Award-winning short documentary Fabric lands new festival screenings

The short documentary Fabric will screen at the Alexandria Film Festival on Nov. 13 and the UK Fashion Film Festival on Nov. 20 after recent preview showings in New York and Washington, D.C. The film follows refugees working at a Paris atelier and has already won a social impact award and earned a Best Documentary Short nomination.

Why it matters: - Fabric spotlights how a Paris fashion atelier is helping refugees build careers in French couture and wider French society. - The film’s festival momentum gives the project a larger platform after award recognition and recent U.S. preview screenings. - The documentary connects fashion, migration and employment in a story with direct real-world impact for refugee artisans.

What happened: - Fabric will screen at the Alexandria Film Festival in Virginia on Nov. 13 and at the UK Fashion Film Festival in London on Nov. 20. - The film received a nomination for Best Story at the UK Fashion Film Festival. - The documentary had special preview screenings last week at Atelier Jolie in New York City and the Alliance Française de Washington, D.C. - The preview events were attended by guests from film, fashion, social causes and activism.

The details: - Fabric is a short documentary about Espero Atelier, a Paris-based social enterprise that trains refugees in tailoring and helps them move into fashion-industry jobs. - The film follows refugee artisans as they create a fashion collection set to be shown at the Musée d'Orsay on the eve of Haute Couture Week. - The documentary centers on Maya Persaud, co-founder of Espero Atelier, and her work creating opportunities for refugees and marginalized communities through fashion education, skills development and employment. - Persaud grew up in San Francisco, Washington, D.C. and Hawaii, and has been based in Paris for decades. - Persaud is a former fashion model with long-standing ties to the luxury fashion world. - Fabric follows Espero team members Ibrahim, Suad, Haider, Sumaiya and Cynthia, who are from Guinea, Eritrea, Afghanistan and Congo. - The film traces their personal and professional growth and shows how Espero’s work has helped them integrate into French society. - The documentary also features Catherine Brickhill, a former Alexander McQueen and Givenchy designer and mentor at Espero. - Sylvain Amic, who was president of the Musée d'Orsay and Musée d'Orangerie at the time of filming, also appears in the film. - Fabric won the Immaculate Heart Community Social Impact Award at the LA Shorts International Film Festival. - The film was also nominated for Best Documentary Short at the 34th Raindance Film Festival. - The 34th Raindance Film Festival is described as the UK’s largest independent film festival. - Fabric is directed by documentary filmmaker Anabelle Marshall. - The film is produced by Tiny Circus Productions and Hemeroscope Studios. - Fabric is a UK-France co-production led by global majority female filmmakers.

Between the lines: - The film frames refugee labor as creative expertise, not just labor market recovery. - The festival run suggests Fabric is being positioned for both documentary and fashion audiences. - The awards and nominations indicate the project is gaining traction beyond its subject’s social mission. - Marshall said the film aims to humanize the refugee experience and shift the prevailing narrative. - Marshall also said the preview screenings in the U.S. and the festival selections were a point of pride for the film team. - Persaud said the refugees featured in the film have rebuilt their lives after difficult experiences and deserve a wider audience.

What's next: - Fabric’s next public screenings are set for Nov. 13 in Virginia and Nov. 20 in London. - The UK Fashion Film Festival appearance could expand the film’s visibility among fashion industry viewers and decision-makers. - Further festival or screening announcements may follow as the documentary’s run continues.

The bottom line: - Fabric is turning a refugee employment story into a festival-friendly documentary with growing recognition on both sides of the Atlantic.