This quick documentary chronicles the daily life and varied testimony of those living and working in the Center for Traditional Textiles of Cusco located deep in the Andes of Peru. Master weavers, acolyte apprentices, shepherds, and administrators all give their testimony about the effects of their schooling or work at the Center.
On display throughout the film are displays of classic and ancient Andean designs and colors—whether decorating the walls of the buildings, in their hands and looms as they work, or on their bodies. These rural mountain cultures are often in cultural decline as extractive industries and other economic forces deny them access to ancestral lands and traditional modes of subsistence.
All the subjects interviewed for this short documentary praise the efforts of the Center for Traditional Textiles for giving them a place to learn and preserve an ancient and valuable craft that had all but disappeared in the gulf of time between the Spanish conquest and today.
While this is an interesting study that dips into history, ethnography, and traditional crafts, the informational value of Following the Thread is limited. At many points, this seems like a film crafted in the hopes of renewing a government grant or for a display to shareholders. While Andean culture is mentioned often and displayed through weaving and needlework, there is little narration about it and the history is barely touched on.
That being said, this film would be most valuable displayed alongside other similar titles for a college class or a festival of Andean culture or art. The weaving on display is both beautiful and masterful. We see the entire process from shearing the sheep, spinning the thread by hand, cleaning and dying the wool, through the weaving process to the completed products.
While this documentary isn’t the strongest, it may prove a valuable resource, especially to university professors teaching courses on Andean and Peruvian culture or history both for its short runtime and excellent examples of Peruvian indigenous textile culture. University librarians should give this title more serious consideration based on their need for such resources, but for all library shelves, Following the Thread is recommended.
What academic subjects would this title be useful for?
Professors of Andean history and culture would find the most use for this film, but anyone studying history, textiles, traditional crafts, art, and cultural preservation would find value in this short documentary.