The San Juan Ridge Community in the Sierra Foothills has survived countless threats during its 50-year history including mining, logging and arson. Established by artists and ecologists in the 1970’s this thriving group now faces their most monumental challenge to date – wildfire and drought caused by climate change.

For seventeen years hundreds of volunteers stitched the stories of their struggles and celebrations into 12 tapestry panels that total 83 feet. A Radical Thread is a feature documentary film that chronicles the community’s ethos of collectivism, play and sustainability as visualized in the making of the tapestry, and explores how the elders pass their values to the next generations who are confronting the threat of wildfire through their newest cooperative endeavor, Force of Nature Forestry.

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IN ATTENDANCE:

Jeanne C. Finley, Producer/ Director/ Editor

Yumeng Guo, Cinematographer

Jim McKee, Sound Design