The Hand That Feeds

America ReFramed Season 4
  • Feature Film
  • 2016
  • 86 Mins

At a popular bakery cafe in Manhattan, patrons get served with a smile 24 hours a day. Behind the scenes, some of the undocumented immigrant workers earn far below the minimum wage. Filmed at the onset of the service economy wage wars, The Hand That Feeds tells the story of the power struggle that turned a single city block into a battlefield.

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  • 2016

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At a popular bakery cafe in Manhattan, patrons get served with a smile 24 hours a day. Behind the scenes, some of the undocumented immigrant workers earn far below the minimum wage. Filmed at the onset of the service economy ...

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Film Credits

  • Rachel Lears Director
  • Robin Blotnick Director

Critical Acclaim

“A crowd pleaser... a captivating David & Goliath story."

Anthony Kaufman, Indiewire

One could not view this film without arriving to a deeper understanding of labor organizing, immigrant workers and the lessons of a sustained movement for social justice.

Deborah Weissman, Professor of Law, University of North Carolina

Press Room

POV, WHUT / Howard University Television, and From Prison Cells to PHD Host Event on Gun Violence Reduction Featuring THE BODY POLITIC Featuring Brandon Scott, Mayor of Baltimore, MD ‘POV Shorts’ Seventh Season Puts Center Stage Ten Short Acquisitions Telling Big Stories in an Arthouse Setting Beginning November 12, 2024 on the PBSApp and POV.org POV Announces the ‘Our America: Documentaries in Dialogue’ PBS Station 2024 Grantees
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