MA Visual Anthropology graduate film showcased in Second World War museum
Marianna 艁oboda鈥檚 graduation film was screened in Gda艅sk, Poland, for documenting cases of unpaid labour in a Polish petrochemical investment project.
Marianna 艁oboda, 2025 MA Visual Anthropology graduate, was invited to showcase her graduation film, (Dis)connnection, earlier this year at the Second World War museum in Gda艅sk.
Based on her final MA project, (Dis)connnection highlighted the issue of unpaid labour at a Polish petrochemical investment project. Following the screening, the film was discussed by a national labour inspector, and a representative from the Polish Migration Forum.
Marianna was also invited to screen her film in other major cities across Poland, including Warsaw, Wroc艂aw, Krak贸w.
While screening the film, I felt stressed, but at the same time deeply happy to be able to share the story of the people I worked with. I plan to screen this film and organise discussions in other cities in Poland, as I believe it is a good starting point for conversations about how policies that isolate migrants affect their lives and enable governments to shape our perceptions of people who come from other countries.
To address the cases of unpaid labour during her fieldwork, Marianna approached journalists for news coverage, filed official complaints with the National Labour Inspectorate and the Polish Ombudsman and contacted the Ministry of State Assets.
She also approached politicians and distributed brochures to raise awareness about the rights of migrant workers in Poland.
Since the film鈥檚 release, the company administering the project changed its subcontractor agreement practices to address the issues highlighted in the film, and the national labour inspector has imposed financial penalties on companies that withhold salaries from migrants. Marianna also learned that the affected workers received their outstanding salaries.
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