PRESENTED at this year’s El Gouna Film Festival, Bulgarian director Stephan Komandarev’s Made In EU offers a poignant glimpse into the harsh realities faced by workers in Europe’s beleaguered textile industry.

The narrative follows Iva, played by Gergana Pletnyova, a dedicated textile worker whose life reflects the relentless challenges that she and her colleagues confront daily. Each morning, before the sun rises, Iva and her fellow workers set out for a gruelling day, only to return home long after nightfall. Juggling the demands of providing for herself and her young son Misho, portrayed by Todor Kotsev, Iva’s struggles are compounded by her deteriorating health.

Despite suffering from a persistent cough and debilitating fatigue, she finds herself denied sick leave by her doctor. Pressured by her boss to keep working, even while running a fever, Iva’s story sheds light on the broader issues of worker exploitation and the sacrifices made in the pursuit of survival in an exploitative industry.

As the pandemic escalates, Iva becomes a tragic focal point when she tests positive for Covid-19, earning the media’s label of “patient zero.” Ironically, she has not taken a holiday in five years, fearing that missing a shift would result in a significant loss of income. The factory shifts blame onto her, threatening her job and legal repercussions, while the public’s response turns increasingly hostile. Iva is demonised, seen as a vector of infection, inciting a wave of violence and cruelty against her.

The narrative starkly highlights the plight of the impoverished, the stigma surrounding illness, and the communal scapegoating that ensues. A pivotal moment occurs when a co-worker’s husband dies, leading to her blaming Iva, encapsulating the tragic dynamic of the poor turning against one another, with the media obscuring the truth.

Through Made In EU, director Stephan Komandarev aims to ignite a critical dialogue about the disparity between the European Union’s promises and the grim realities of social justice and economic inequality. The film starkly contrasts the EU’s lofty ideals with the brutal realities of labour exploitation, drawing inspiration from the Clean Clothes Campaign, which has exposed the shocking labour practices in Bulgarian factories supplying Western brands.

Komandarev asserts that post-socialist Bulgaria remains a far from an equal member of the EU, instead functioning as a labour reservoir exploited by Euro-capitalism — a critique articulated with quiet clarity throughout the film.

Essential viewing for those invested in social justice, labour rights, and the pandemic’s human impact, Made In EU is a thought-provoking film that lingers long after the credits roll. With its compelling themes and powerful storytelling, it bears witness to the resilience of the human spirit while delivering a scathing critique of the systems that fail the most vulnerable among us. 

This film raises critical questions about labour rights, exploitation and the human cost of capitalism, making it a vital contribution to the ongoing conversation about the pandemic’s impact on marginalised communities — a topic that remains all too often overlooked.

A British release date for Made In EU is yet to be confirmed.