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There is a lot of hype about the movies and stars in contention for the Palme d'Or at the film festival at Cannes. But did you know that Cannes also hosts another important
film festival — for documentary films. And the winner at the 2008 festival held last month is a filmmaker from Dubai. Producer and director Soniya Kirpalani beat 73,000 films
backed by major production houses to win the Cannes Co-production Challenge for her still-under-production documentary titled Threads of Tradition.
Kirpalani's project is a six part documentary that explores the challenges faced by the eastern fashion design industry by following the personal journeys of five leading Asian
fashion designers. Kirpalani and her co-director, Dhruv Dhawan, have been working on this film for over a year and have travelled across the region to follow these iconic
designers as they struggle to build their brands and help revive traditional crafts in their countries and the region.
Surprise win
“Since my film is self-financed, it was not eligible to enter the Cannes Co-production Challenge, which traditionally accepts only documentaries co-produced by major
international producers. But I convinced the organisers to give me an opportunity to present my pitch. I never expected to win. My only reason for being there was to get
international broadcasters interested in my film so that it can reach a wider audience around the world," says Kirpalani. “And we now have the support of leading names from
over 32 countries such as HBO, Discovery and the France 5 channel," she adds.
Kirpalani has a deep interest in art, fashion and films and studied directing and acting at Trinity College, London and with Bollywood veteran Asha Chandra.
“My passion for design and my belief that our time has come motivated me to make Threads of Tradition. Asian countries have a rich tradition and history of design and
craftsmanship, but for too long we have been an outsource base for others. It is time for us to stop being the sweat shop of the world and to break the shackles of this
neo-colonialism to build our own national brands and give our craftsmen and the 23 million workers in this industry their due," says Kirpalani.
“The five designers featured in my film are visionaries, who are struggling to protect the fabric of tradition that is being bleached by a new wave of commercial colonialism,"
she adds.
Fair deal
And Kirpalani picked these protagonists with care. In India, she chose Lecoanet Hemant, who moved their successful business from France to India. The two designers of
Indian, French and German origin are experimenting with recycled and eco-friendly fabrics and working hard to set international standards in the local industry and ensure a
fair deal for craftsmen. In Bangladesh, she is follows the story of Bibi Russell, a top model, who gave up her career at its peak, to help revive traditional crafts thus providing
employment for over 40,000 craftsmen. The film also covers Russell's work in a project to help weavers in rural Rajasthan.
Rizwan Beyg and Maheen Khan's stories focus on the development of the fashion industry and the fashion design guild in Pakistan, while Andre Kim's journey highlights the
struggles of a designer who has risen above the mass markets to become Korea's first national brand. The film also tells the story of Emirati Zahra Karmostaji, a self-taught
designer who recently became the first Arab to showcase traditional Arabic garments at the Miami Fashion Week and also won the best evening wear designer award at the
event.
‘Touching stories'
Kirpalani will soon travel to Sri Lanka to film the progress of a project through which Lecoanet Hemant and Bibi Russell are helping to develop weaving villages in tsunami hit
areas of the country.
“We have interviewed leading political leaders, design icons, celebrities and, most importantly, the workers toiling behind the scenes of this glamorous industry to present
inspiring and touching human stories and highlight socio-political issues in our quest to define ethical fashion," says Kirpalani.
“We have dared to ask questions about globalisation and its effects on emerging eastern economies. And we have revealed the dark reality of craftspersons surviving on two
dollars for 12 hours of painstaking work, capturing their pride, pain and their undying passion for their craft," she adds.
Soniya Kirpalani
Soniya Kirpalani's film ventures include an Indo-Pak production and a reality series for major television channels in the region as well as corporate films for leading fashion
houses. Besides Threads of Tradition, she is currently working on two other documentaries also dealing with socio-political issues concerning the fashion industry in the
region.
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