The Weavers (1905 film)
The Weavers or Grandmother Despina is a short silent, black and white documentary film made in 1905 by the Balkan film pioneers the Manaki brothers in the small Aromanian village of Avdella, in the Ottoman vilayet of Monastir. It is about 60 seconds long and depicts the Manakis' aunts and 114-year-old grandmother Despina spinning and weaving. It was originally called "Our 114-year-old grandmother at work weaving", but has come to be known as The Weavers.
It is believed to be the first film shot anywhere in the Ottoman Balkans.
The film was shot with 35 mm film with an Urban Bioscope movie camera imported from London.Appropriation
An extract from the film appears at the beginning of Theo Angelopoulos's 1995 film Ulysses' Gaze.
