About “COMPLICIT” Yi Yeting’s brave fight to expose the dangers from cell phone manufacturing in China’s largest factory is documented by Heather White in the film “COMPLICIT.” In this lush and moving documentary, White and co-directer Lynn Zhang trace the journey by millions of young people from China’s farmlands to its electronics factory floors. The search for a better life is elusive to many of these workers, who must cope with work-related illnesses in a country without medical benefits or workers compensation. “COMPLICIT” details dozens of stories of young workers who became ill at their jobs, the Chinese government’s shuttering of worker advocacy offices, and the growing movement outside China to protect exposed workers. It documents the government’s efforts to isolate protagonist Yi as he reveals the truth behind the dangers that lie in the production of the world’s computers and cell phones. First released in 2017, “COMPLICIT” has been screened at 40 film festivals and has won nine international festival awards. Shortly after the documentary’s release, Apple agreed to ban the use of benzene and n-hexane in its cellular phone production, but do these factories continue to ignore Chinese regulations, which are rarely enforced?
