After the devastating fire in Rana Plaza in 2013, director Rubaiyat Hossain decided to make a film about the courageous resistance of young women who are fighting back against terrible working conditions and patriarchal structures. The story of the young protagonist Shimu is based on the stories of a trade union leader who talks openly about the hard life in the textile industry.
Shimu, in her early 20s, works in a textile factory in Dhaka. Although she earns more there than in her previous job as a housemaid, the working conditions are characterised by injustice and exploitation.
One day, a short circuit causes a fire, which triggers panic among the fleeing workers. One colleague dies and many others suffer serious injuries. When the factory management withholds part of the already low wages, resistance forms – some women decide to form a trade union.
Shimu takes the lead and fights resolutely against the patriarchal structures – both in the workplace and in her marriage.
France, Bangladesh, Denmark, Portugal 2019 / 0mU / 95 min. / Director: Rubaiyat Hossain
