By Clare Limb

As part of the Derbyshire Makes Heanor event there were two screenings of the film, to compliment displays and talks about natural fibres, such as wool and flax and their amazing properties. Artists such as Amanda Harran, from Riddings, who specialises
in growing flax, was there talking about her mission to get people growing and making things with natural fibres once more.

I attended the afternoon screening of the film, which took place at Wilmot Street Community Centre, with Hazel from Transition Crich. The screening was very well attended and the atmosphere in the room was electric.

The film itself is in seven chapters, which document seven years in the life of Allan Brown, who, after losing his wife to a terminal illness, began to spin nettle fibres
harvested from a local wood, and then eventually using his experience as a textile designer to weave fabric for a dress from the spun & dried fibres.

His story is one of the powers of creativity and making something handmade from a natural material from scratch to help him overcome his grief. It is beautifully directed by Dylan Howitt, who stayed with him throughout the seven years, capturing the process of making the dress so sensitively and unobtrusively.

The final chapter is when we see the dress complete. It is this moment in the film when all his effort is rewarded and some relief is found.

This is a must-see film full of nuanced filmmaking and storytelling but be prepared – it is very moving and is a documentary capturing the real-life experiences of Allan Brown and his family - and there wasn’t a dry eye in the room by the end.

Hazel and I chatted about what the film meant to each other on our journey back to Crich and decided that a screening of it in our local community would be great.