Baltic Cinema: The Nothing Factory

What if the workers were the bosses? In The Nothing Factory, the employees reject their managers’ attempts to divide and rule.
About this Event

Baltic Cinema: The Nothing Factory (adv 12)
Saturday 5 December | 14:30
£6/£4.50* per person

What if the workers were the bosses? In The Nothing Factory, the employees reject their managers’ attempts to divide and rule and instead occupy their own factory — with unpredictable but profound consequences.

The Nothing Factory
A Fábrica de Nada
Dir. Pedro Pinho Portugal 2017 2hr 57mins

One night, a group of workers realises that the administration is stealing machines and raw materials from their own factory. As they organise to survey the equipment and block the relocation of production, they are forced to stand at their posts with no work to do, as a form of retaliation, while negotiations over general lay-offs take place. The pressure leads to a breakdown of the workers along with the world around them.

Inspired by the true story of the Fataleva lift factory, which was run by its own employees for over 40 years following Portugal’s Carnation Revolution in 1974, between 1975 and 2016, The Nothing Factory relocates the collective takeover to the present, against a familiar backdrop of neoliberal decline which echoes other Portuguese films of the same time in subject and approach, especially Miguel Gomes’ Arabian Nights trilogy.

‘A film that boldly goes where it needs to go’ —Little White Lies

‘The enigmatic story is acted with sincerity and force’ —The Guardian

Watch Trailer

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Doors open 14:00; Film starts 14:30. Drinks are available from Baltic Kitchen and may be taken into the auditorium.

Please note we cannot offer refunds on this event.
*Concessions: under 18s, unwaged & 65+

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Together! Solidarity and Community on Screen

November 2026 – March 2027

What makes a community? What brings people together and gives them common purpose? And just what is possible when that common purpose yields strength and resolve — to resist, to maintain, to survive?

In response to our exhibition Close to Home, the films in this season all circle ideas of community and solidarity and ask key questions about the limits of each. They are rooted in stories of working-class lives, from across different countries and times, from Gateshead to Prague via Helsinki. They explore the most basic conditions of life – labour and housing – and the determination, integrity and compassion to fight the erosion of those conditions.

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Baltic Cinema

Baltic Cinema is a new year-round cinema programme at Baltic, lighting up our Level 1 Cinema with the best new and archive films. Bringing otherwise rarely-screened work to the North East, Baltic Cinema also expands our exhibitions, offering a chance to explore further some of the themes they raise.

Supported by Film Hub North with National Lottery funding on behalf of the BFI Film Audience Network.

Accessibility

We want our events to be inclusive and accessible. If you have any accessibility requests or questions, please email [email protected]. Ahead of your visit, you can find out about Baltic's facilities and accessibility here.