The Golden Thread

The Golden Thread

The Golden Thread

2022, India, BiH, Netherlands, Norway, United Kingdom, 86, Nishtha Jain

Synopsis

In the heyday of the jute industry, millions of people in Bengal made their living doing this laborious work, which has hardly changed since the industrial revolution. The 100-year-old machinery has been endlessly repaired. State aid kept this sustainable alternative to plastic going, but its future looks bleak.

In beautifully composed shots, Nishtha Jain (Gulabi Gang [2012], Lakshmi and Me [2007]) shows the last vestiges of the industry. She follows the entire production chain, from cutting and drying the reed along the river to weaving in two of the biggest mills in the area. Along endless rows of antique looms, the air thick with dusty fibers, workers carry out their routine work. Accidents and jammed machines are commonplace; workers’ faces reveal the exhaustion of a lifetime of labor.

Meanwhile, the union is fighting for a minimum wage equivalent to 250 US dollars a month. During their break, the workers speak out. “Nowadays nobody cares about quality, just more production,” says one. Not long afterwards, one of the mills closes its doors after more than a hundred years.

World Premiere: IDFA 2022 - Masters, FIPADOC 2023, Movies That Matter 2023, San Sebastian Human Rights Film Festival 2023, DOK.fest München 2023, Festival International Jean Rouch 2023, DOC-Cévennes 2023, Festival Internacional de Cine Medioambiental de Canaria 2023, EU-Asia Doc Fest 2023, Festival International du Film de Nancy 2023, Five Lakes Filmfestival 2023, Zurich Film Festival 2023, Montrose LandxSea Film Fest 2023, 🏆 Le Grand Bivouac 2023 - Grand Jury Award, 🏆 Provinziale 2023 - Jury Award "The Prickle", 🏆 Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles 2023 - Audience Award,🏆 Cine Eco Seia 2023 - Best Long International Documentary, 🏆 DokuBaku 2023 - DocuDarwin Award, 🏆 DOXA Documentary Film Festival 2023 - Special Jury Mention, Independent FilmFest Osnabrück 2023, Verzio Doc Film Festival 2023, Buffalo Film Festival 2023, MAMI Mumbai Film Festival 2023, This Human World 2023, Anthropological Film Festival Jerusalem 2023, Dharamshala International Film Festival 2023, Hainan Island International Film Festival 2023,🏆 International Documentary Film Festival “ Cinema Verite” 2023 - Best Feature Film, Pune International Film Festival 2024, Diorama International Film Festival & Market 2024, Kolkata People's Film Festival 2024, Bergamo Film Meeting 2024, Take One Action 2024, International Film Festival Innsbruck 2024, Taiwan International Documentary Festival 2024, Mumbai International Film Festival 2024, FIFOI (Indian Ocean) 2024, World Film Festival Kolkata 2024
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