Lace Relations

"Lace Relations" uncovers the hidden histories of a global trade that connected a small town in Austria to the bustling markets of Lagos, Nigeria. Through the intertwined lives of an Austrian lace exporter and a Nigerian market queen, the film reveals how colonial legacies shaped a multi-million-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.