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"Billy Elliot and Pride: Stereotypes and Solidarity in Film" presented by Juliana Barnet

Anthropologist, activist, educator, and writer, Juliana Barnet will discuss two films set during the epic 1984-5 Miners’ Strike in Northern England, with striking workers as central characters. Are these portrayals of workers, and of strikes and unions, authentic and fair? What stereotypes of workers, unions, and strikes find their way into these movies? How do we know?

How do feature films shape our thinking about workers, strikes, and unions? We often recognize overt bias in the press and from politicians, but how about subtler messages that come through fiction?

The goal is to sharpen awareness of how workers show up in films and to seek out movies with full and fair representation of workers and their (our!) struggles.

About the presenter:

Juliana Barnet is an anthropologist, activist, educator, and writer, passionate about the full and fair representation of activists in fiction. Her novel Rainwood House Sings, set in a fictionalized version of a community that shares a lot of history with our own PG County, portrays community and union activists engaged in ordinary yet inspiring (and entertaining) struggles for justice--in the characters' neighborhood, workplace, and even on the playground. She offers workshops, talks and resources for encouraging others to create stories featuring activists and social movements with depth, authenticity and lightheartedness.

Read more by Juliana Barnet's here and here.