"Watsonville On Strike" - Reel Work Labor Film Festival

Watsonville On Strike
(Jon Silver, 1989, 65 min, Watsonville)

Set in the former frozen food capital of the world, this film is an intimate and unvarnished portrait of the 18-month cannery workers’ strike which virtually paralyzed this rural California town. The class struggle erupting in the streets drew in the entire community and ultimately transformed Watsonville.

Co-sponsors: Watsonville Film Festival, Cabrillo College.

Watch the trailer for Watsonville On Strike on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/1069014741


Daughters of the Strike / Hijas de la Huelga
(Jon Silver, 2025, 6 min, USA)

This short film features sisters Blanca and Wendy, and their mother Sylvia, a former cannery worker and veteran of the historic Watsonville Cannery Strike. Sylvia reflects on her experiences of 40 years ago and describes the values she hoped to pass on to her daughters who share how their mother's resilience and activism shaped their own paths to become educators and continue the legacy of the Cannery Strike by empowering future generations.

Speakers: filmmaker Jon Silver, veteran cannery strikers and community allies.