Trailer

When Franz Kiekeben, the filmmaker’s dad, came to the U.S. from Portugal at 12 years old with his parents and five siblings, they were escaping 1970s Portuguese political instability and aiming to build a better life across the Atlantic Ocean. The Kiekebens came over with their family needlepoint tapestry business, which provided unique, colorful heirlooms depicting life in Portugal. Over the next 20 years after immigrating, all of Franz’s siblings and parents returned to Portugal, leaving him as the lone American. Now in his 60s, Franz is recovering from a stroke—something his own father passed away from at the same age. Tapestry of Life explores how life-threatening medical incidents affect people like Franz, who already had a love of relics of the past, as they simultaneously try to move forward in life and navigate the uncertainties that come with age.