Shot secretly from 2009 to 2015 by director Wenhai HUANG (previously a cameraman for Wang Bing) in southern China's industrial heartland, a major source for the global supply chain, this epic documentary follows labour activists as they build links with workers, helping them negotiate with officials and bosses over pay and working conditions.
The film takes us onto the picket line, into strategy meetings and offices where activists debate how to respond to intimidation, and into the modest living conditions of those at the lowest end of the economy as they fight for justice, equality and worker solidarity against threats, attacks and detention at great cost to their livelihoods.
Charting the emergence of a fledgling working class consciousness and labour movement, We the Workers gives voice to the millions of workers driving the country's economic boom. It exposes its hidden dark side as well as the work of specialised bureaus set up to defend workers' rights and help them avoid having to risk underpayment, bad working conditions, wrongful dismissal or arrest and abuse.
Depicting the powerful, moving transformation of its subjects from appearing as victims to gaining a sense of their autonomy, this is a tribute to the need for resistance, even when the odds seem insurmountable.
Presented by Wavelength
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dir. HUANG Wenhai
year: 2017
country: China
run-time: 174 minutes
Ticket £6/Concessions
Doors: 3.30pm
Film: 4pm
“On the front lines of China’s record-level labor unrest, Wen’s film offers rare insight into how such collectibe action is planned and organized, and how hard NGO employees try to stay within the moving goalposts of what activism is permissible in China”
“Takes the viewer to the front line of labour relations in China”
“Detailed, intimate and at times terrifying”
“Shot with long takes and a fly-on-the-wall feel, the film deals with workers’ attempts to stand up to employers”
“If you are interested to know more about the current labour union’s activities in China, this documentary is definitely a ‘must-see’ film to watch as it is informative”
“The subject of this film, labor rights, is somewhat rare among documentaries. As China has become the largest manufacturer in the world economy, the nation’s prosperity and rapid development have come at the price of the common worker and the suppression of forces fighting to defend workers’ rights. This film engages in deep analysis of the formation of early self-organized unions and the difficulties they have faced in defending their rights”