Threads of Hope

51 minutes

Source: Films for the Humanities

In 1973, Pinochet's military coup in Chile led to the torture, execution, and disappearance of thousands of innocent people. Threads of Hope is the powerful story of a group of Chilean women who banded together in silent protest and dared to defy a dictatorship. They are the sisters, mothers, and wives of Pinochet's disappeared and, armed with scraps of cloth, sewing needles, and the overwhelming desire to find their loved ones, they set to work telling their stories by creating arpilleras, colorful handmade tapestries that chronicle the horror and injustice of Chile's reign of terror. The bright, hopeful colors juxtaposed with the sobering stories of the arpilleras have helped make these creations an international symbol of protest and hope. Many believe that the arpilleras helped democracy return to Chile. Facing History and Ourselves has written a case study of the arpillera movement in Chile that is available at www.facinghistory.org.