American Standoff

Kristi Jacobson's American Standoff gives the viewer a behind-the-scenes look at a modern labor strike. The tale of three Teamsters and how their lives are affected by the union's strike against Overnite Transportation make up the dramatic heart of this film, which was produced by acclaimed ...more

American Standoff inevitably draws comparison with Harlan County, USA and American Dream, filmmaker Barbara Kopple's two Oscar-winning documentaries on labor strife. Though Kopple directed the first two films and "only" produced this one, the three do form a trilogy. Harlan County, released in the mid-'70s, when the labor movement was beginning to lose momentum, harkens back to the days when the showdowns between labor and management were viewed as a struggle by overworked and underpaid workers ...more