 2026August 30, 2026 Jennifer Merin American dream, HARLAN COUNTY, LABOR DAY 2026 WATCH LIST, made in dagenham, matewan, norma rae, on the waterfront, ROGER & ME, salt of the earth, silkwood, U.S.A, Who Moves America

With changing laws and an increasing labor reliance on AI, the discussion about worker solidarity and collective bargaining, and about what’s at stake for union members who are walking the picket lines to preserve their jobs, Labor Day celebrations rise to a new level of relevance. Thus far this year, there have been 176 labor actions — strikes and protests — taken across the USA, and there were a total of 170 official labor actions recorded thus far in 2025 and a total of 889 official labor actions in 2025, according to the Cornell University Labor Action Tracker. The power of collective bargaining will determine how successful labor unions will be in their demands for fair compensation and safe working conditions for their members. And we can include among them all who work in the motion picture industry in front of and behind the lens, on screens large and small, where AI is a pressing labor issue.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK May 1, 2026: AMERICAN DREAM

April 26, 2026 Jennifer Merin academy award best documentary, American dream, barbara kopple, betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, hormel, jennifer merin, leslie combemale, Lewie Anderson, liz whittemore, loren king, monique jones, motw, Movie of the Week, nell minow, Ray Rogers, sandie angulo chen, United Food and Commercial Workers

It’s been slightly over 40 years since Hormel factory workers in Austin, Minnesota, went on a nearly year-long strike to protest slashed wages and benefits — and 35 years since Barbara Kopple’s revealing film about the strike, American Dream, won the Best Documentary Oscar in 1991. And what lingers most after watching the movie’s new 4K restoration is the feeling of how relevant so much of it still is decades later. Sure, fashions may have changed since the mid-’80s, and filmmaking equipment is more sophisticated these days but we still live in a world (or at least a country) in which the rich continue to get richer while the working class struggles to make ends meet. And when the latter dares to stand up for themselves, they’re met with disdain, condescension, and an unyielding devotion to capitalism. Let’s just say that the parade of White men in suits defending Hormel’s anti-worker policies and choices in 1985 doesn’t feel very far removed from the politicians and business leaders who are still prioritizing profit over people in 2026.

Reviews

AMERICAN DREAM – Review by Loren King

April 21, 2026April 26, 2026 Loren King academy award best documentary, American dream, barbara kopple, hormel, Lewie Anderson, Ray Rogers, United Food and Commercial Workers

Director Barbara Kopple’s Oscar winning 1990 documentary “The American Dream” remains sobering, infuriating evidence of how we got in the mess we’re now in. Thanks to Kopple and Janus Films, this 4K restoration, supervised by Kopple and including a remastered soundtrack (Kopple recorded the film’s dynamic sound, just as she did for her 1976 masterpiece “Harlan County, USA”) will bring new audiences to this stunning, relevant work.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK August 16, 2024: MOUNTAINS

August 11, 2024August 11, 2024 Jennifer Merin American dream, betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, creole, jennifer merin, leslie combemale, Little Haiti, liz whittemore, loren king, Miami, Monica Sorelle, motw, Mountains, Movie of the Week, nell minow, nikki fowler, Pam Grady, Robert Colom, sandie angulo chen, Sheila Anozier, sherin nicole

The fact that change is inevitable doesn’t make it any easier to accept for many people — including construction worker Xavier (Atibon Nazaire), the character at the center of Monica Sorelle’s thoughtful, intimate drama Mountains. Even though he works on a crew that specializes in demolition, Xavier doesn’t realize that his own foundations are about to be rattled until it happens, and he must figure out what comes next for him and his family.

Reviews

MOUNTAINS – Review by Leslie Combemale

August 6, 2024August 12, 2024 Leslie Combemale American dream, creole, Little Haiti, Miami, Monica Sorelle, motw, Mountains, Robert Colom, Sheila Anozier

Representations of Black love in cinema are essential to film history, and that includes diverse cultural expressions across American communities. The film Mountains, Haitian-American filmmaker Monica Sorelle’s exploration of gentrification and Haitians maintaining their culture and coexisting with other cultures in Miami, is really, at its core, about Black love. As such, it is often a beautiful and moving experience.

Reviews

MOUNTAINS – Review by Jennifer Merin

August 6, 2024August 18, 2024 Jennifer Merin American dream, creole, Little Haiti, Miami, Monica Sorelle, motw, Mountains, Robert Colom, Sheila Anozier

Mountains, director/co-writer Monica Sorelle’s moody, beautifully realized drama. is about daily life and strife, community culture and intergenerational relationships and pursuit of the American dream in Miami’s Little Haiti, a working class residential neighborhood where many West Indian families make their homes. The Haitian proverb “Dèyè mòn, gen mòn” (which translates to “Beyond every mountain, there’s another mountain”) captures the spirit of the film and explains its title. Mountains regales us with a lesson in humanity — one that we desperately need to learn.