Survivors Of The Largest Humanitarian Crisis

What I love most about my job as a filmmaker is that it opens doors to understand things that I did not before. It’s served as a vehicle to not just see the world, but to hear stories far and wide of tragedy and triumph. And it’s these stories that have given me a greater sense of urgency to pursue the things that really matter.

I got the opportunity to travel to Bangladesh to document a behind the scenes look into the garment and textile industry. Telling the story of what a few heroic individuals are pioneering in the wake of the greatest humanitarian crisis in recorded history. To give some context, Bangladesh is one of the largest exporters of garments and textiles in the entire world. Chances are your house is probably filled with Bangladeshi produced goods. Clothes, hand bags, blankets, rugs and more. And given the global over-consumption of fast fashion and the resources Bangladesh has to offer via employees and raw material, the factory conditions have been historically atrocious. And eventually, a crisis that caught the attention of the world, took place on the morning of April 24, 2013.

The Rana Plaza tragedy is the considered the deadliest industrial crisis in recorded history. Over 1,100 factory workers lost their lives as this eight story factory collapsed to the ground in broad daylight. On the surface, the cause of the building collapse was due to the structural integrity being compromised but human lives were put in danger when the owner of this factory ordered that all employees were to enter the building, despite worrying and obvious warning signs, in order to keep their jobs. And as a result, 1,100 people lost their lives due to gross negligence of human rights. A disaster for Bangladeshis and an ugly spotlight on the impossible demands that the fast fashion industry can have on humanity.

This is where our story begins. Kazi Hossain was one of many rescue volunteers on the scene at Rana Plaza. Digging through the skulls and bones of his own people, he made a decision that something has to change. Over the next decade Kazi has worked tirelessly to ensure that nothing like this would ever happen again and later that same year he opened the doors to Oporajeo Enterprises. A small jute bag factory designed to honor and protect garment factory workers in an effort to revolutionize the industry from the inside out. To create opportunities for garment artisans to earn better wages, work in better conditions and create a sustainable future for themselves and their families. A quote from our film that summarizes what our purpose there was: “Fast fashion is cheap in money. But it cost thousands and millions of workers lives. Their blood, their sweat. That is the actual cost of fast fashion.” - Kazi. Battling government regulations and competing factories charging lower prices, Kazi decided to nam his cooperative Oporajeo. Because Oporajeo means invincible. It’s become a workshop that is spearheading the path of the future for garment factories around the world.

Being a freelance documentarist has this bittersweet mystery to it. Often times, I don’t know what my next project will be. Or where in the world that it will take me. But during our time in Bangladesh, I became grateful to be invited into stories like this. It’s one thing to read about these tragedies but to be there in person, face to face, with survivors of this kind of pain… To hear their stories, see their courage and understand their heart… it’s beautiful. It helps me understand things that I did not before. And in this instance, has given me perspective and responsibility to be wiser with my consumerism. To understand where my garments are coming from and how they are produced. To consume less. It may cost a little extra, but human lives are worth it.