El Contrato

El Contrato
Directed byMin Sook Lee
Written byMin Sook Lee
Produced byKaren King-Chigbo
CinematographyDavid Patrick
John Westheuser
Edited byKatharine Asals
Music byEdgardo Moreno
Production
company
Release date
Running time
52 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguagesEnglish
Spanish

El Contrato (lit. "The Contract") is a Canadian documentary film, directed by Min Sook Lee and released in 2003.[1] The film portrays the harsh living conditions of exploited migrant workers from Mexico who are working as farm labourers in Leamington, Ontario.[2]

The film premiered at the Bloor Cinema on September 24, 2003,[3] but the farmers depicted in the film issued a SLAPP suit which delayed the film's wider release.[4] After the lawsuit was cleared, the film received further film festival screenings in 2004,[2] before being broadcast by TVOntario on January 12, 2005.[5]

Lee subsequently returned to the theme of migrant workers in her 2016 film Migrant Dreams, which centred on similar exploitation of Indonesian temporary migrant workers.[6]

  1. ^ Christopher Hutsul, "Migrant workers suffer in Ontario; Lack of support moved filmmaker to make documentary Mexican towns also suffer as men leave for eight months". Toronto Star, September 24, 2003.
  2. ^ a b Vik Kirsch, "Migrant workers decry 'slavery'". Guelph Mercury, October 18, 2004.
  3. ^ Jennifer Bain, "Ontario's 'invisible' workforce The hands of harvest; More than 14,000 Mexican and Caribbean labourers come here each year to tend to our farms A documentary exploring Ontario's 'invisible workforce' premieres tonight". Toronto Star, September 24, 2003.
  4. ^ Sharon Hill, "Film angers greenhouse operators". Windsor Star, September 25, 2003.
  5. ^ Bill Currie, "TVO film will focus on plight of Mexican farm workers". St. Catharines Standard, December 28, 2004.
  6. ^ Jacobs, Jonas (May 1, 2016). "POV Profile: Min Sook Lee". Point of View.