PRODUCTION: Berlin Producers WDR, ARTE
COUNTRY: Germany
YEAR: 2024
LENGTH: 80′
DIRECTED BY: Elke Sasse

Over one million migrants are engaged in agricultural harvesting in Europe: this is the labour force that fills the shelves of our supermarkets, moving from one area to another in search of a chance and better working conditions. Most of these migrants have no contracts, no minimum wages: many got into debt to get to Europe illegally and are undocumented. "The Pickers" is a journey into the fields where the fruit and vegetables we eat every day are grown: blueberries in Portugal, olives in Greece, strawberries in Spain, oranges in Italy. If the margins are not high enough, the farmers' solution is often to reduce the workers' wages, in a vicious circle from which there seems to be no way out. If the abuses in supply chains such as chocolate or coffee are well known, this reportage offers an exhaustive picture of the exploitation of illegal workers in the agricultural sector and asks whether there is an alternative to this system.