Philadelphia-based Ferasha Films in partnership with Servants to Asia’s Urban Poor premieres “Threads of Hope,” the story of hope and triumph for underclass women inKolkata, India. The event includes an after party with musician Phillip LaRue.
PHILADELPHIA (July 6, 2010) — From the impoverished streets of Kolkata,
India comes Threads of Hope, a 30-minute documentary about the struggles
of underclass women living there by Ferasha Films, a company founded by
Drexel University student Amanda Ibrahim. The film will premiere on October
8 at 7 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church in Bethlehem at 2344 Center Street at
the Kirk Center. Immediately following the film, BEC Recordings artist singer/
songwriter Philip LaRue will present a concert of original music inspired by his
experiences in Kolkata. The cost for the event is $5 in advance, and $10 at the
door. Tickets go on sale August 1, 2010 on ferashafilms.com. All proceeds will go
to ConneXions India project in conjunction with Servants to Asia’s Urban Poor.
About 1.3 billion people in the world live under the international poverty line and
70 percent are women. In all 456 million Indian people live in poverty. Threads of
Hope tells the story of women who work, live and raise their children in the slums
of Kolkata. It tells how these women’s lives have been transformed through the
support of ConneXions, a vocational training center in Kolkata, India, which crafts
recycled saris into blankets, bags, and other fair trade products. The goal of
ConneXions is to empower women who live in extreme poverty by teaching them
skills to use in the textile industry.
Threads of Hope spotlights the lives of two women, Shibani and Krishna,
whose lives are transformed through fair trade. Widowed and pregnant, Krishna
had very few options in supporting her two children, but now she is able to
send them to school through the money she earns at ConneXions. Filmmaker
Amanda Ibrahim was particularly impacted by Krishna’s story. “When Krishna’s
husband passed away, she was left alone with her two children. Her brother-
in-law married her to help her out. But in the end he left her, so now she lives
in a slum community and supports her family only through fair trade earnings,”
explains Ibrahim. The documentary also includes short interviews with four
other women and shows the positive impact that fair trade has on their lives.
The premiere of Threads of Hope will include a photo and art gallery with stories
of how women’s lives have been changed through fair trade. The gallery will also
feature handmade Indian textiles made by these women for sale to raise money
to benefit ConneXions’ work in India.
About Amanda Ibrahim and Ferasha Films
Amanda Ibrahim, an honors student, is a senior at Drexel University, majoring in
Entertainment & Arts Management. Ibrahim founded Ferasha Films in
2008 as she set out to film a documentary about street kids in Rwanda
called “Umuryango.” She recently won a seed grant through the “Do Something”
organization in June 2010. During the summer of 2009, she interned at CBS
News in New York City and hopes to pursue a career in TV production. Born
and raised in Allentown, PA, she is a graduate of Parkland High School.
Ibrahim is passionate about using her visual arts talents to bring attention to
the needs of the poor. Her documentary, “Umuryango” is now part of grade
school curriculum taught by Global Capacity about children who cannot afford
education.
After researching places to feature for her next project, Ibrahim found
ConneXions and identified immediately with its goals and objectives. In
September 2009, she won a scholarship through the McKnight Fund and began
filming for Threads of Hope in Kolkata, India.
For more information visit ferashafilms.com.
About ConneXions
ConneXions is a vocational training center in Kolkata, India established by
Servants to Asia’s Urban Poor. It teaches young women sewing and tailoring
along with other life skills empowering women of all ages through a micro-
enterprise, fairly traded business.
For more information, visit www.Connexions.org.in and www.servantsasia.org
For more information contact:
Amanda Ibrahim
(484) 347 – 9294
Amanda@ferashafilms.com
To help raise money for Fair. Just. Life. and the film premiere costs, go here.
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