The Nothing Factory

Late at night, a group of factory workers in Lisbon realize that management is smuggling equipment and machinery out – a clear sign of imminent layoffs. They protest, demand explanations, refuse to negotiate, and occupy their work stations only to discover that the managers have gone, leaving them in the vacant factory alone. Pedro Pinho, a documentarian who’s turned to features, presents a wise, energetic, passionate, and rugged film observing human beings faced with an economic crisis with which capitalism fails to cope. The film, a testament to Portuguese cinema’s current dominance, was screened at Cannes this year and won The International Federation of Critics award.