Zanon: Heart of the Factory is a 2008 documentary about the workers of the Zanon ceramic factory in Argentina who, after the owner shut it down during the 2001 economic crisis, occupied the factory and began operating it as a worker-controlled cooperative called Fábrica sin Patrones (FASINPAT). The film chronicles their struggle to keep the factory running without bosses, a constant challenge against a political and economic system that tries to boycott them, and the internal struggles they face as they pioneer a new way of working without bosses, managers or class hierarchy.
“We didn’t work for a living, we lived to work,” sighs a woman in reference to her employment history. Luckily things are different now. The employees of Zanon, a tile factory in the northwest of Argentina, have been in control ever since the director declared the company bankrupt in 2001. For the time being, things are going well for the new Zanon; there’s even been some new job creation. The key idea is the word , which stands for collegiality, solidarity and a fair distribution of work and income.
In the midst of the production process and in measured tone, the discuss the direction of their company. It’s no easy task keeping things on track in a political and economic climate that isn’t crazy about the workers’ control. With support from the local population, the employees have managed to withstand various attempts at eviction. Nevertheless, the biggest threat would appear to come from within: the self-determination they have obtained has increased their personal responsibility. But that demands a persistent and productive fundamental attitude. The age-old tradition of heavy-handed repression and shameless corruption that Argentina is famous for can’t be wiped away in just a few years. But the fire of change is burning strong enough, just as the factory ovens have never stopped burning.
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