Events
Film Screenings
San Mateo - 3 Oct 2025
Redwood City - 4 Oct 2025
Washington, DC - 16 Nov 2025
Los Angeles - Spring 2026
Boston - To be announced
.jpg)
Featuring the music of Razia Said
Wild Silk: Madagascar's Threads of Change tells the inspiring story of local leaders, farmers, and artisans who work at the intersection of science and art. Journey to northeastern Madagascar in this new work by filmmaker Dr. Matthew Scott and CPALI Executive Director Rachel Kramer, featuring the music of acclaimed Malagasy singer, songwriter, and activist Razia Said.
PREMIERE
3 October 2025 | 6PM
San Mateo, California
Join CPALI for a special in-person film screening, talk-back event, and opportunity to buy artisan-made Tanana Madagascar wild silk and raffia textiles.
Panelists
FILMMAKER
Dr. Matthew Scott
Dr. Scott is Emeritus President of the Carnegie Institution for Science and Emeritus Professor of Developmental Biology at Stanford University. He traveled to northeastern Madagascar in April 2025 to film Wild Silk: Madagascar's Threads of Change together with the CPALI and SEPALI Madagascar teams and his wife, biologist Dr. Margaret Fuller. Dr. Scott has made numerous pro-bono films to support social and environmental causes. Explore his videos on conservation, explorations, wildlife, oceans and mountains and find his photography at matthewscottphotography.com.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Rachel Kramer
Wildlife conservationist Rachel Kramer leads CPALI's efforts to co-design, support, and scale local initiatives in northeastern Madagascar that have transformative impact for people and nature. As part of this work, she supervises Tanana Madagascar, the collaborative social enterprise of CPALI and SEPALI Madagascar, that connects traditional and contemporary Malagasy wild silk and raffia textiles to global markets. She believes innovative, nature-based approaches are key to strengthening economic futures and regenerating ecosystems. Her family's ties to Madagascar go back to the 1960s.
FOUNDER
Dr. Catherine Craig
Dr. Craig founded Conservation through Poverty Alleviation International (CPALI) in 2004. Through her research on wild silk moths of Madagascar, she met Malagasy insect specialist Mamy Ratsimbazafy. Together, they honed a model for regenerating landscapes through wild silk rearing and sustainable textile production. An internationally recognized evolutionary biologist and authority on silk, she authored the monograph Spiderwebs and Silk, and is co-author of the book, Spider Silk: Evolution and 400 Million Years of Spinning, Waiting, Snagging, and Mating.
BOARD CHAIR
Petra Silton
Petra Silton assumed leadership of the CPALI Board in 2024. An energetic connector, coordinator, and leader, she is passionate about bringing people together to turn ideas into action that creates a better and more just world for everyone. Over the last 30 years, she has initiated and led groundbreaking programs for community-based organizations to support issues including the environment, homelessness, education, and civic participation.
Changemakers
The strongest conservation initiatives are locally led. Meet the changemakers behind the Organization of Wild Silk Producers (SEPALI) Madagascar featured in the new film together with leading local farmers and artisans.
DIRECTOR
Mamy Ratsimbazafy
Malagasy leader and moth specialist Mamy Ratsimbazafy is Director of CPALI's local partner organization, the Organization of Wild Silk Producers (SEPALI) Madagascar. Based in Maroantsetra, northeastern Madagascar, he spearheads work with local farmers, artisans, and biochar technicians.
LEAD ARTISAN
Lalaina Raharindimby
A master artisan and respected local figure, Lalaina Raharindimby leads the SEPALI Madagascar artisans association in Maroantsetra, facilitating the design of new products made from wild silk and raffia. She was recently awarded a seat in the Ibu Atelier program and has traveled to the US to serve as an ambassador for Tanana Madagascar at the International Folk Art Market in Santa Fe and Shoppe Object's Global Artisan Project in New York City. Her designs can be found at the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art store in Washington, DC, among other locations.
If you are interested in attending or hosting a film screening, please email info@cpali.org.