Georgetown Short Film Nominated for Webby’s Anthem Award

A short film produced by Georgetown's Kalmanovitz Initiativehas been nominated for an Anthem Award, a recognition from the Webby Awards that honors social impact work.

The film, Interwoven, tells the story of the people of Morganton, North Carolina, the former heart of the state's textile manufacturing industry. Globalization took its toll on the town's industry in the 1990s and forced many factories to close. Interwoven documents how residents are reinventing the town's textile legacy while embracing modern sustainable practices and promoting worker ownership.

The film evolved from Kalmanovitz's Solidarity Economy Workshop (SEW), an experiential workshop that promotes workers' dignity and rights in the economy. SEW was inspired by the Economy of Francesco, an international movement initiated by Pope Francis that invites young people to build a more equitable global economy.

Dawn Carpenter(G'20), founding director of SEW and director of Interwoven, first visited Morganton through the SEW podcast "What Does It Profit?" The podcast episode profiled one of the enterprises that make up The Industrial Commons, a nonprofit in Morganton that incubates and supports worker-owned cooperatives.

Through her interviews, Carpenter saw an opportunity to tell a bigger story not only about deindustrialization but about hope, she said.

"Interwovenis a story about what happens when a community refuses to give up on itself," she said. "It's a testament to the power of solidarity, creativity and faith in one another - even in places that the world has too often written off as lost or left behind. In Morganton, we see what's possible when people choose to weave something stronger together out of what was once torn apart."

Dawn Carpenter (G'20), founding director of the Solidarity Economy Workshop, directed the short film Interwoven.

The team spent a year interviewing Morgantown residents and weaving their stories together.

Interwoven introduces the audience to cooperatives like the Carolina Textile District, a network of small family-owned operations that banded together during COVID-19 to secure a state contract to produce masks and gowns, keeping revenue in their community. Another enterprise, Material Return, turns factory and consumer textile waste that would otherwise end up in landfills into new clothing.

Georgetown students Eden Beech (C'28), Fiona Richards (SFS'25) and Teresa Fang (C'28) were also involved in the production, as was James Benton, a labor historian and director of the Kalmanovitz Initiative's Race & Economic Empowerment Project, who shared his insights on labor history and solidarity.

Beech, who provided editorial feedback on the film's final cut, said it was an honor to see Interwoven come to life.

"The film is a testament to their excitement and passion for the small - yet mighty - economic community of textile manufacturing. Moreover, it's a powerful reminder of the incredible impact storytelling can have."

The Interwoven crew films at Material Returns in front of textile waste that is being saved from landfills to create clothing.

SEW was selected as an Anthem finalist in the Sustainability, Environment & Climate nonprofit category. The awards will be announced on Nov. 18.

"As members of the Georgetown community, we have a responsibility to lift up these stories - stories of resilience, renewal and shared dignity. That's why the Anthem Awards matter: They remind us that storytelling itself is a form of justice, and that by celebrating hope, we help others find their own," Carpenter says.

For more information about the Kalmanovitz Initiative, including its on-campus events, student internship opportunities and the Solidarity Economy Workshop, visit lwp.georgetown.eduand read its recently released summary and report.

An employee at one of the nonprofits featured in the film, Material Return, which turns textile waste into new products.