An experimental documentary about a Kurdish and Turkish refugee ‘Women’s Only’ Handcraft Group in East London. The film follows an open flowing conversation between the women, weaving together their memories of moving to England alongside their knitwork.
“It’s good to produce something, to see how it grows… to work on something is a beautiful thing.’”
Released: 2019 | Origin: UK | Running Time: 11 mins 15 secs
Genre: Documentary - women-led community film project
Starring: The Women of DERMAN’s Handcraft Group — Elif Demir, Saliha Gok, Aysel Görür, Fidan Nergis, Neriman Salih and other participants who have chosen to remain anonymous.
Producer/Directors: Nataša Cordeaux, Cheyenne Ritfeld and Ricarda Theobald
Executive Producer: Nursel Tas (Chief Executive Officer, DERMAN)
In association with: the ‘London in Motion’ Workshop, London International Documentary Festival & The Department of Anthropology, SOAS, University of London
For further details: www.derman.org.uk/handcraft-group
Interpreters: Yeter Gozubuyuk ( Mental Health Recovery and Support Worker, DERMAN) and Ezgi Erik (Volunteer Assistant, DERMAN)
Consultants: Nursel Tas (Chief Executive Officer, DERMAN) and Ufuk Genç (Mental Health Team Manager, DERMAN)
Translators: Ozlem Alpsen and Anna Passlick
Colourist: Catherine Bridgman
Official Selection of ‘Positively Different Film Festival’ (2020) and ‘Lift-Off Global Network, First-time Filmmaker Sessions’ (2019). Screened at Weave It! Exhibition, Decorating Dissidence (2019). An additional special thanks to the SOAS Student Development Fund used toward translation expenses.
Process: As part of SOAS’ ‘London in Motion Workshop’ with London International Documentary Festival (2019), we approached DERMAN on the possibility of creating a film with and for them. DERMAN suggested engaging their Women’s Only Handcraft Group, and over a period of 6 months, working under the guidance and consultation of both the women and staff at DERMAN, we produced ‘Güzel Derman’.
Throughout, we were conscious of traditional power dynamics between filmmakers and ‘participants’ and approached this by >>>
Embracing the Positive, focusing on the feeling of 'peace', the women told their stories through the lens of their shared, everyday healing strategy; the creative act of knitting.
Respecting language. The Handcraft Group were in control; speaking Turkish throughout filming, uninterrupted by translators or film crew, able to steer the recorded conversation.
Protecting the women’s comfort zones, ensuring consent and an all woman production throughout. We did not avoid stories from women who wanted to share whilst remaining anonymous. Instead, we worked creatively to uphold their boundaries (opposed to around or without them) which dictated how we filmed, hence the style of focusing on each woman’s hands, an idea continued from their previous group project entitled ‘Reunion Stories’ (a story book about family reunification of mental health service users attending the handcraft group funded by Big Lottery Fund-Awards for All programme).
Filmmaking as a form of sharing. We worked in alignment the ethical framework for counselling (BACP) and under DERMAN’s consultation. We as filmmakers also opened up and were vulnerable with the women regarding our own mental health and familial experiences of migration. The creative process of filmmaking mirrored the women’s use of knitting as a coping strategy for mental well-being. Filmmaking somehow too became a creative coping mechanism for grieving and mourning.
’Güzel Derman’ hopes to inspire and empower viewers with an alternative narrative that shows how women in everyday settings can come together to build creative spaces of peace, to work collectively on a ‘beautiful cure’.
Cheyenne Ritfeld and Nataša Cordeaux invited to speak on panel for Positively Different Film Festival, discussing the short film Güzel Derman as well as the wider topic of independent filmmaking.