Five women with their own unique backgrounds, cultures and traumas meet each other in 1909, with wildly different histories but one shared goal — to rebuild their lives in the Pendleton Valley.
This is the story told in “Color of Threads,” a 23-minute short film written, directed and produced by Walla Walla University students and staff.
The film follows characters Selina Reinhardt played by Alexis Safoyan, Abigail Phoebes played by Peace Ikediuba, Bridget Bjorgesen played by Clara Steeves, Evelynn Wang played by Jane Xi and Ana Longmeadows played by Katrina Golden. The film asks the viewer the question, “Can you ever truly start again?”
Josie Henderson, a WWU graduate and current instructor of graphic design, came up with the idea in 2019 for a class assignment.
“It was just a six-page script I turned in for class with the proposal for a TV show,” Henderson said. “I talked to Dr. (Lynelle) Ellis and Professor (Jerry) Hartman about it and they really thought I should pursue it as my capstone project, which is the final project in my graduate degree. So, I did, and it turned into a 72-page script.”
When she graduated in 2020, she shelved it. But a student in the following cohort of graduate students who knew about the script asked the professor, Ellis, why it wasn’t being produced. That’s when Ellis brought the idea to the Center for Media Ministry, where she is the director. The Center for Media Ministry helps WWU students produce films.
“This was the largest project we have yet worked on, and we really wanted to have a very high-level project,” Ellis said. “And we'd like to have one of those every four years or so, so that when students come through during their four years here, they have the opportunity to be involved in the production at this professional level.”
Ellis and Hartman found funding to produce the film through several sources, including Sonscreen Films — an organization connected to the North American Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Good to Go Media based in Idaho, and Blue Mountain Credit Union in College Place.
“The themes of the story are what really made us want to capture this story. On the negative side, we have themes of racism, themes of trouble getting along with people who are different than us,” Ellis said. “On the positive side though, the film is talking about how we can learn to get along, how love and loving each other is the most important thing and that we all have challenges.”
To make the short film, Henderson had to cut the script from 72 to 20 pages. It was filmed during a period of two weeks in summer 2023 and features scenes across the Walla Walla Valley, including the Dayton Historical Depot, the Red Star Barn in Walla Walla and Henderson’s property outside Milton-Freewater near Weston.
Matt Webster, lead producer of the film, was in Henderson’s cohort in WWU’s Cinema, Religion and Worldview master’s program. He now works as the director of studio operations at the Center for Media Ministry. He said the team that made the film worked hard to be as historically accurate as possible in telling this story.
The film briefly explores the backstories of the five women and features a bit of their time together after meeting in Pendleton and trying to get jobs at Pendleton Woolen Mills. Webster said he ultimately wanted this story to connect people.
“The most important thing I want people to take away from this film is that in a challenging world where we look at all of our differences and backgrounds, how can we embrace each other and be stronger together instead of being divided?” Webster said.
Henderson said she hopes to one day share more of her characters’ stories and plans to use the short film as a proof of concept to show to production houses and studios with the goal of making the story into a series.
“There's a lot of history that is brought up in the piece and what I really hope for is that it speaks to one individual personally (and tells them) that they can have a tenderness between them and every other person that they encounter,” Henderson said. “They do not have to immediately go to what they think in their mind or what they suppose the other person is like — instead they can look at them and have a gentleness.”
Loryn Kykendall reports on health care and education. She can be reached at lkykendall@wwub.com.
