Berlin-Based Bangladeshi filmmaker Shaheen Dill-Riaz's documentary "Iron-eaters" (German title "Eisenfresser") takes a close look at the lives and working conditions of ship-breakers working at Seetakunda, Chittagong. The title of the film hints at the almost superhuman endurance and drive that enables these destitute, desperate people to manually break apart colossal old ships, turning them into sheets of metal.

Men of "Monga-affected" north, migrate to the coastal areas in Bangladesh every year, looking for jobs. To survive and support their families back home, they take up jobs at the ship-breaking factories. These factories in our third-world country are the graves of run-down, obsolete and most-often toxic chemical carrying, ships from the first world countries. These labourers risk their lives everyday, turning ships into scrap metal. The product of their labour is used in construction in the cities; it is exported too. Certain individuals' pockets get fatter. But lives of the ship-breakers never change. They don't get helmets or even shoes. They are surrounded with toxic chemicals and gasses but they get no masks. There is no doctor, no stretcher. Like mules they are subjected to carry big and heavy loads.

After backbreaking labour, each worker gets Tk 80 per day. There is no guarantee of work the next day. There are days when they don't even get paid. Exploited by owners, middlemen and deputy-middlemen, these workers at times find themselves without the money to return home in North Bengal.

Dill-Riaz doesn't put in his opinion in the film. He doesn't have to. He lets the camera roll and the apparently "religious" and "just" factory owners reveal their "generosity".

The film generated much interest among the cine-enthusiasts at the Munich fest. Dill-Riaz's eye for technical details is apparent throughout the film.

Responding to the audience on 'why the environmental hazards of ship-breaking' was not focused, Dill-Riaz said that he wanted to highlight the particular issue of ship-breakers working in inhuman conditions. The filmmaker, however, said that he intends to make another documentary on the impact of ship-breaking on local environment.

"Iron-eaters" was also screened at an international documentary competition at Arnoldshain (near Frankfurt), held one week after the Munich film-fest. Dill-Riaz won the first prize at the competition.

Filmmaker Shabnam Ferdousi assisted Dill-Riaz in making "Iron-eaters". Lawrence Apu Rozario was in charge of the second unit camera. Sound recording was done by Abdus Sattar Ripon.

Translated by Karim Waheed