https://player.vimeo.com/video/848607598?badge=0&autopause=0&player_id=0&app_id=58479
A Sundance Doc Fund Supported Feature Film by Jing Wang
In Post-Production. Completion in 2025. Made in NYC.
Director: Jing Wang
Producers: Jing Wang, Annie Berman, Nick Wong, Do Jun Lee
Currently seeking: completion funding, international co-production and distribution partnerships
All Inquiries: info@ridewithdeliveryworkers.com
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Ride with Delivery Workers tells the story of NYC’s street heroes, a vulnerable, yet essential community of immigrant food delivery workers. By banding together, these once invisible workers help legalize e-bikes in the State of New York. They never get to celebrate this victory for at that very moment, they are drafted to the frontlines of the Pandemic.
In the heart of New York City**,** amidst the swirling snow of a 'bomb cyclone', for Deqing Lian and Youcai Zhang, two elderly Chinese delivery workers, this icy tempest is just another "good day" – a chance to earn a living and support their families. But as they navigate the treacherous snow-covered streets, they are not just battling the elements; they are confronting a relentless system that threatens their very livelihood.
Interwoven with the vibrancy of the Chinese New Year parade, the film delves deep into the hidden corners of Chinatown, revealing a community bound by shared dreams and the weight of sacrifices made. We meet elderly workers like Lian, who, having spent decades in the U.S., still grapple with a haunting sense of displacement and a longing for families left behind. These are individuals who have poured their sweat and tears into the American dream, only to find themselves trapped in a cycle of hardship and persecution.
Enter Mayor Bill de Blasio, whose alliance with a retired Upper West Side banker sparks a city-wide crackdown on electric bicycles – the lifeline of these delivery workers. Fines, confiscations, and public vilification ensue, pushing the community to the brink. Yet, amidst adversity, a flame of resistance is ignited. In dimly lit Chinatown basements, a movement is born. The #DeliverJustice coalition emerges, uniting workers, immigrant organizations, and sympathetic legislators in a relentless campaign to legalize e-bikes.
But as the tide begins to turn in their favor with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the film exposes the bitter irony of their newfound recognition. While hailed as "essential heroes," these workers continue to face systemic injustices. The pandemic exacerbates their vulnerabilities, laying bare the stark disparities of a digital economy that thrives on their exploitation. Through intimate portraits, we witness the daily struggles of workers like Melba Li, a single undocumented immigrant, and the indomitable spirit of Lian, as they navigate a landscape fraught with economic precarity, xenophobia, and health risks.