“This is not a labor cost issue.”
Those words, written by Sony lawyer Matthew Kelley in an email to Alamo Drafthouse’s bargaining committee, have been on the minds of filmmakers Tyler Trautman and Sebastian Diaz as they document the ongoing strike at the dine-in cinema.
“Unless our employees are going to go out and make some moves that are going to be blockbusters in the next 4-8 weeks, we do not have the need for our current level of staffing, based on market trends,” Kelley continued.
Trautman and Diaz’s film follows Brooklyn and Manhattan theater workers who walked off the job Feb. 14 to protest the layoffs of 70 employees. The strike began after UAW Local 2179 filed an unfair labor practice charge, accusing Alamo — owned by Sony — of declaring an impasse in contract negotiations.
“I’ve joked with Seb about including that actual email in the movie we’re making,” Trautman said.
The documentary took shape before they even knew the strike would happen.
On Jan. 28, during an Alamo employee appreciation party, the union strategically held a strike authorization vote just blocks away. While Alamo hosted its event at Cellar Dog in the West Village, union members gathered at a nearby Five Guys. Diaz arrived with his camera, tripod and audio equipment, interviewing bargaining members Alejandro Agudelo and Anthony Squitire about the union’s formation in late 2023 and the events leading up to the vote.
For Diaz, 22, and Trautman, 30, documenting the strike felt like a responsibility.
“I felt the obligation to make sure this was documented for posterity so that we, as a union, have access to that information,” Diaz said. “Like, yeah, that happened.”
On the day of the walkout, Diaz arrived at the Manhattan Alamo early to catch a couple of movies — “Paddington in Peru” and “Captain America: Brave New World” — before turning his camera on the strike.
The film’s format has developed organically, primarily following the bargaining committee. Since they can’t record meetings with Sony, they conduct impromptu interviews during breaks when committee members step outside for a smoke. They call these “vibe checks” — a casual, disarming term for gauging the mood. They’ve closely followed Jordan Baruch, Squitire, and others, interviewing them at least once a day.
“We’re interviewing our coworkers and our friends, really, which gives our documentary an edge over any outside crew that doesn’t know them,” Trautman said.
Beyond documenting the highs and lows of the strike, they aim to capture the challenges of maintaining solidarity amid opposition — though it hasn’t been easy.
They also hope to interview anti-union Alamo workers, but those conversations have been difficult to arrange due to both the physical and ideological divisions of the picket line.
“Not only can we not go down to the venue to talk to them, but it’s harder to reach out and ask for interviews when we’re on opposite sides,” Trautman said. “I don’t think a request for an interview will come to fruition.”
Still, they’ve documented plenty of opposition. Trautman recalled confrontations on the street, with people telling them they were “wasting their time.”
“There’s a clip where a Sony employee tells us, ‘You guys do know that no one who makes decisions for you is in this building, right? You’re in the wrong spot,’” Trautman said. “Then he tried to grab my camera when he realized I was recording.”
They believe moments like that offer a glimpse into the personal and heated exchanges happening behind the scenes as tensions between the union and Sony escalate.
At one bargaining meeting, Trautman alleges that Kelley muttered under his breath while leaving the room, calling the union’s UAW lawyer a “f-ckstick.”
“It was pretty immature,” Trautman said. “But I can be just as childish. I joked about including that email in our film and responding with, ‘Here’s your movie, f-ckstick.’”
Since the strike began, workers have rallied daily at the Manhattan location, maintaining picket lines and holding demonstrations to keep pressure on Alamo and Sony. To support themselves without their Alamo paychecks, those striking receive $500 per week from the UAW Strike Assistance Fund.
Jordan Baruch, a member of the bargaining committee, told Brooklyn Paper that the union remains committed to the strike due to Alamo’s refusal to continue negotiating the effects of the layoffs. Looking ahead, he said the fight will continue, but the outcome ultimately depends on the company.
“We’re all aspiring filmmakers, actors, artists — we’re in this sh-t,” Baruch said. “Many of us want to pursue creative careers while working at Alamo, but that’s impossible if we can’t sustain ourselves on part-time or even full-time hours. That’s why we’re fighting for a better contract.”
Alamo Drafthouse and Sony were contacted or comment on both the strike and the documentary. Neither company has responded.
This story first appeared on our sister publication brooklynpaper.com.
