About the Event:

This event is part of our Cinema series.

This event will be in English and take place at the Alliance Française of Washington, DC, 2142 Wyoming Ave NW.

Join us at the Alliance Française of Washington, DC for a special screening of FABRIC, followed by an engaging conversation with the film’s creative team, Espero France founder Maya Persaud, and award-winning Afghani-American fashion designer and cultural storyteller Samira Atash.

About the Film:

FABRIC pulls back the curtain on the world of French haute couture, spotlighting refugee artisans whose meticulous craftsmanship brings high fashion to life. With exclusive access to the Espero Atelier - a workshop that trains refugees in haute couture tailoring and places them in top fashion houses - this documentary follows several trainees who have made Paris their home and found purpose and pride in preserving centuries-old artisanal techniques. Through intimate interviews at home, moments in the workshop and an exciting fashion show at the prestigious Musee d’Orsay, the film explores the intersection of heritage, identity and savoir-faire. We learn how these unsung heroes navigate cultural integration. Their stories reveal not only the craftsmanship behind couture but also the human stories woven into every stitch.

Awards:

• Nominated in the category of Best Short Documentary at the Raindance Film Festival 2026
• Winner of the Immaculate Heart Community Social Impact Award at the LA Shorts International Film Festival 2026Awards

About the Creators:

Producer - Sanam Hasan, Tiny Circus Productions: With over 20 years' experience in publicity, communications and distribution, Sanam Hasan has worked on a wide range of film and entertainment campaigns. As an award-winning publicist, she has worked for major studios and agencies including 20th Century Fox, Warner Brothers and DDA and international film festivals and is currently the Senior PR Manager of BFI Festivals. She produced her first documentary short Unsilencing Sabeen in 2017 and founded Tiny Circus Productions in 2025 with FABRIC as its debut title.

Co-Producer & Editor - Sabrine Dahaut, Hemeroscope Studios: Sabrine Dahaut is a French writer and filmmaker. She founded Hemeroscope Studios, an independent audiovisual production company based in London and Paris, where she develops and crafts fiction and non-fiction impact stories. Alongside her creative work, Sabrine is a multilingual human rights lawyer, international security and peacebuilding specialist. Her career has taken her to work with and for international organizations and institutions, including the United Nations, USNATO, Search for Common Ground, GMFUS and the Africa Center for Strategy & Policy. Sabrine sits on the executive committee of Minorities in Peace & Security UK, is a Heinrich Böll Foundation 2022 Feminist Foreign Policy & Development Fellow and former WIIS Brussels and UK board member.

Director - Anabelle Marshall: Award-winning director and cinematographer Anabelle Marshall has been crafting premium documentaries for the BBC, Netflix, HBO, ITV and Channel 4 for over two decades. She’s drawn to multi-layered films and specialises in portraying sensitive, powerful themes and revealing human stories in a cinematic style. Her films on assisted dying, social housing, sexual orientation and space travel, bringing out the depth and complexity of characters in extraordinary situations, have been critically acclaimed.

Maya Persaud - Founder, Espero France: Maya Persaud is a committed social cause entrepreneur. Following her undergrad from the University of Maryland where she studied Chemistry and French, Maya worked for non-profits involved in microfinance initiatives. After completing her Masters in Social Anthropology of Development at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, Maya relocated to France and worked in supporting migrants in navigating societal administrative systems. In 2009, Maya established fashion brand Lotty Dotty and, after witnessing resource waste first hand compounded with the refugee crises, Maya established Espero in 2016. The mission of Espero is focused on engaging and developing the skills and talents of exiled people so that they are able to find their place in their new country.

About Moderator Samira Atash: Samira Atash is an award-winning fashion designer, beauty entrepreneur, and cultural storyteller whose 25-plus-year career bridges fashion, beauty, heritage, and humanitarian purpose. Her work explores the intersection of design and identity, from her fashion label SAMIRA ATASH, inspired by Silk Road textiles and rooted in fair trade, to her ongoing storytelling about Afghan history, culture, textiles, and dress. She founded FLOW Blow Dry & Beauty Bar, the first blow dry bar in the DC area, Samira Brow Couture, an award-winning permanent makeup studio, and sbc COLOR STYLE, offering personal color analysis and styling services. Samira is also the founder of RUMI ROSE, an online fashion and beauty boutique supporting children’s education and women’s entrepreneurship programs in Afghanistan, and Creator and Executive Producer of Beauty and the East Media. Her work has been featured in The Washington Post, National Geographic TV, NBC, and other media outlets. A longtime supporter of AFDC’s cultural programming, she is honored to moderate this discussion with Maya Persaud and the FABRIC team.

Learn more about her work at www.samiraatash.com and rumirose.com

Social media handles:

Instagram: @fabric_shortdoc @hemeroscope @tinycircusproductions @esperoatelier @analysishistory

Websites: tinycircusproductions.com. esperofrance.org, www.samiraatash.com,  rumirose.com

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