Workers Film Festival, Chennai

Workers Film Festival, Chennai

25,26 May; 11 am to 5 pm 

Discovery Book Palace, KK Nagar

Curated and presented by Amudhan RP

Jointly organised by MARUPAKKAM, Paattali Padippu Vattam & Discovery Book Palace

Schedule (subject to changes / finalisation)

25 May; Saturday

11 am

The Last Journey 

Dir : Suraj Gunjal; 21 min; Documentary; India 

Praful (52) is a coffin-maker and has a very conventional run of the mill attitude towards his unconventional work; working for the dead. Delivering coffins, crosses, dead bodies on order while juggling between mortuaries, houses and cemeteries, his life gets weaved with the stories of the dead ones. 

Part of Life

Dir : Ezequiel Romero; 19.20 min; Documentary; Spain

A group of working class colleagues decide to form a cooperative in 80s Spain to manufacture cork caps and capsules in Jerez, home of Sherry wine. 38 years later the remaining partners are about to retire and they reflect on the adventure of a lifetime and what it meant to be an entrepreneur then vs today. This part of their lives is over and a new one begins.

NUESTRA VENGANZA ES SER FELICES

Dir : Malena Villarino; 75 min; Documentary; Brazil

‘Our revenge is to be happy’ is a documentary about the life of Sonia Sánchez, and her transformation from a victim of sexual exploitation to a subject of rights, a writer and a feminist activist. The film urges us to inquire about sex work, and raises various questions such as: Is prostitution the oldest job in the world or is it the oldest form of exploitation of women’s bodies? 

2 pm

Seaside 

Dir : Iniya Vasanthan; 18.50 min; Documentary; India; Student film 

Kasimedu fish market is one of the major fish markets in Chennai. It is a very lively place all day. From boats bringing fish to people buying it fresh directly from there, everything is quite interesting to observe. Kadaloram (seaside) is a short documentary film made on that place and the people.

World Taxi

Dir: Philipp Majer; 82 min; English, German, Spanish, French, Wolof, Albanian, Thai with English subtitles; Germany; Documentary

This film features five charismatic taxi drivers and their passengers from five different cities: Bangkok, Pristina, Dakar, El Paso and Berlin. For 24 hours, we follow them through their city, their daily routine, their private life and are listening to their thoughts.

Land of Women 

Dir : Marion Gaborit ; 77.19 min; Documentary; France 

"Land of women" tell the story of five women farmers around the world, working the land, which plays a key role in the planet’s food production. A tribute to some of these women, invisible but essential links in the chain who ensure subsistence agriculture every day and everywhere on earth. 

26 May, Sunday

11 am 

Mannu : Sprouts of Endurance

Dir: Ramdas Kadavallur ; 113 min; Malayalam, Tamil; 2020

The documentary narrates the saga of encroachment of vast stretches of a hilly land, the eviction of its rightful owners, the blatant exploitation of the labourers and their struggle for existence. This examines the social milieu in which these unorganised labourers are living. 

It does not confine itself in narrating the evolution and impact of a labour struggle, but also focuses on another important social aspect in India, the significance of caste, the strangle hold it exerts on the psyche of the nation. The documentary holds its mirror to the dichotomy of underlying neglect and discrimination meted out to the hapless people belonging to the lower echelons of society. It explores the ruthless impact of policies on the 'land' and 'soil', its lopsided distribution, the illegal encroachments carried out by the encroaches, the resultant irreparable and long standing damage it causes to the environment and fragile terrain, which is abound with precious flora and fauna.

2 pm

Nimble Fingers (Dir: Parsifal Reparato; 52 min; Vietnam / Italy)

The film brings out the living and working conditions of migrant women from the rural districts of Vietnam, in Hanoi working at one of the biggest industrial production sites in the world, through their eyes, dreams and fear, and also by their drawings that become animations.

Miles Away 

Dir : Megha Acharya; 50 min; Documentary; India 

The everyday-lives of three female labourers working in a brick kiln in India takes an upsetting turn after an unexpected rainfall halts their work. What unfolds is a threatening tale of unorganised labour and economic debts in a rapidly urbanising India. 

The Price of Cheap 

Dir: Barry Stevens; 80 mins; Hindi, Tamil with English subtitles; 2021; Canada; Documentary

The stories of modern slaves in textiles manufacturing supply chains and the brave individuals fighting on the ground against immeasurable odds to help them. Joseph Raj, runs an organisation called T.E.S.T. (Trust for Education and Social Transformation) in Tamil Nadu, India as he goes on raids to rescue underage children from unsafe and labor intensive factories.