A DECENT FACTORY (SÄÄDYLLINEN TEHDAS)
Finnland / Frankreich 2004 – Director: Thomas Balmès – Original language: English, Finnish – Subtitles: English – Length: 79 min.
"The one and only social responsibility of business is to make profits."- Milton Friedman, Nobel Prize in Economics
In a world of Global culture and trade how can business and ethics ever go hand in hand? Hanna Kaskinen, an ethical business advisor for the Finnish mobile giant Nokia, and her English colleague Louise Jamison visit Nokia's factories in China to check the working conditions on site. As we witness the harsh reality for hard-working factory girls on the production line and the obvious moral discomfort of those paid to supervise them we cannot help but question the responsibility of western dominated businesses which tread the fine line between profit margins and ethical trading standards.
A Decent Factory is a tragicomic film that faces the problems of modern Western economies head on. There is no voice-over to tell us what to think but the advisor's report details numerous violations of the laws surrounding minimum wage and working conditions in the Chinese factory. Can Nokia balance the account books but also show that the company has a heart?
English/Original Title: A Decent Factory. Camera: Thomas Balmès. Sound: Mervi Junkkonen, Pirkko tiitinen, Tuomas Klaavo. Editing: Catherine Gouze. Production: Makring Movies Oy / Margot Films / Artline Film. Producer: Kaarle Aho / Thomas Balès / Oliver Mille. International Sales: TV 2 World Sales.
