Lace Relations
New York African Film Festival 2026
May 6 - 12
As colorful and multilayered as Nigerian fabrics, this documentary uncovers the history of the textile trade that has intertwined Nigeria and Austria for centuries, enriching Europe while contributing to the collapse of West Africa’s indigenous textile economy.
Lace Relations uncovers the hidden histories of a global trade that connected Vorarlberg, Austria, to the bustling markets of Lagos, Nigeria. Through the intertwined lives of an Austrian lace exporter and a Nigerian market queen, this colorful, expansive documentary reveals how colonial legacies shaped a multimillion-dollar industry—enriching Europe while contributing to the collapse of West Africa’s indigenous textile economy. Combining on-location encounters and a powerful sociodramatic method, the film shifts the lens: Who tells the story? Who profits? Who remembers? Directed collectively by filmmakers from Austria and Nigeria, Lace Relations is not simply about textiles. It is about colonialism, memory, gendered resistance—and the patterns of power that continue to shape our world.
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