The Tentmakers of Cairo

Filmed over three years—from the 2011 Egypt Uprising that resulted in the removal of President Hosni Mubarak through the 2013 protests in which President Mohamed Morsi was replaced by Abdel Fattah el-Sisi—Kim Beamish's documentary focuses on a group of men who work in the “tentmaker” tapestry art trade in Egypt. Alternating between footage of the men stitching, haggling with customers, musing about business details (including a partnership with the American Quilter's Society), and daily life (viewers see a cow killed and distributed for food, and a merchant fending off a very insistent beggar woman), The Tentmakers of Cairo follows the men as they smoke cigarettes, grumble about politics, and think about the future (international groups seem more interested in their handiwork than people in their homeland). Although somewhat bleak and sometimes confusing, this is an often interesting look at the intersection of global politics and handicrafts. A strong optional purchase. Aud: C, P. (J. Williams-Wood)