Is it crossing the picket line to go to the cinema? Is it scabbing to write a review on Letterboxd? Will cancelling a streaming subscription help writers and actors? Is this a good time to make that low-budget indie film? The Best in Show team—Mia Lee Vicino, Gemma Gracewood and Brian Formo—is back for a minisode about the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, and what it all means for film fans, fall festivals, awards season, Letterboxd members and creative workers alike.

From the arrival of ChatGPT a mere 48 hours after the Oscars, to the damning statistics around what actors actually earn, to the other current industrial action in California, to the current restrictions around what union members can and can’t do, there’s a lot to talk about. This episode is a catch-up conversation along with some film recommendations for great histories of labor movements. Best in Show will be back again soon, with a strike captain, for a mailbag episode. Send your strike questions, your favorite picket signs, and your recommendations for the best workers’ rights films to podcast@letterboxd.com.

Best in Show is a limited podcast series brought to you by The Letterboxd Show.

Credits:

Recorded in Los Angeles and Auckland. Edited by Slim, production manager Sophie Shin, editorial producer Brian Formo. Theme: ‘Hyperlight’ by Letterboxd member Trent Walton (AKA Echo Wolf). Best in Show is a TAPEDECK production. Title courtesy of Christopher Guest.

Lists & Links:

Donate to SAG-AFTRA; WGA’s Take Action info; LA Times opinion article; Best in Show’s list of 45 labor movement movies

Best in Show: Strike FAQ for film fans