《手艺人》通过讲述来自石屏的乌铜走银匠人李伟和他身边人的故事，展现了一门手艺的生存和一代手艺人的传承。影片以李伟为线索贯穿，期间插入了他的儿子、徒弟以及朋友们的生活和采访，表现了乌铜走银工艺的现状以及李伟弘扬乌铜走银技艺的决心。

Survival Hands shows the survival of a type of craft, and the heritage of this craft from a generation to another generation, by telling a story about Li Wei, the master of crafting “black copper with silver inlay” from Shi Ping and the people around him. The film takes Li Wei as the backbone, with the interviews of his son, his students and friends inserted alternatively. The film presents the current status of crafting “black copper with silver ” and Li Wei’s determination of carrying the craft of “black copper with silver inlay” forward.