Happy New Year!

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Posted by:  Cathy and Len

THREADS poster design by Lynn StevensonWe wish everyone a happy and healthy 2016!  You can read our end-of-year recap newsletter here.

2015 has been a year filled with activity for Threads, and we look forward to announcing more exciting news soon.  Please keep following the list of screenings on our home page and Facebook, and do contact us at info@kanthathreads.com if you or someone you know would like to host a screening of the film.

As we noted in the newsletter, we are fundraising to dub the English portions of Threads into Bangla, and to travel to Bangladesh to show the film to a number of audiences, including in the slum where our friends from Spreeha work.  Please consider a tax-deductible year-end contribution to these efforts via the International Documentary Association.

Thanks to everyone who has helped us so much this year, especially to Lynn Stevenson who designed beautiful posters, flyers, bookmarks and postcards.

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THREADS latest news

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Posted by:  Len

Here is the link to the latest newsletter from Threads.  As you can see in the newsletter, and from the growing list of laurels on the website homepage, the film is reaching a wider and wider audience.  If you know of people or places that should host a screening of this film, please have them contact us or let us know how we can reach them.  info@kanthathreads.com.

One of our next goals is to dub the English portions of the film into Bangla so that we can show it widely in Bangladesh.  We hope to have exciting news soon about when Threads will screen there.

Thanks again to everyone who has supported Threads!  We could not have come this far without your help.

Surayia in a scene from THREADS. Filmed by Mishuk Munier.

Surayia in a scene from THREADS. Filmed by Mishuk Munier.

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A Remarkable Person — Surayia’s Friend Sister Joseph Mary

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Posted by Cathy and Len

One of the most inspiring parts of making Threads has been the opportunity to meet so many remarkable people who were touched by Surayia over the years.  Among the most remarkable are the Sisters of the Holy Cross, who came to Bengal — modern day Bangladesh — with a mission to educate women.  Holy Cross College in Dhaka, one of the schools they founded, remains to this day a premier institution of learning for women.

We were saddened to hear of the recent death of Sister Joseph Mary, formerly head of the College.  We met her in late 2010 when we visited Dhaka doing research for Threads.  Sister Joseph Mary was a wonderful, wise and determined woman who loved Bangladesh and spoke fondly of her memories of Surayia.  She and colleague Sister Perpetua were interviewed on camera by Mishuk Munier, and their insights into Surayia’s life and art helped us immensely as we worked on Threads.

When we visited, Sister Joseph Mary took us on a tour of Holy Cross, showing us the artwork — including some by Surayia — that helps to enrich the learning experience of the young women studying there.  After the tour Anil Advani did a blog post with a photo of Sister Joseph Mary that captures the essence of this unique woman.

Sister returned to the United States from her beloved Bangladesh in 2014.  We were fortunate to be able to make arrangements with the residence where she and Sister Perpetua were living to show them Threads.  Holy Cross Sisters Joseph Mary, Perpetua and Margaret Shield, among others, knew and encouraged Surayia and her children at critical stages in their lives.  Thank you for your selfless devotion!

Sr. Joseph Mary shows Cathy some of the art at Holy College. Photo by Anil Advani.

Sr. Joseph Mary shows Cathy some of the art at Holy College.   Photo by Anil Advani.

 

 

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Where THREADS will be screening in April!

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Posted by: Len

Threads is moving out into the world.  Thanks to your help, this inspiring documentary will be available in coming days to audiences of cinema lovers including film industry executives and distributors.

—  VISIONS DU REEL:  Starting April 17 Threads will be available in the Media Library at the Visions du Reel Film Festival in Nyon, Switzerland.  Anyone with an industry pass can view the film onsite during the festival and online for six months.  Please check out our listing in the Medial Library catalog and click the Facebook “like” button.

—  JULIEN DUBUQUE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL:  We are very excited to be in this festival in Dubuque, Iowa, since Surayia has a strong connection to the state.  As we’ve mentioned in an earlier post, Surayia sold her artwork in the late 1960s through the gift shop at the Des Moines Art Center.  Those sales, which were arranged by a woman from Iowa who was temporarily staying in East Pakistan, came at a crucial time in Surayia’s life and helped her to build her house.

At the festival, Threads will be screening three times in a program (DOC I) with three other short documentaries:

*  Thursday, April 23 at 1:30PM at Stan’s

*  Friday, April 24 at 9:00AM at Stan’s and

*  Sunday, April 26 at 3:30PM at Vinny Vannuchi’s

If you are in the area, please attend!

—  HOT DOCS:  For those with an industry pass, Threads will be available in the Doc Shop and viewable for 12 months online.  Cathy will be attending Hot Docs and looks forward to stimulating films — including Drawing the Tiger by Seattle film makers Amy Benson and Scott Squire — and stimulating conversations.

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Celebrating International Women’s Day

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Posted by:  Cathy and Len

We are happy to join people around the world celebrating International Women’s Day March 8.

On this day, we particularly salute women artists who open doors to economic opportunity, preserve culture and foster creativity and community development.   Artisan enterprise today is the second largest employer after agriculture in the developing world, and, as Threads shows, the work of artisans can have a ripple effect, positively impacting the lives of generations.

We encourage everyone to think about handmade goods when making consumer choices and to support living artists whenever possible.  We believe that a world without poverty is possible, and that each of us can make a difference toward this goal.

Surayia and the women she worked with share their skills and together create timeless art. With creativity and determination, they feed and educate their children.  We salute their accomplishments.

 

 

 

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