"Union Maids is the most energizing, exhilarating labor organizing movie imaginable. For the first time I could see for myself there really is 'joy in the struggle!'" Writer and poet Alice Walker's reaction to this doc speaks to why it was the first of Reichert's films to be nominated for an Oscar. Co-directed with Jim Klein and Miles Mogulescu, Union Maids tells the incredible stories of three extraordinary women who played key roles in the Depression-era trade unionist movement: Kate Hyndman, Stella Nowicki and Sylvia Woods. Women are often excluded from the history of the labour movement, but here the directors give these figures their due in an oral history format. Rousing music and archival footage animate the trio's stories, as they share how they battled sexism and racism—on top of police intimidation and state surveillance—as they fought tirelessly for workers' rights. Kiva Reardon