LaborFest 2019: “Sorry To Bother You” Film Screening | SF

Submitted by the Event Organizer

San Francisco 2021 LaborFest (July 1-31)

LaborFest is an annual festival celebrating the history and culture of working people through film, art, lectures, tours, and exhibits all over the Bay Area from July 1-31, 2021

LaborFest opens its 28th annual festival with a month of timely events inspired by local and international labor activists and labor history. The program schedule includes both international and local films and videos, a labor history walk and bike tour, lectures, forums, readings, theatrical and musical performances. Most events are free of charge but donations by the public will be accepted.

LaborFest is the premier labor cultural arts and film festival in the United States.  LaborFest recognizes the role of working people in the building of America and making it work even in this time of COVID-19.  The festival is self-funded with contributions from unions and other organizations that support and celebrate the contributions of working people.

LaborFest 2021
July 1-31, 2021

• See schedule of Online/Zoom Events
• In person LaborFest events – See the full schedule

In Person Events Schedule

7/1 Thursday 7:00pm: Theatre play: “Hold These Truths”
Location: San Francisco Playhouse
Tickets $15-$100

7/3 Saturday 12pm: Labor History Bike Tour by Chris Carlsson
Meet at 518 Valencia, near 16th Street, in San Francisco, at 12noon
Donation requested

7/4 Sunday 10:00am: San Bruno Mountain Walk with David Schooley
Meet at 10:00 AM at the San Bruno Mountain Watch office (44 Visitacion Avenue, Suite 206, in Brisbane)
FREE

7/5 Monday 12:00pm: 1934 SF General Strike Walk and presentation with Gifford Hartman
Meet at the south column at Harry Bridges Plaza (across from the Ferry Building) in San Francisco
FREE

7/10 Saturday 2:00pm: Book reading: Mobilizing in OUR OWN NAME with Clarence Thomas
Location: ILWU 10 hall – 400 N. Point St., SF Henry Schmidt room
FREE

7/17 Saturday 10:00am: WPA Harvey Smith Berkeley Walk
Meet at the Main Berkeley Post Office – corner of Milvia & Alston
FREE

7/18 Sunday 7:00pm: Revolutionary Poets: Building Socialism, Fighting Fascism
Location: Specs Bar, 12 William Saroyan Place, San Francisco, CA
FREE

7/23 Friday 4:00pm: Concert “BlackRock, Stop Union Busting”
Location: 400 Howard St. at 1st Street
FREE

7/24 Saturday 12pm: Tom Mooney and Preparatory Day Bombing Walk
Meet at One Market Street in San Francisco
FREE

7/25 Sunday 10:00am: Labor Politics and Architecture of San Francisco – Walk with Brad Wiedmaier
Meet at ILWU Sculpture at Mission & Steuart in San Francisco
FREE

7/30 Friday 6:00pm: Eleventh Annual San Francisco Living Wage Coalition Awards Dinner
Location: San Jalisco Restaurant, 901 South Van Ness Avenue at 20th Street in San Francisco
$35 per ticket in advance or a group rate of $250 for eight tickets in advance

7/31 Saturday 12:00pm: Oakland General Strike Walk with Gifford Hartman
Meet at the fountain in Latham Square, at the intersection where Telegraph and Broadway converge, across from the Rotunda Building (Oakland City Center/12th St. BART)
FREE

7/31 Saturday 6pm: Labor Maritime History Boat Tour
3-hour boat tour of the Bay from Pier 41
$60

Friday, July 19, 2019
San Francisco 2021 LaborFest (July 1-31)

The future is here and it isn’t pretty, is part of the story in Boots Riley’s “Sorry To Bother You”. Young workers in the tech economy face a dire state, and this film shows how with ideology of capitalism, that you as an individual, can make it even if you have to run over other workers.

The dog eat dog dystopian world we live in, with its billionaires and the thousands of homeless in the streets, is the backdrop of this film as it shows life in Oakland.
The film also shows the lives and music of youth in Oakland as they struggle to survive, and the business methods of telemarketing. What is different about this film is that it shows that it is only the struggle for unionization and collective power that can transform the reality for working people, and this is part of the ideological struggle against the owners and bosses.

In the struggle for unionization of and for unity of all workers regardless of race, nationality and sexual orientation is Riley, who has been publicly arguing for a general strike for many years. He is now being joined by top union leaders who are making similar calls against the government shutdown by Trump and to defend the climate. His film has a relevance that makes it even timelier and it connects with the daily lives of tens of millions of young people who are struggling for a future.
Following the film there will be a discussion.

Disclaimer: Please double check event information with the event organizer as events can be canceled, details can change after they are added to our calendar, and errors do occur.