Losers and Winners

Germany 2006 / 96min. German, Chinese with English subtitles.
Directors Ulrike Franke, Michael Loeken / Producer Michael Loeken

For one and a half years, filmmakers Franke and Loeken watched as a gigantic industrial site is dismantled, documenting the stories accompanying its disappearance — how the coke workers in the industrial Ruhr Region experienced the arrival and working methods of the Chinese; their feelings upon seeing their pride and joy vanish along with what was the most modern coke factory in the world; but also the strain and conflicts the Chinese workers faced during their 60-hour work week far away from home and family, caught between euphoria and doubts about their future.

Two worlds collide. But who is ultimately the winner and who is the loser?

With intimate access to an industrial marvel, and to subjects who are decidedly frank in their admonition of each other, the film explores the dicey cultural dynamics between two countires facing very different futures.

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