what remains when everything else is lost?
from beneath the turning wheel
From Beneath the Turning Wheel is an intimate documentary that follows four
traditional weavers in Hatay, Turkey after a devastating earthquake reduces
their village to rubble. In the wake of unimaginable loss, they return to their
looms, finding comfort in the familiar rhythm of their craft. Thread by thread,
they begin the quiet work of piecing their lives back together.
Amid unimaginable devastation, the weavers return to the one place that still feels familiar — their looms.
Gathered once again around the steady rhythm of weaving, they begin to rebuild not only their livelihoods but their sense of purpose. What emerges is a quiet portrait of resilience, where craft becomes a source of stability, dignity, and hope.
film overview
From Beneath the Turning Wheel follows four weavers in Hatay, Turkey whose lives were forever changed when a 7.8 magnitude earthquake reduced their village to rubble.
Homes were lost. Families were displaced. Entire neighborhoods disappeared overnight.
returning to the loom
In Hatay, the loom has always been part of daily life.
It is the first sound heard in the morning and often the last sound before night falls.
After the earthquake, when the looms fell silent, many weavers described the quiet as something deeply unsettling. The absence of that familiar rhythm made the loss feel even more profound.
When the looms began turning again, the sound carried something else with it — a sense of return, of community, and of the possibility that life could slowly be rebuilt.
the artisans
the weavers of hatay
For generations, weaving has been central to life in Hatay, shaped by centuries of Silk Road exchange. Artisans learned the craft from their families, carrying both skill and tradition. After the earthquake destroyed their homes and workshops, returning to the loom became a way to rebuild continuity after loss.
meet the weavers
obakki films
Obakki Films is a documentary platform dedicated to telling deeply human stories rooted in craft, culture, and place. These films emerge from Obakki’s long-standing relationships with artisan communities built through years of collaboration.
This foundation allows for a level of intimacy and trust rarely possible in traditional documentary production.
Each film is created as a lasting cultural artifact that honors the dignity, creativity, and lived experience of the artists whose stories are being told.
