Iron Crows

Name: Iron Crows
Director: Bong-Nam Park
Released: 2009

Bong-Nam Park 2009

Chittagong is a small port city of southern Bangladesh. Everyday some 20,000 people there risk their lives for an average wage of $2 a day. They dismantle old ships from all over the world. On average, 20 workers die each year. Despite the harsh working environment full of contaminants and toxic gases, these ships are considered as gifts from God.
A 21 year old Belal who left home 10 years ago, a master gascutter Rufik who worked in Chittagong for 32 years and a 12 year young child laborer Ekramul tell the heart-breaking story of their lives, accompanied by breathtaking views of the ship yards.

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Running Time:

59 min.

Spoken Languages:

Bengali

Subtitles:

English

Directors:

Bong-Nam Park

Producers:

Min-Chul Kim

Cinematographers:

Yeon-Taek Seo

Editors:

Bong-Nam Park

Production Companies:

CreativEast

Press

Bong-Nam Park made a portrait of the workers of the world's largest ship demolition factory in Bangladesh. Just like in Last Train Home, the distance between work and native village propels the narrative forward: parents and children are living apart for economical reasons, what leads to heart-breaking scenes. There is a difference in style: Director Park eschew effects to build up the emotions and when tears are flowing the camera zooms in.

-Volkskrant
"The powerful visual images of this film are extraordinary. It immerse the audience in the lives of what Frantz Fanon called 'The Wretched of the Earth'. This film accomplishes something very rare and unique. In vivid and harsh reality the audience can almost smell the burning of oil, the fluidity of dirty mud. The constant and very real danger and fear of the workers makes you cringe. Against this endless and devastating background the film narrates the story of our heroes, and heroes they are, pushed from the urgency of extreme poverty to continuosly risk their lives to support their famalies on less than 2 UDS a day. Perhaps the most important achievement of this powerful film is the courage, dignity and humilty of our heroes trapped in a seemingly endless cycle of crushing poverty. This film is a tour de force!"

-IDFA 2009 Jury’s comment-

Festival Participation

International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam
Best Mid-Length Documentary
Moscow International Film Festival
SXSW
Film Forum, New York
One World International Film Festival

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Synopsis
Full synopsis

PHP is the best conditioned ship breaking site in Chittagong, a home to the world renowned ship breaking industry. However, the workers risk their lives while wrestling with thousands tons of iron pieces at the yards full of asbestos and toxic gases. There is always a chance for explosion while burning the waste oils trapped in stacks of iron. The workers could easily get crushed and killed while cutting or moving iron plates.

A forty nine year old Rufik is the head of a six member family. His income as a skilled gas cutter is 50 dollars a month. Although he spends his off days in woods 1.5 hours walk away gathering firewood, his income is never enough to pay for his daughter’s wedding. A baby daughter is born blind from a twenty one year old Belal while working with his younger brother in Chittagong. Belal almost lost his life by a heavy iron piece falling toward him. However, he can’t afford to go home to see his new born baby.

Most workers are from the north, the poorest part of Bangladesh that suffers from the chronic floods and cyclones. Those who collect waste oils and toxic asbestos are twelve year young laborers. The young boys also pull heavy metal wires. Despite the poor meals without much nutrition they eat at the dirty dormitory, the boys are happy for feeding their hungry stomachs. Nothing from a dismantled old ship is a waste. A rusty piece of iron and even waste oils mixed with mud are all recycled and sold through auctions. A half of the world retired ships are dismantled in Chittagong. Chittagong’s ship breaking industry provides 85% of the domestic needs of iron in Bangladesh where no iron is produced in.

One day a new retired ship comes to PHP. This life risking ship breaking job is a hope for the workers and their families.

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