“The Recess Ends” in Irvine this Wednesday

It’s no secret that we are in a recession and people are losing jobs.  Take Austin Chu, for example, the creator of the documentary, “The Recess Ends.”

Chu was laid off from his job in December 2008.  He somehow managed toconvince his younger brother, Brian, to quit his job, and together they set off on a five month journey to investigate and document the current economic status of the United States.

According to the website, The Recess Ends, Chu states,

“From January 24 to April 30, I will visit the major, most impoverished cities in the United States, from Los Angeles to New York. I will interview everyday Americans: rich, poor, black, white, etc. I will interview students, families, and single adults. In addition, a large portion of the story will be the voices of both small businesses and large corporations. Businesses are shutting down and laying off. Recently, Sharper Image shutdown all major operations; DHL is closing down all domestic operations; Citigroup laid off 53,000 jobs; Chrysler shutdown their plants for a month. And I got laid off on December 5th, 2008. I subsequently applied for unemployment for the first time on December 8th, 2008. We all share a common story– I am going to capture and share that story.”

Thus, the film is a result of their interactions with the communities during the trip.  Watch the trailer at The Recess Ends website.

The documentary will be playing for free at the University of California, Irvine (map).

When: Wednesday, February 10th at 7 p.m.

Where: University of California, Irvine, Room HIB 100

Image Credit: The Recess Ends