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Workingman’s Death

Screenings Thurs., Dec. 10, 7 p.m.
a still from a movie of people working.
Michael Glawogger, Workingman’s Death (film still), 2005, courtesy of Michael Glawogger
When
Thurs., Dec. 10, 2026, 7–10 p.m.
Where
Art Theater
Tickets
Tickets available April 2026

A film by Michael Glawogger

Workingman’s Death (Austria) is a global portrait of dangerous labour in the modern world. Structured in five chapters, it travels from Ukrainian coal miners working in abandoned pits, to Indonesian sulphur carriers walking into volcanic craters, to Nigerian slaughterhouse workers processing animals in open-air chaos, to Pakistani ship breakers dismantling vessels by hand, and finally Chinese steelworkers performing in a statesponsored spectacle. Each segment observes workers pushing their bodies to the limit for survival, framed against collapsing industries, economic desperation, and shifting global markets. The film contrasts physical suffering, camaraderie, and ingenuity with the invisibility of labour in wealthy societies. As industrial work disappears in some places and mutates into spectacle in others, the documentary suggests that sacrifice, exploitation, and human resilience remain constant. It ends by reflecting on whether these brutal jobs will vanish or simply reappear in new forms, questioning what kind of dignity is possible in a world built on labour.

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Carnegie Museum of Art Film Series

The 2026 Carnegie Museum of Art Film Series, programmed by Kivu Ruhorahoza, gathers films that harness the power of visual poetry to honor and celebrate the human spirit under pressure. Across histories marked by colonialism and imperialism, and within the quiet or collective gestures of defiance amid political turmoil, these works illuminate stories of resistance and endurance. The narratives on screen, as well as the stories behind the making of these films, affirm community, interconnectedness, and resistance. Resisting political determinism. Resisting cynicism and moral compromise. Resisting intellectual sloth and civic inaction. Resisting fear. Each film interweaves striking imagery with profound social insight, revealing how individuals and communities navigate oppression, upheaval, and transformation. Through their lyrical language, these films not only document struggle, but also celebrate the resilience, creativity, and hope that continue to surface even in the most challenging circumstances.