"Losers and Winners" and other Economic Stories

From the June 8 Washington Post column by Steven Pearlstein:

Through the magic of "product placement," consumer- product companies have become adept at using movies to boost the recognition of their brands. But when it comes to how movies and television portray business generally, the corporate community has been a miserable failure. Invariably, business serves as the negative backdrop against which the central personal or political drama can unfold, while corporate managers serve as stick-figure foils for heroes and comic buffoons.

As is often the case, however, Hollywood's blind spot offers a target of opportunity for independent filmmakers. And, indeed, you'll find some wonderfully insightful views about business and work life at the Silverdocs, the documentary conference and film festival next week in Silver Spring put on by the American Film Institute and the Discovery Channel.

Among the documentaries mentioned are: "Losers and Winners," by Ulrike Franke and Michael Loeken (a German coke plant is moved to China); Ben Niles's "Note by Note" (about the manufacture of a grand piano); Doug Pray's "Big Rig" (about trucking and truckers); "Calcutta Calling," by Andre Hoermann (about a call center worker from Calcutta); and, Rob VanAlkemade's documentary, "What Would Jesus Buy?," (based on the life and songs of Rev. Billy and the Stop Shopping Gospel Choir).