Screening of "Made in Bangladesh"

East Hartford, CT - The East Hartford Commission on Culture & Fine Arts presents the third film "Made in Bangladesh," in their fifteenth series of foreign films on Saturday, March 18 at 7 PM in the Community Cultural Center at 50 Chapman Place. Admission is free. The East Hartford Summer Youth Festival will be selling concessions, including popcorn.

March is Women’s History Month, and this film is about and by women. It does seem like it should also be historical - in the past - but it takes place in the current day (“a modern-day Norma Rae”).  Shimu, 23, works in a clothing factory in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Faced with difficult conditions at work, which include safety issues, long hours and delayed pay, she decides to start a union with her co-workers. 

Despite threats from the management and the disapproval of her husband, Shimu is determined to go on. Together the women must fight and find a way.  Winner of seven international awards, Kat Sachs of the Chicago Reader said, “…it’s fascinating; as it details the relationships… and the emotional upheaval they experience on a regular basis, it’s deeply affecting.”  The film runs 1 hour and 35 minutes and is not rated; it does contain explicit language.

The final film in the series will be “The Last Tree” (UK & Nigeria) on April 15.