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Directed by Harriet Gavshon, The Ribbon chronicles the origins and travels of the "Peace Ribbon," which was created by South African mothers, both black and white, in an effort to protest the racial inequality during the apartheid era. Many of the women had sons who were forced into the South African army against their wills, and those who could sewed, drew, or painted their experiences into the over 500-meter piece of fabric. The Peace Ribbon eventually become a sort of institution, and was often displayed where women gathered in defiance of South Africa's brutal government policies and grossly inadequate justice system. The Ribbon follows the journey of the ribbon for over eight months, stopping along the way to offer a female perspective that was seldom seen during the apartheid years.