Metalworkers

Directed by Eduardo Coutinho and winner of The Grand Prize of Brazilian Cinema, the documentary Peoes (Metal Workers) recounts the story of 21 men and women workers who took part in the historic labor union strikes of 1979-80 in the metallurgic region called ABC in the State of Sao Paulo. The union was led by Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the man who was to become President of Brazil in 2002. In a series of interviews, the workers talk about their origins, their participation in the union movement, and the paths their lives took following the strikes. They describe the hardships and rewards of work in the factories, the effects their union activism had on their lives, and their personal views about Lula. The documentary was shot in the 30 days preceding the election of Lula as President of Brazil. —museum.oas.org