Visual storytelling · Memory · Craft
From intimate records of village life to short films on traditional techniques, the documentaries offer another way to understand the artisans, cultural practices, and changing world of Dimen.
Featured trilogy · 2022
Three short documentaries focus on papermaking, indigo dyeing, and weaving. Visit each film website for further information.
2022 · Papermaking
How the Kam People Preserved the Earliest Papermaking
Kam artisans demonstrate papermaking techniques that are transmitted through apprenticeship and oral tradition. The film follows their knowledge from gathering materials to forming paper sheets.
View original poster ↗
2022 · Indigo dyeing
How the Kam People Preserved the Earliest Indigo Dyeing
Kam artisans share their techniques for preparing indigo dye and producing the prized lustrous cloth, as the researchers learn the process through direct participation.
View original poster ↗
2022 · Weaving
How the Kam People Preserved the Earliest Weaving
An artisan teaches the team to set up a portable backstrap loom and weave the intricately patterned belts worn with traditional Kam clothing.
View original poster ↗Festival submissions and recognition · 2022–2024
The film recognition listed here follows the documented record on Marie Anna Lee’s personal Awards & Recognition page. These reported distinctions and selections are historical; they do not describe current festival screenings.
2023–2024: Best Short Documentary distinctions were reported from Green Ciak Film Awards, 8 & Halfilm Awards, New York Movie Awards, Frida Film Festival, Roma Short Film Festival, Florence Film Awards, Toronto Indie Filmmakers Festival, London Movie Awards, and Hollywood Gold Awards.
Additional semifinalist, quarterfinalist, and honorable mention selections were reported across festivals during 2022–2024.
2023–2024: Best Short Documentary distinctions were reported from Paris Film Awards and New York Movie Awards.
The 2022 documentary has also been documented among the project’s film submissions and festival activities.
From the original archive
Recovered from legacy Flash video containers. These MP4 versions are playable in modern browsers while the original project pages remain accessible.
Walking through the village.
Recent changes in Dimen.
Following an artisan at work for a day.
Documenting the papermaking process.
Design motifs.
These clips are historical documents; source quality and length vary. The original pages are preserved in the archive, but the Flash player is no longer needed for these five videos.
Photographic slideshow
A slideshow about Dimen by Marie Anna Lee, linked from the original project site.
View on YouTube ↗
