WESTMINSTER WEST — Local filmmaker Teresa Savel, in collaboration with the Westminster West Library, will host a screening of Palomita (Little Dove), a documentary about an indigenous women's doll-making collective high in the Andes Mountains of Peru, at the library, located at 3409 Westminster West Rd., on Friday, April 6.
The event begins at 6:30 p.m., with Peruvian “humitas” (little tamales), followed by the film at 6:45 p.m.
This 54-minute documentary, filled with vibrant cinematography and original Peruvian music, takes us from Southern Vermont and journeys to a village in Q'ewar, Peru, where the doll Palomita is one of hundreds handmade at the social and economic initiative called the Q'ewar Project (qewar.com).
According to a news release, the Q'ewar Project identifies the most at-risk and marginalized women, offers them training for jobs making heirloom quality, natural-fiber, multi-ethnic dolls, and helps build community.
Palomita introduces us to four courageous workers from the Q'ewar Project who share with us a glimpse into their heroic lives. The income earned by these women crafters brings them closer to economic independence and helps the project's goal of constructing an elementary school.
The film makes it clear that even more important than the money that is being earned, the Q'ewar Project supports these women in regaining dignity for themselves and their families.
Vermont's connection with this doll-making initiative goes back more than 15 years. Margret Daniel, who runs the nonprofit shop Lukana's Dream, in Bethel, Vt., with her daughter, Madelaine Wigglesworth, brought the first 10 dolls to Vermont before the Q'ewar Project was officially established. Now the Q'ewar Project is recognized for its exquisite dolls internationally.
Palomita has been described as a “... beautiful portrayal of how belonging and creativity can re-ignite the human heart in spite of trauma and hopelessness ... these dolls bring our worlds together, celebrating the resilience of the human heart.”
The subject content may be sensitive for younger viewers, so parental discretion is advised for children under the age of 12. The movie is partially subtitled.