The Hand That Feeds

CAST: Virgilio Aran, Benjamin Dictor, Diego Ibanez DIRECTOR: Robin Blotnick, Rachel Lears TCC DIVERSITY FILM SERIES + FILMMAKER Q&A AFTER 2PM SCREENING
At a popular deli on New York's Upper East Side, customers get bagels and coffee served with a smile 24 hours a day. But behind the scenes, undocumented immigrant workers face sublegal wages, dangerous machinery, and abusive managers. Mild-mannered sandwich maker Mahoma Lopez has never been interested in politics, but in January 2012, he convinces a small group of his co-workers to fight back. Risking deportation and the loss of livelihood, the workers team up with a diverse crew of innovative young organizers and take the unusual step of forming an independent union, launching themselves on a journey that will test the limits of their resolve. In one rollercoaster year, they must overcome a shocking betrayal and a two month lockout. Lawyers will battle in backroom negotiations, Occupy Wall Street protesters will take over the restaurant, and a picket line will divide the neighborhood. If they can win a contract, it will set a historic precedent for low-wage workers across the country. But whatever happens, Mahoma and his compaƱeros won't be exploited again.

The Hand That Feeds is an impassioned socially themed documentary that may even succeed in swaying a few hearts and minds.Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter
"The Hand That Feeds" is an effective portrayal of the intricacies of activism - and of a situation in which victories seem all too brief.Ben Kenigsberg, New York Times