*​​TWN Releases Documentary Film ​​CLAIMING OUR VOICE *
 *"CLAIMING OUR VOICE follows Andolan members as they seek self-expression
beyond the simple survivor narrative. They reconstruct their stories as
individuals and as a collective, with a pastiche of dialogue, song and
dance, merging folk traditions with contemporary politics and radical
performance art."*
*Michelle Chen, The Nation*

*Third World Newsreel is proud to announce the educational release of
Jennifer Pritheeva Samuel's CLAIMING OUR VOICE. In this short documentary
film, immigrant domestic workers bring their stories of survival,
empowerment and activism to center stage.*

 CLAIMING OUR VOICE follows members of Andolan, a Queens-based organization
founded and led by South Asian domestic workers as a means to support each
other and collectively organize against exploitative work conditions in an
industry prone to underpayment of wages, extended work hours without rest,
sleep deprivation, lack of health care, verbal and emotional abuse, and
sometimes, physical assault, and sexual abuse. This film presents the women
of Andolan as they create, rehearse and refine acts for their first
multi-lingual theater performance with the help of Sri Lankan-American
performing artist YaliniDream.

There are 1.8 million domestic workers in the United States. Of these
domestic workers 99% are foreign born, and 93% are women. CLAIMING OUR
VOICE helps raise awareness and foster discussion about the hidden issues
of domestic work and immigration both within and outside of the South Asian
community. Through the course of the film, our main characters are revealed
as their own heroines - challenging stereotypical images of immigrants and
low-wage workers as well as notions of culture, race, gender, and class.

CLAIMING OUR VOICE is available from Third World Newsreel for educational
purchase on DVD and Digital File combo. The DVD extras include the full
performance of the theater piece created by Andolan, *Sukh aur Dukh ki
Kahani (Stories of Joy and Sorrow)*. To facilitate discussion in community
screenings and classrooms, a screening guide and companion curriculum
-- written
and developed by Promiti Islam, M.A. and Dr. Monisha Bajaj, Ed.D. in
consultation with Chitra Aiyar, Karishma Desai, and Jennifer Samuel-- is
included with the purchase.

For more information about CLAIMING OUR VOICE, please contact Third World
Newsreel.

read more <http://twn.org/catalog/pages/cpage.aspx?rec=1416&card=price>

watch trailer <http://youtu.be/QExwTM8N6P8>

download press kit
<http://twn.org/catalog/guides/ClaimingOurVoice_PressKit_Web>

​download labor studies catalog​
<http://www.twn.org/catalog/guides/LaborStudiesCollection_2014.pdf>

Email: [log in to unmask]

Telephone: (212) 947-9277


*Third World Newsreel*
(TWN) is a media arts organization dedicated to fostering the creation,
appreciation and dissemination of independent social issue media made by
and about people of color. TWN also has a variety of workshops and classes
throughout the year on film and video production. TWN is supported in part
by NYSCA, NYCDCA, NEA, Peace Development Fund and Materials for the Arts,
as well as individual donors. Visit www.twn.org.

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