A String of Pearls is the third film in a series written and directed by Kenyan artist and filmmaker Amirah Tajdin for the Irthi Contemporary Crafts Council based in Sharjah, UAE. Working closely with female weavers from the Emirati community of Dibba who had never been in front of the camera before, Amirah showcases the craft of talli, a traditional weaving technique from the region.

The women are featured working pearls into their talli weaving as they tell each other stories while they gather to create the unique pieces. “The film features what has become my signature blur of fiction and reality to tell stories that go beyond being simply documentaries or branded content,” says the director. “The women's stories are real and true to their experiences but I get to direct them in settings within storylines that I come up with, inspired by the Emirati culture they hail from that rarely gets to be seen by wider audiences.”

The Irthi Contemporary Crafts Council supports the continuity of age-old crafts from the region, working with these women and other traditional artisans to reinvent their craft for a new generation, sharing their work with design and fashion institutions around the world.