I was lucky enough to be invited as the plus one and see the preview screening of the documentary film entitled “Handmade with Love in France”. The screening was hosted by L’Oreal Paris as part of the French Film Festival being held all over New Zealand. In addition, there will be another movie screening entitled, “A Chance Encounter” in March that will help  fund a very good cause called, Breast Cancer Cure.

The documentary film for me was both sad and fun to watch. This is because of the continuous loss of talented artisans and without them being able to pass on their talent. Hence, they are at high risk of extinction. On top of this, the fashion industry has been booming leading to exhausted workers and low quality items. They seem to have focused more on quantity due to its very high demand. Therefore evidently these very few handmakers are standing on a very fine line when it comes to keeping their own workshops. However along their journey there were still some happy moments. And that frankly, they are indeed very happy people who are just going through some tough times. But they have not forgotten about their sense of humour which was very enjoyable to see and laugh with.

The film ends with a question indirectly asking if it will be possible to keep all that history without compromising the quality of the work and art involved.