The Nothing Factory

Synopsis

“Widening the lens to take in the ills of an entire economic system, Pedro Pinho’s The Nothing Factory is the latest cinematic response to Portugal’s financial crisis. Less flamboyant than Miguel Gomes’s Arabian Nights but filled with rewarding eccentricities of its own, the film revolves around the crew of an elevator plant. Roused into action when the machines are removed from the factory floor one night, the workers occupy the facility, kick out the brass who have arrived dangling buyouts, and debate the possibility of self-management. Pinho’s documentaries include Trading Cities, a perceptive study of Cape Verde’s tourism industry, and The Nothing Factory is a serious look at the role of work today, in particular for those sifting through the wreckage of capitalism. The presence of a shadowy character on the fringes — a kind of labor theorist or crisis-chasing agitator — allows for some pointed Marxist musings, and the three-hour running time  contains manifold surprises and pleasures, notably a few bursts of self-reflexive song-and-dance and the loveliest of nods to Straub-Huillet’s Sicilia!.” (Dennis Lim, Film Comment)

Around The World in 14 Films 2017, presented by Sonja Heiss — in attendance of actor Carlos Manuel Garridos dos Santos

With the support of the Embassy of Portugal

Merken