HANDMADE NATION – Milw Premiere – Feb 5th @ The Oriental – BE THERE!

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The February 5 screening of “Handmade Nation” will be its U.S. feature premiere. The screening takes place 7 p.m. Thursday, February 5, at Landmark’s Oriental Theatre, 2230 N. Farwell Ave.

The film has had preview screenings as a work in progress in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and Wisconsin. Just prior to the Milwaukee feature screening, it is being shown at the Kampnagel Theatre in Hamburg as part of “Viva La Craft.” February 5 will be the first time a U.S. audience will see the feature-length cut.
“There are so many Milwaukee people who have helped make this film possible,” said FaytheLevine, co-owner of Paper Boat Boutique & Gallery and organizer of the yearly indie craft fair Art vs. Craft. “It was a very specific choice to screen it here first because I wanted to show it to the local community who supported if for the past three years.”

“Handmade Nation” documents the new wave of craft that is capturing the attention of the nation. It’s the feature film debut of Levine who had been making her own art and was becoming increasingly active in the modern crafts scene when it occurred to her to document the trend. “I was going to all these fairs and I remember thinking: Something big is happening,” she told the New York Times in a Sept. 4 feature story. For the film project that ensued, she traveled to 15 cities and covered more than 19,000 miles to interview a new generation of stitchers, sewers, quilters, knitters and beaders – do-it-yourselfers who bring attitude and an independent edge to old-school techniques.

In addition to the local talent involved behind the scenes, “Handmade Nation” features a slice of Milwaukee’s craft scene. The Little Friends of Printmaking, a world famous design duo, are among the featured artists, and some footage was filmed at Fasten Co-Op Clothing Gallery, located at 2224 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. in Bay View, and an Art vs. Craft event.

An accompanying book “Handmade Nation: The Rise of DIY, Art, Craft and Design,” co-authored by Levine and assistant producer Cortney Heimerl, was published in October by Princeton Architectural Press. Signed copies of the book will be available for purchase on the night of the screening.
The postcard and movie posters for the Milwaukee screening were designed by Kate Bingaman-Burt, who is also responsible for the hand-drawn typography in the book. A limited run of 200 silk-screened movie posters will be printed by The Little Friends of Printmaking, www.thelittlefriendsofprintmaking.com.
Tickets, $10 each, are available at the Oriental box office 4-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday and noon-10 p.m. Friday-Sunday, or on the night of the show subject to availability.

Interviews with Faythe Levine can be arranged by contacting Milwaukee Film.
For more information on “Handmade Nation” visit www.handmadenationmovie.com
More information about Milwaukee Film is available by visiting its group, Milwaukee Film, on Facebook.com.