Substitute(2019)

AI's sacrifices(fr)

Magical, autonomous, all-powerful… Artificial intelligences feed our dreams as well as our nightmares. But while tech giants promise the advent of a new humanity, the reality of their production remains totally hidden. While data centers are concreting landscapes and drying up rivers, millions of workers around the world are preparing the billions of data that will feed the voracious algorithms of Big Tech, at the cost of their mental and emotional health. They are hidden in the belly of AI. Could they be the collateral damage of the ideology of “Longtermism” that has been brewing in Silicon Valley for several years?

The Navigators(en)

In South Yorkshire, a small group of railway maintenance men discover that because of privatization, their lives will never be the same. When the trusty British Rail sign is replaced by one reading East Midland Infrastructure, it is clear that there will be the inevitable winners and losers as downsizing and efficiency become the new buzzwords.

The True Cost(en)

Film from Andrew Morgan. The True Cost is a documentary film exploring the impact of fashion on people and the planet.

Richelieu(fr)

A French-to-Spanish interpreter working for a food processing plant that hires seasonal workers from Guatemala is, at first determined to obey the sometimes excessive directives of the young boss, but she befriends the workers and tries to defend them against the exploitation they suffer.

Trop chaud pour travailler(fr)

Anxiety(tr)

The story of Cevher and his family and their daily struggles as seasonal workers in the cotton fields of Southern Turkey. Cevher depends on the family earnings from the fields to pay blood money for a murder one of his relatives committed. On the cotton fields, people also have to compete with machines, which are preferred to human workers. Eventually, the workers unite and go on strike.

Forced Labour: SOS from a Chinese Prisoner(fr)

A desperate cry for help written in Chinese was discovered in a pregnancy test sold in France and made in a Chinese factory. It revealed a hidden world of Chinese prison-companies where prisoners are forced to work for 15 hour days manufacturing products for export. This documentary tries to find out who wrote the letter.

Pôle Emploi, Ne quittez pas !(fr)

This is the story of a team of 40 agents facing 4,000 job seekers at a job centre in the Parisian suburbs. Samia, Corinne, Thierry, Zuleika must support and monitor, bring in the numbers, obey policy guidelines and communication injunctions, and find job offers while none is to be found. Will their strong sense of humor save them from the Kafkaian world they work in?

The Golden Thread(en)

In the heyday of the jute industry, millions of people in Bengal made their living doing this laborious work, which has hardly changed since the industrial revolution. The 100-year-old machinery has been endlessly repaired. State aid kept this sustainable alternative to plastic going, but its future looks bleak.

11 Underground(es)

In 1984, eleven miners entrenched themselves underground to protest for better working conditions in the mining village of Almaden in southern Spain. The strike, deep within the toxic mercury mine, lasted for eleven long days, during which the whole village showed its solidarity with the men protesting underground. The mine was the heart of Almaden, around which everything revolved – until it longer existed. The mercury mine was closed for good at the beginning of the 21st century. As a consequence, the area has experienced mass unemployment and slow decline.

No More God in Doctor(fr)

Emergency medicine intern Margaux can no longer stand it. During another very hectic and patient-filled shift, she forgets a homeless woman on a stretcher who then dies. Shocked Margaux has no choice but to continue working. But suddenly, her body starts sweating blood uncontrollably.

Purl(en)

Purl, an earnest ball of yarn, gets a job at a fast-paced, male-centered startup company. Things start to unravel as Purl tries to fit in with this tight-knit group, but she must ask herself how far is she willing to go to get the acceptance she yearns for and if, in the end, it is worth it.

Misery Loves Comedy(en)

Do you have to be miserable to be funny? More than sixty comedians—including stand-ups, writers, actors, and directors from the US, Canada, and abroad—take on this question, sharing anecdotes and insights with lively enthusiasm.

Love, Women and Flowers(es)

Women workers stand up to the toxic flower industry in Colombia.

Le Siècle des couturières(fr)

The Inner Harbor(sv)

A documentary about the dockworkers in Gothenburg, and the future of the shipping industry in the city.

Salaryman(ja)

Tokyo work culture's most compelling and complex protagonist; the Salaryman. A nameless, voiceless, over-worked and under-valued cog in the labour pool, expected to compromise home and social lives. Late nights and intense drinking sessions leave many of them passed out in the city streets. This slick, incisive documentary raises questions around the ethics of our global working practices in a capitalist society.

Working Dancers(en)

In Buenos Aires a group of acclaimed dancers create the first Contemporary National Company of Dance under their collective leadership. This is the story of four talented dancers, Ernesto, Bettina, Victoria and Pablo, along six years of their journey. We follow their lives, we attend their rehearsals and performances in the emblematic building of the National Library, along with their premiere and backstage in the historical National Theatre of Cervantes. They expose their dreams as dancers, individuals and members of our society, as we observe the fulfilment of their biggest dream: the demand of a National Dance Law. Amazing choreographies, beautiful folklore songs and original Latin-American contemporary music reveal the beauty of dance becoming life.

Paul F. Tompkins: Laboring Under Delusions(en)

When it comes to odd jobs, Paul F. Tompkins has experienced them all, stand-up comedian included. In this extended and uncensored stand-up special, Paul (supported by his impressive mustache) takes us on a hilarious tour of his varied career. Relive his glory days as an employee at a Beta-only video store, a hat shop salesman catering to tourists looking for "king hats," an actor with an improbable cameo in an epic film, and an anxious host of Best Week Ever.

Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story(en)

The authorized documentary celebrating the film that redefined Hollywood, 50 years after its premiere. Featuring rare archival footage and interviews with acclaimed Hollywood directors alongside Steven Spielberg, top shark scientists, and conservationists, the film uncovers the behind-the-scenes chaos and how the film launched the summer blockbuster, inspired a new wave of filmmakers, and paved the way for shark conservation that continues today.