As visually mesmerizing as it is compelling, Shipbreakers takes the viewer into the heart of Alang, India, a vibrant shantytown where 40,000 people live and work in the most primitive conditions. Since the early '80s, the rusting hulks of thousands of the world's largest ships have been driven onto the remote beaches of Alang, off the Arabian Sea, to be dismantled, piece by piece. Sold for scrap, the ship owners rarely bother to abide by the UN Basel Convention, which bans shipments of transboundary waste. One worker a day, on average, dies on the job, some from explosions or falls, but many will contract cancers caused by asbestos, PCBs and other toxic substances. Shipbreakers vividly captures both the haunting beauty of the ships and the deplorable conditions of the workers--in an unforgettable portrayal where Third World ingenuity meets 21st century global economics. Directed by Ed Barreveld, Ted Biggs and Michael Kot - 2004 | 73 min Watch more free films on NFB.ca → http://bit.ly/YThpNFB Subscribe to our newsletter → http://bit.ly/NFBnewsletter Follow us on Facebook → http://bit.ly/ytfbNFB Follow us on Instagram → http://bit.ly/2FdmRol Follow us on Twitter → http://bit.ly/yttwNFB Download our free iOS Apps → http://apple.co/2dbva4h Download our free Android Apps → http://bit.ly/2dbvHmO