Synopsis
A journey through the history and art of silk production in Iran, from silkworm cocoon to finished woven fabric – a living testimony to Iran's cultural diversity.Iran's silk-weaving tradition goes back 2500 years. For a long time, looking after the silkworms, spinning the delicate threads and weaving exquisitely colourful silk fabrics by hand provided people in rural areas with a secure livelihood and was central to Persian culture. In recent decades, over half of all forests have been destroyed and with them the habitat of innumerable silkworms. Today, almost only industrially produced fabrics from Asia are imported into Iran. An artist couple from Tehran has made it their mission to revitalise traditional Iranian silk weaving and save the Persian patterns from being lost and forgotten. For more than twenty years, the couple has been committed to preserving the work of the women silk weavers. They're concerned not just with preserving an ancient craft, but also with identity and the right of Iranian women to wear traditionally colourful, patterned fabrics. They also want to protect the environment by re-establishing old mulberry trees and creating jobs and new opportunities for young people in rural areas again.