Market Day — James Sturm

A timeless meditation on art and commerce seen through the life of an early-twentieth-century Jewish rug maker

An expectant father, Mendleman's life goes through an upheaval when he discovers he can no longer earn a living doing the work that defines him: making well-crafted rugs by hand. A proud artisan, he takes his donkey-drawn cart to the market only to be turned away when the distinctive shop he once sold to now only stocks cheaply manufactured merchandise. As the realities of the market place sink in, Mendleman unravels. Sturm draws a quiet, reflective and beautiful portrait of eastern European in the early 1900s, bringing to life the hustle and bustle of an old-world market place on the brink of the Industrial Revolution. Market Day is a timeless tale of how economic and social forces can affect a single life.