SREEPUR VILLAGE / Film Direction & Production
With the mark of third anniversary of the Rana Plaza collapse in Dhaka, Bangladesh, also known as the deadliest garment factory accident in history. On April 24, 2013, the eight-story building, which had well-known structural issues (such as more floors than originally permitted, poor construction materials, and visible cracks), crumbled under the weight of the machines and workers inside. The death toll was 1,127.
Garment workers rioted in the weeks after the accident, and the owner of Rana Plaza, Sohel Rana, was eventually arrested. But it raised concern around the world that this could happen again—Rana Plaza is likely just one of thousands of unsafe factories in the South Asian region. With this film we wanted to find a way to help the affected families and bring awareness to the issue in collaboration with Sreepur Village Organization to sell 1,127 handwoven scarves of the 1127 Project—one for each life lost.
The proceeds from each scarf directly assist the families of the victims, but we also hope it will revive the global conversation about garment industry issues.