One of the most acclaimed new film restorations of the year comes to Toronto for the first time with a timely and inspiring portrait of social change in action. The Wobblies tells the riveting, behind-the-scenes story of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), founded in Chicago in 1905 to organize unskilled workers into one big union and change the course of American history. Drawing on archival footage, interviews with former workers (now in their 80s and 90s), cartoons, original art and classic labour songs, directors Deborah Shaffer and Stewart Bird offer an uplifting portrait of the men and women of the IWW—affectionately dubbed “Wobblies”—as they struggle against the odds to win better wages, healthcare and working conditions. The Wobblies is a vivid window into a bygone era that feels like it's been pulled straight from modern-day headlines, with its depiction of an America torn by corporate greed. Recently restored by the Museum of Modern Art and inducted into the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress, it's a moving tribute to a group of rebels who risked their lives for many of the rights that we still have today.

Screening with Ride Fair (Citizen Minutes short, 7 mins).

Tickets: $15 | FREE for members! Under 25? Get your FREE Bronze membership