‘These women aren’t victims': director turns the spotlight on garment workers

Based on true stories, Rubaiyat Hossain's Made in Bangladesh challenges stereotypes while revealing the relentless pressure of fashion's supply chain

Rubaiyat Hossain's latest film, Made in Bangladesh, opens with a scene of pure, visceral panic: young garment workers trapped in a burning factory. Alarms blare, women scream and smoke fills the stairwells.

A fire or a building collapse is every garment worker's greatest fear," says Hossain. When filming the scene, the women seen desperately running for their lives didn't need much direction.