Bread and Roses is a 2000 film directed by Ken Loach, starring Pilar Padilla, Adrien Brody and Elpidia Carrillo. The plot deals with the struggle of poorly paid janitorial workers in Los Angeles and their fight for better working conditions and the right to unionize. It is based on the "Justice for Janitors" campaign of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). The film is critical of inequalities in the United States. Health insurance in particular is highlighted and it is also stated in the film that the pay of cleaners and other low paying jobs has declined in recent years. The film's name, "Bread and Roses", derives from the 1912 textile strike in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Though the phrase comes from a 1911 poem by James Oppenheim (which was, in turn, based on a speech given by Rose Schneiderman), it is commonly associated with the Lawrence strike, which united dozens of immigrant communities, led to a large extent by women, under the leadership of the Industrial Workers of the World. Cast Uncredited party guests Production The following companies produced the film: British Screen BSkyB Cineart Filmcooperative Zürich Parallax Pictures BiM Distribution Alta Films BAC Films Road Movies Filmproduktion Tornasol Films Awards and nominations The film was nominated for the Palme d'Or (Golden Palm) at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival and won the Jury Award at the Temecula Valley International Film Festival in 2000. In 2001, it was nominated for the Artios award of the Casting Society of America, for the British Independent Film Awards for Best British Independent Film, Best Director and Best Screenplay, and won the Phoenix Prize at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. In 2002, it was nominated for four ALMA Awards, of which it won the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture (Elpidia Carrillo) and also won the Imagen Award for Best Theatrical Feature Film of the Imagen Foundation Awards. References External links The Bread-and-Roses-strike 2000 films 2000 drama films African-American drama films British drama films 2000s English-language films Films scored by George Fenton Films about the labor movement Drama films based on actual events Films directed by Ken Loach Films set in Los Angeles Films set in Mexico Films shot in Los Angeles Films shot in San Diego German drama films English-language German films British independent films Spanish drama films English-language Spanish films 2000s Spanish-language films Swiss drama films English-language Swiss films German independent films