Screened as part of TOAFF20
Shimu works as a seamstress in one of the many thousand garment factories that produce Bangladesh’s most valuable export commodities: the impossibly cheap clothes sold by fast fashion brands such as H&M, Uniqlo, Zara or Primark.
When a fire results in the death of a co-worker, Shimu’s outrage at the unsafe working conditions she and her friends labour under threatens to fizzle into powerless anger – until she comes into contact with a local women’s rights organiser. Invigorated by Shimu’s determination and a collective sense of purpose, the workers defy management threats and their husbands’ disapproval to form a union.
Bangladeshi director Rubaiyat Hossain’s vibrant and hopeful film was informed by hundreds of interviews with female garment workers. Shimu’s story pays tribute to their struggle against the constraints of their domestic and public lives – while Made in Bangladesh presents an impassioned, beautifully crafted exposé of exploitative labour practices and the global economic forces that fuel them.
Content notes:
Contains scenes of violent intimidation, references to sexual violence and domestic abuse.
Screened as part of TOAFF20
