by Vanessa Mangiavacca and Alice Capitani
In a country where unemployment appears to be dropping, yet where the inactivity rate and the working poor phenomenon rise, i.e. people with employment and incomes who cannot afford the bare essentials for a decent life, one wonders what “work” really means.
Working has always meant serving others in exchange for a wage that allows one to live respectably, to the point of becoming (at least in our western and capitalist society) part of one’s identity. But what does it mean now, in a historical period in which many are not able to fulfill themselves or even survive, despite having a regular job? What should we do if our society requires us to produce until exhaustion without giving anything back besides economic concern, exacerbation of social inequalities and eco-anxiety?
Maybe we should ponder over the social, economic, political, and cultural challenges that are involved in working in order to gain more awareness of ourselves, socioeconomic statuses and the ongoing discrimination.
The focus to Get to Work 2026 is coming back for the second year: among frustration, alienation, corruption, technology, and artificial intelligence, t stories about fight and hope find their place as well. And the message and call to action we wish to convey is depicted on the that we choose as cover of our focus: join the human side.
Films featured:
Antigona, Ibër Deari & Mirsad Abazi, North Macedonia, 2025, documentary, 20′
Buda, Raphaël Kaddour, Belgium, 2025, documentary, 24′
Daily Worker, Ting Su, USA, China, 2025, documentary, 10′
Empty Your Pockets, Tara Aghdashloo, Canada, UK, Iran, 2024, fiction, 20′
Their Eyes, Nicolas Gourault, France, 2025, documentary, 22′
We Were Here, Pranav Bhasin, India, 2025, fiction, 10′