About this Event
https://vimeo.com/1081505487
70% INFORMALS - What if the world we think we know is only half the story?
70% Informals is an eye-opening journey into the invisible epidemic shaping our planet — informality. Encounters across Greece, Tunisia, Peru, Mexico, the United States, and Germany expose a hidden world where nearly three out of every five people live and work outside the formal economy — without rights, recognition, or security.
From street vendors and undocumented migrants to renowned thinkers and policymakers, the stories reveal how informality traps billions in cycles of uncertainty and exclusion — not only in the Global South, but also in the world’s wealthiest nations. Immersing audiences in the emotional and economic toll of this silent crisis, the film makes vivid what it truly means to live on society’s margins.
Yet, amid the despair, hope emerges. With her innovative framework, acclaimed economist Elena Panaritis demonstrates that transformation is not only possible — it’s within reach. She reveals how entire nations can lift their citizens from the shadows of informality into the dignity and stability of the middle class.
Visually striking and deeply human, 70% Informals challenges our understanding of progress, inequality, and belonging — and dares us to imagine a world where no one is left invisible.
(47m, 2026, Germany, Greece, Mexico, Peru, Tunisia, U.S., Director: Felipe Ibarguen)
https://informals.org
Shorts to precede:
PUBLIC SERVANTS: THE PEOPLE WHO KEPT DIPLOMACY WORKING - Since July 2025, the U.S. government has fired more than 5,000 career experts at the State Department and USAID - a small but critical fraction of the 300,000-plus public servants who have lost their jobs since January 2025.
Public Servants: The People Who Kept Diplomacy Working is a documentary short that tells the stories of these civil servants. It focuses on the July 2025 cuts, one of the most visible and consequential workforce actions in the modern history of American foreign affairs. Sitting down with seven public servants, the film explores their experiences and reckons with what was lost.
Ultimately, it is a call to action - spearheaded by fired federal workers and financially supported by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE). (3m, 2026, Directors: Jonny Meyer and Steve Jeter)
https://www.myafge1534.org/advocacy
STREET BY STREET - This film follows the journey of Manoj, a street vendor in Delhi, and the unending struggles of India’s unorganized yet essential workforce. After migrating to Delhi with limited resources and no social security, he set up a small shop. But faced with daily obstacles, in an attempt to secure his livelihood, he started fighting for the essential services that keep his shop open. He soon emerged as a leader for the entire sector, connecting other street vendors and fighting against daily harassment, police evictions, and policy neglect. (11m, 2025, India, Director: Sandeep Sreelekha)
A COLLECTIVE FUTURE explores the integrated strategy of building community ownership while resisting the harms of the current system, and the people in the Boston area who are making it happen.
This bold new film follows three organizers who share a powerful “resist and build” practice. When the current economic system threatened their home, workplace, and safety, three residents strategically leveraged their organizing experience — and people power — to fight for and win community ownership. Their inspiring stories light the way toward a future where our housing, workplaces, and public funds are collectively controlled by the people, not billionaires and elites. (28m, 2025, Director: Stephanie Houten)
https://acollectivefuture.org
Event venue & nearby stays
Cinema Village, 22 East 12th St, New York, United States
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.