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Portraits from the Cloth

A Hmong immigrant completes a tapestry telling of her family's dangerous escape from Laos and celebrating survival in a new land.

Premiere Date

April 1, 1997

Length

60 minutes

Funding Type

Co-Production

Fleeing Laos, Tia's Hmong family left everything in hope of survival. Now, settled in the Midwest, she completes a traditional tapestry as a wedding gift for her favorite niece. The tapestry tells the story of their dangerous escape and celebrates their survival in a new land, but Blong, the bride's Americanized brother, wants nothing from the old world. Yet something remains unanswered when a painful memory arises in his dreams. Tia must use her spiritual powers and Hmong traditions to mend her family's growing schism between cultures and generations.