Author and former Clinton Administration cabinet member Robert Reich demonstrates how the widening income gap has a devastating impact on the American economy in the documentary “Inequality for All.”
The Utah Film Center: Moab and the Grand County Public Library will provide a free screening of the documentary “Inequality for All” at 7 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 20 at Star Hall, 125 E. Center St.
Through his perspective, Reich explains how the massive consolidation of wealth threatens the viability of the American workforce and the foundation of democracy itself. The film won a Special Jury Prize at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and won the Audience Award for Best Documentary Film at the 2013 Traverse City Film Festival.
Reich said he created the film so the public will understand the complexities of the economy.
“One of the best ways to help people understand the challenges we face, is with a movie that can grab an audience and move them to action. And this movie will do exactly that,” he said.
Reich said that the United States is in the biggest economic slump since the Great Depression.
“We can’t seem to get out of it. Why? Because, exactly as in the 1920s, so much of the nation’s income and wealth are going to the top, that the vast middle class doesn’t have the purchasing power to keep the economy going,” he said.
He said that the public understands the big picture, but must do something to “get out of this mess.”
“Here we are given hope that it doesn’t have to be this way: capitalism could be fixed to work for all of us, not just the richest 1 percent,” said Jessie Magleby of the Grand County Public Library. “Whether you are only vaguely familiar with these topics or already knowledgeable, this film promises to inform in an accessible, engaging way.”
“Inequality for All” director Jacob Kornbluth said it was a challenge to think about how to approach a documentary about the widening income inequality so he leaned on his experience as a child. His hope was to create a film a variety of people could connect to
“I got free school lunches – the scarlet letter a kid wears to let his classmates know his family is below the poverty line – all the way through school,” he said. “My mother raised a family of four by herself on a salary that ranged from $9,000 – $15,000 a year.”
Kornbluth let Reich’s natural humor show through as he approached interview subjects as people, rather than victims.
“Every choice was designed to help show the argument and the economy in human terms that people could wrap their heads around,” Kornbluth said.
“Robert Reich manages to infuse this enlightening and infuriating film on income disparity with an optimistic spirit,” said Sallie Hodges of the Utah Film Center. “To find out whether or not this is justified come and watch this revealing documentary.”
“Inequality for All” documents and explains the U.S. economy
“One of the best ways to help people understand the challenges we face, is with a movie that can grab an audience and move them to action. And this movie will do exactly that.”
When: 7 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 20
Where: Star Hall, 125 E. Center St.
Cost: Free screening made available through Utah Film Center: Moab and the Grand County Public Library
