Pass the Popcorn, Learn About Corporate Fraud & Government Complicity

Publicity still for the 2019 film The Laundromat, directed by Steven Soderbergh, production companies: Netflix and Anonymous Content.
 

By Marybeth Gardam
Chair, Women, Money & Democracy (W$D) Committee

August 2020

The Women, Money & Democracy (W$D) Committee of WILPF US (formerly the Corporations v Democracy Issue Committee) is asking members to engage in some social activism this summer and fall. Holding a movie watch party and Zoom discussion is easy, fun, and offers a way to engage new potential activists. Even in the midst of pandemic, it’s possible to reach out!  

We’re asking members and branches to set a “movie night” and invite their members, neighbors, co-workers, and friends to view the film The Laundromat on Netflix. This film combines the education you would get from a documentary on financial fraud with a story line that captures the audience, and it includes a great cast.

Within the following week, schedule a Zoom discussion that invites everyone who watched the film to meet and talk about what they learned, how the film made them feel, and how they might decide to address the issue of corporate fraud and government complicity. Zoom accounts are free, but you might want to take advantage of someone you know who has a paid account, so the discussion can last a bit longer than the free 45-minute version of Zoom.  

Toolkit Available to Help You

We’re developing a TOOLKIT for making the most out of your Laundromat Watch Party, including:

• Scheduling the Viewing and Discussion
• Sample Invitation 
• Strategic Outreach – Fine-tuning your invitations list!
• Where to Find the Film
• How to Do a Zoom Call
• Talking Points 
• Next Steps for Action  

To get the whole package, contact us at mbgardam@gmail.com.   

Why Watch This Film?  

Its cast is pretty impressive: Meryl Streep, Antonio Banderas, and a collection of really wonderful character actors you’ll recognize from other roles.  

The story is entertaining AND there’s a lot of educational background about the way offshore shell corporations operate. Read A.O. Scott's review in the New York Times.

Connect the Dots. Understanding how corporate fraud and government complicity affects real people and their savings is a great way to understand how to dismantle all that power.       

Why Watch This Film with WILPF?

We’re stronger together. If we can think together about how corporate fraud and government complicity affects we the people, maybe we can unify around some strategies to address the issues locally and nationally.

WILPF has been working on corporate power issues for a long time. Our Women, Money & Democracy Committee is recommending this film as a way to introduce the subject and share personal stories of how financial misadventures hurt people we love. We’ll provide some solid next steps too, so your movie night won’t be just a one-off action. You can build on it!  

It’s a great way to involve folks who haven’t been active for a while. Or reach out to people who are not yet engaged with WILPF but who care about economic justice.  

Any WILPF Member Can Participate

At-large members don’t need to sit this out!

You can easily invite friends to your own virtual watch party and use the toolkit we offer to make your follow-up Zoom call a success.   

Pass the popcorn, invite your friends and neighbors, and engage in social activism from home!