28/08/2026
WORK WORK WORK
We are back on track with a fresh new cycle dedicated to the working class and the films that have emerged from it!
The screenings will take place, as usual, at the CAB building (ETH Zentrum) and will begin at 19:30. This semester, we are also continuing our collaborations with local cinemas, with two screenings taking place at Filmpodium Zürich and one at Kinos Riffraff/Houdini — details coming soon.
Here is part of the concept behind the theme:
Whether it be a kitchen in New York, a rice field in Italy, or a factory in the Soviet Union, these places are united by their depictions of hierarchies between employers and employees, and of people’s struggle to earn a living wage. As director B**g Joon Ho once succinctly put it: “Essentially we all live in the same country called capitalism.”
The result is a series of bizarre spaces, like the supermarket in The Store, the office in Clockwatchers, and the amusement park in The World.
In these spaces, the characters become an interchangeable human resource. A workplace injury here, a lay-off there — it’s only a matter of time before the workers fall into crisis, or unite and revolt. In some films they do so quietly; in others, not so much.
Work, however, is more than just a fight for survival. The films in this program also show how tightly work is tied to community, identity, and purpose.
You will see a pastor lose his faith and injured factory workers inspire newfound belief. You will see friendships made and families undone. You will see scientists at the end of the world and immigrants at the start of a new life.
See you at Filmstelle!
Graphic:liselotte
