Maquilapolis

Maquilapolis is a documentary about (and by) workers in Tijuana’s assembly factories. Maquiladoras are the assembly plants owned by multinationals, which dominate the economy of the U.S.-Mexico border region. Over a million people work for these multinationals. Carmen works six nights a week in the Panasonic factory. After making television components all night, Carmen comes home to a self-built shack, in a neighbourhood with no paved streets, no sewage lines and no electricity. A single mother, Carmen takes care of her three children all day, and if she’s lucky she sleeps for an hour or two before heading off to work again. Carmen earns six dollars a day. This documentary tells the story of globalisation from the perspectives of the workers who are dealing with the hardships of environmental toxins, the abuse of labour rights, infrastructure and housing issues, and women’s rights. The film was made thanks to a collaborative storytelling process between film makers and the Tijuana women’s organisation Grupo Faxtor X. Over a six-week period, the producers of the film conducted a video workshop in Tijuana, training a group of women to use digital video cameras. This project is a documentary that will exist beyond the traditional boundaries of film. As cameras remain in Tijuana, the activists will continue to record their struggles and vision of the world around them. (EH)

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