Bulgarian Filmmaker Documents Harsh Working Conditions in EU Textile Factories

Award-winning Bulgarian director Stefan Komandarev has created a documentary film titled "Made in EU" that exposes inhumane working conditions in Bulgarian textile factories, which he says are worse than those in Bangladesh. The film follows seamstress Iva Doneva, who works in a textile factory in a small Bulgarian town and endures 36-hour work shifts. When Doneva watched the completed film, she told the director it seemed like "a weak version of reality" compared to what workers actually experience. The documentary highlights the exploitation of workers in Bulgaria's textile industry, which produces clothing for international brands while operating under conditions that contradict European Union labor standards. Komandarev admitted he could not have imagined the extent of the harsh working conditions, including the marathon shifts that women are forced to work in these facilities.