Salt of the Earth is a 1954 American drama film written by Michael Wilson, directed by Herbert J. Biberman, and produced by Paul Jarrico. All had been blacklisted by the Hollywood establishment due to their alleged involvement in communist politics. This drama film is one of the first pictures to advance the feminist social and political point of view. Its plot centers on a long and difficult strike, based on the 1951 strike against the Empire Zinc Company in Grant County, New Mexico. In the film, the company is identified as “Delaware Zinc,” and the setting is “Zinctown, New Mexico.” The film shows how the miners, the company, and the police react during the strike. In neorealist style, the producers and director used actual miners and their families as actors in the film.
Short Film: Dignity
Written and directed by Alexander Koffler
What is the price of a worker’s life? It depends on who you ask. On February 19, 2006, a massive methane explosion occurred at Pasta de Conchos coal mine in Coahuila, Mexico. The blast trapped scores of miners, and Grupo México, one of the largest mining companies in the world, abandoned the rescue operation after only 5 days, leaving 63 men to die. Napoleon Gomez Urrutia, leader of Los Mineros Union, took up the fight against greed and corruption, accusing the company and the government of Industrial Homicide, which put his life at risk and began a decade long war against Grupo Mexico. This short is based on his best-selling book, Collapse of Dignity.