About This Episode

While making a pair of leather sandals in her cluttered East Village shop, pioneer NYC craftswoman Barbara Shaum muses on her craft, her history-making sip of ale, and her pickiest client ever, Chiki the llama. Seth Lind, the director, shot "Barbara Leather" with a hand-wound 16mm Bolex camera, edited on an ancient flatbed, and preserved resulting splices and jumps to give the film a handmade look that complements the artistic process shown on screen. He also solved a problem that few indie filmmakers have had to tackle: finding a llama outdoors, in the winter, in New York City.