Double Oscar winner Barbara Kopple has completed her trilogy on labor rights with her latest documentary, "Union Town." Following screenings at the Venice and Toronto film festivals, the project is now heading to the Ji.hlava Documentary Film Festival. In an interview with Variety, Kopple discussed the film's focus on U.S. delivery and warehouse workers employed by giants like UPS and Amazon, as well as app-based "deliveristas," as they fight for a better future.
Kopple, who previously won Academy Awards for "Harlan County U.S.A." regarding striking miners in Kentucky and "American Dream" about the 1985-1986 Hormel strike, stated she has always been drawn to stories of people fighting for dignity and fairness. She noted that spending years with coal miners and meatpackers during her earlier projects shaped her as both a filmmaker and a person. These experiences taught her about the courage required for ordinary people to stand up to powerful institutions and how deeply such struggles affect entire communities, drawing her back to document what she considers another important moment in labor history.
According to Kopple, many delivery workers began feeling "disposable" after the pandemic despite risking their lives for others. She emphasized that the public often failed to consider those delivering packages or working in warehouses. A primary goal of the film is to allow audiences to see and feel who these workers are, ensuring they are never treated as disposable again. Kopple described her subjects as heroes, noting their courage and passion, and explained that documentary filmmaking offers a unique chance to understand the complexity of the world by spending time with people and their communities.
The film explores themes of isolation and solidarity among workers who are often disappointed in the system and the American Dream. Kopple highlighted the story of William, a musician from his home country whose career is currently limited until he can become a naturalized citizen, a process she described as very difficult under the current administration. Conversely, the documentary captures moments of kinship, such as a scene where longtime Teamster union organizer Tony Rosario teaches his children about solidarity using a stack of kindling to illustrate that while one piece can be broken, a big stack cannot.
While depicting struggles, Kopple ensured "Union Town" also documents victories to maintain a hopeful tone. She pointed to a 2025 settlement where delivery platform DoorDash agreed to pay $17 million to resolve claims that it used customer tips to subsidize worker wages in New York. Kopple believes the film will serve as a historical record that cannot be erased, allowing future generations to understand these events. The emotional impact was evident during the Venice screening, where Amazon workers were brought into the audience and cheered by the crowd.
Kopple asserts that documentaries matter more than ever in an era of rapid information flow on social media and news cycles. She argues that films allow audiences to slow down and listen to voices that are often ignored, revealing deeper human stories behind current events. Produced by Cabin Creek Films, "Union Town" is being sold by Autlook Filmsales.
Sources: Variety.