In this conversation, Boots Riley breaks down why “boosters” or people who shoplift and resell goods in their communities are often treated as villains while the larger systems that create poverty and inequality go unquestioned. Drawing from his experiences as a broke rapper, filmmaker, and activist, Riley connects class struggle, labor movements, art, and capitalism in a way that’s provocative, funny, and deeply personal.
He also shares an incredible story from Rage Against the Machine’s legendary Wall Street performance with Michael Moore, including the surreal moment when Wall Street workers started chanting “Suits for Rage.” The contradiction at the heart of that moment becomes a larger conversation about politics, culture, power, and why so many people feel trapped between the world they want and the one they live in.
From Sorry to Bother You to labor organizing, filmmaking, and the politics of art, this is one of Boots Riley’s most fascinating interviews yet.
For more about the Toronto International Film Festival and our year-round programming at TIFF Lightbox, visit http://tiff.net.
Subscribe to watch more from TIFF:
https://www.youtube.com/c/tiff
Want more TIFF? Find us here:
https://ift.tt/h4ojCmf
https://ift.tt/5yxvDqH
—