Factory to the Workers

Tvornice radnicima

In Croatia in 2005, a machine tools factory was occupied by its workers. Since then, they have operated collectively, becoming the only successful example of a worker occupation in post-socialist Europe. Today, as they seek a new model of collective ownership, the microcosmic world of the factory clashes with the forces of the globalized market economy, having an increasingly brutal impact on wages and the organization of the factory, causing rising disaffection among the workers. Filmmaker Srđan Kovačević returns regularly over a five year period to make a film that charts the evolution of this communal enterprise. Factory to the Workers tells the inside story of the workers who challenged the dominant economic narrative with their actions. After a decade, the same question remains: can a factory in the hands of workers survive at the periphery of capitalism, or do we need a bigger dream?

This film has been nominated for the First Feature Award.

Factory to the Workers will be followed by a live online Q&A with Srđan Kovačević which will be live-streamed from the cinema to Selects.

Please also join us for a free online workshop inspired by Factory to the Workers, 'Solidarity Forever: Community Organising and Creative Disruption' - 15:15 (BST) Sat 13 June with Tchiyiwe Chihana, UBI Lab. This workshop is part of the Sheffield DocFest Community Programme.