“Waging Change,” a documentary film on the movement to end tipped minimum wage, will be presented in a special online screening by the Appalachian Theatre of the High Country. The film’s award-winning director, Abby Ginzberg, will take part in a post-screening interview immediately following the documentary. The public is invited to view these events online at 3 p.m. on Sunday, November 8, 2020.
“Waging Change” is the third event presented by BOONE DOCS, the newly-launched year-round film series at the App Theatre featuring documentary films that spark community conversation by presenting an independent lens to view our world. Showcasing emerging and award-winning filmmakers and distinct perspectives from across the globe, BOONE DOCS celebrates the creative power of independent film.
As the nation debates what constitutes a fair minimum wage, many people do not know that for tipped workers the federal minimum wage is only $2.13 an hour. This two-tiered wage system promotes a tipping culture that relies on the generosity of customers to supplement the income of workers. However, tipping can be discriminatory and arbitrary, and it creates an environment ripe for abuse and harassment with few recourses for workers who cannot afford to lose a dollar from a dissatisfied patron. ”Waging Change” looks at the work of Saru Jayaraman as she leads the One Fair Wage movement’s efforts to end the tipped minimum wage system. The movement has enlisted the celebrity power of Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and others to raise awareness of the struggles of American workers forced to live off tips.
“I heard Saru speak about the tipped minimum wage,” said Ginzberg, a Peabody award-winning director, “and as a fairly well-educated person on labor issues, I was shocked that I did not know about it and felt like if I didn’t know about it, there has to be millions of other people across the United States who also don’t know about it. I thought maybe, in my job as a social justice storyteller, this was a story I had to do a film about. This is a film about a worker’s movement. This is a film about worker empowerment.”
Ginzberg has been producing compelling documentaries about race and social justice for over 30 years. Her 2017 film, “And Then They Came for Us,” featuring George Takei is about the connection between the incarceration of Japanese Americans during WW II and the current Muslim travel ban won a Silver Gavel Award. Ginzberg co-produced and co-directed, “Agents of Change” in 2016 with Frank Dawson, featuring Danny Glover), which premiered at the Pan African Film Festival winning Jury and the Audience Awards for Best Feature Documentary as well as the Paul Robeson Award from the Newark Black Film Festival.
This BOONE DOCS event at the App Theatre is made possible through the Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers, a South Arts program. Since its inception in 1975, Southern Circuit has brought some of best independent filmmakers and their films from around the country to communities throughout the South. The program is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020-21 Southern Circuit season features a hybrid model of in-person and online screenings to prioritize the health and flexibility of Screening Partner venues and filmmakers.
“Waging Change” is offered free of charge to High Country audiences through the generous support of the theatre’s board of trustees and donors to the recent fundraiser, “Lights, Camera… AUCTION!” To subscribe to the theatre’s e-list and receive a link to view this event at no cost, visit the theatre’s website at www.apptheatre.org.
About the Appalachian Theatre The mission of the Appalachian Theatre of the High Country is to revitalize and sustain this historic community touchstone as a quality home for diverse artists and audiences with a special focus on programs that celebrate our distinctive Appalachian heritage and enhance our capacity to serve as an economic catalyst for Boone and the High Country. Once a gorgeous 999-seat Art Deco movie house, the building closed in 2007 and sat empty and gutted for years. On October 14, 2019, the Appalachian Theatre re-opened its doors after a $10 million renovation that brought the distinctive Art Deco details back to this historic theatre and created a new 629-seat, state-of-the-art, acoustically fabulous venue for live concerts, films, plays, and dance performances. The historic Appalachian Theatre has entertained regional audiences in the heart of downtown Boone, North Carolina since 1938. www.apptheatre.org
About South Arts South Arts advances Southern vitality through the arts. The nonprofit regional arts organization was founded in 1975 to build on the South’s unique heritage and enhance the public value of the arts. South Arts’ work responds to the arts environment and cultural trends with a regional perspective. South Arts offers an annual portfolio of activities designed to support the success of artists and arts providers in the South, address the needs of Southern communities through impactful arts-based programs, and celebrate the excellence, innovation, value and power of the arts of the South. For more information, visit www.southarts.org.
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