Widerberg’s fictionalized account of the life of Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) member and songwriter Joe Hill was originally released in 1971 and was the winner of that year’s Prix du Jury award at Cannes. However, Joe Hill was never made available commercially and was largely forgotten outside left-wing film circles until being restored and released in 2015. The film begins with Hill’s arrival in New York City at the turn of the 20th century and depicts his slow transformation from a wide-eyed Swedish immigrant to a revolutionary trade unionist as he experiences the degradation of working class life in the United States.