Films with: Lessin, Tia

Behind the labels garment workers on U.S. Saipan /

Lured by false promises and driven by desperation, thousands of Chinese and Filipina women pay high fees to work in garment factories on the pacific island of Saipan, the only U.S. territory exempt from labor and immigration laws. The clothing they sew, bearing the "Made in the USA" label, is shipped duty and quota-free to the U.S for sale by The GAP, J. Crew, Polo and other retailers. Powerful hidden camera footage, along with the garment workers' personal stories, offers a rare glimpse into indentured labor and the workings of the global sweatshop where 14 hour shifts, payless paydays, and lock-downs are routine.

DVD 3920

Citizen Koch

In this searing expose on the state of democracy in America and the fracturing of the Republican Party, directors Carl Deal and Tia Lessin follow the money behind the rise of the Tea Party. Alternately terrifying and funny, documentary is an essential and powerful portrait of our political times.

DVD 10455

Trouble the water

"This astonishing powerful documentary takes you inside Hurricane Katrina in a way never seen on screen. Incorporating remarkable home footage shot by Kimberly Rivers Roberts-an aspiring rap artist trapped with her husband in the 9th ward-directors/producers Tia Lessin and Carl Deal weave this insider's view of Katrina with a devastating protrait of the hurricane's aftermath. Trouble the Water takes audiences on a journey that is by turns heart-stopping, infuriating, inspiring and empowering. It's not only about the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina, but about the underlying issues that remained when the flood waters receded-failing public schools, record high levels of incarceration, poverty, structural racism and lack of government accountability"--Container.

DVD 6746