World Health Organization.
A global look at the power of traditional medicine.
A truly global project that demonstrates the impact of traditional medicine and biomedicine working together.
All told through real-life stories captured in all corners of the world.
For centuries, traditional medicine has been the primary source of health for many global communities, yet it has often sat siloed from contemporary biomedicine. Working with the World Health Organization and closely with national health ministries across multiple regions, this project set out to bring these systems closer together, using human stories to add emotional depth to evidence-based research and global policy discussion.
The films capture the lived realities of integrated care, showing how connecting ancestral wisdom with contemporary science can meaningfully advance health outcomes for people and planet.
10 main documentary films were created, unifying the work of 17 shoots across 16 countries
The films were released at the WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine and screened in dedicated cinema spaces, which brought these stories to life on a monumental scale. A central creative concept, ‘Woven Threads’ provided a powerful metaphor for the intersection of diverse knowledge systems and was physically realised through a bespoke wicker sculpture, using motion control and macro cinematography to create a visual signature that communicates a resonant, emotional narrative.
Today, those paths are being reconnected.
Led by the World Health Organization, this project brings together presidents, prime ministers, health ministers, policymakers, and communities around the world to witness the role traditional medicine plays within modern health systems. It is the intersection of ancestral wisdom and evidence-based science, woven together with care. Not a journey taken alone, but a collective movement toward integration, respect, and balance, shaping the future of global health.
