
Editor's Note: In our month-long celebration of 20 Years of Sundance Institute's Documentary Film Program we're looking back at some of the wise words and insightful memories from filmmakers over the past two decades. Happy Doctober, everyone!
by Tracy Droz Tragos, co-director, Rich Hill [Originally published September 24, 2013]
Tracy Droz Tragos is an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker and co-director of the work-in-progress film Rich Hill. To learn more about Rich Hill, go to www.richhillfilm.com and help the film reach its goal on Kickstarter.
The Sundance Institute Documentary Edit and Story Lab is an 8-day retreat for filmmakers and their editors, with feature documentaries that are at the rough cut or assembly stage. This July, Andrew Droz Palermo, my cousin and co-director, and I were invited to attend with Rich Hill, a film about our family's hometown and the struggles and ambitions of the people who still live there. There were three other films and filmmaking/editor teams also invited: Strong Island, Homestretch, and An African Spring. Sundance Institute hosts the Lab in the beautiful mountains of Utah at the Sundance Resort, and lined up an intense schedule of presentations, advisor meetings, hikes, and screenings. My work has been profoundly affected by the experience. The full impact didn't hit me in the moment. There was so much to take away and think on, including great professional guidance, of course, but also ideas that resonate deeply in my personal life. Here's what it was like for me and our film, Rich Hill, distilled to four lessons:
#1: A lesson in collaboration, letting go, and personal connection.
Andrew and I had never met our editor Jim Hession. Not once. We'd talked for hours on Skype Andrew and me from our office in Santa Monica, Jim from his walk-in-closet studio in Manhattan, framed by his wife's high heel shoes. We'd exchanged copious notes and cuts. We'd touched the same footage but never the same keyboard. Learning how to work in the same room, in the same trailer, was a lesson in inches. How to give each other enough personal space, but not too much. How to respect each other's wacky notions, but hold true to our own. Creative Advisor Victor Livingston gave a presentation mid-week about how painful it was to let go of one of his ideas in the edit room-what it cost, how it felt. We all sacrifice so much for our films and when we have to let go, it can be devastating. For the three of us-Andrew, Jim, and myself-being shoulder-to-shoulder meant we had to challenge many of our individual assumptions. It was important, often painful work. But filmmaking is inherently a collaborative endeavor and that means that not every good idea will see the light of day. Sometimes we have to give in for the bigger picture, the greater good.
#2: A lesson in intimacy and honesty.
For me, the very best films give you the closest look. Moments of extreme access and small detail can elevate an entire film. In Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi's An African Spring, an amazing portrait of the Senegalese struggle for democracy, it's the chilling and unwavering lens focused on a peaceful woman's protest and violent arrest. In Kirsten Kelly and Anne de Mare's Homestretch, it's the close up tour of a homeless teenager's hard-earned bed. In Yance Ford's Strong Island, a documentary about the impact of her brother's murder on her family, it's the locked off shot on her mother's face, the poetry and vulnerability of her reflection on grief and the damage of loss. Strong Island struck me on a deep, emotional level-Yance bravely exposed herself in beautiful ways, while never sugar-coating the despair. For me, her film transcended what I was able to accomplish with my first film, Be Good, Smile Pretty. She captured the death of the living: what it means to shut down, close off, end one's life, and go on living. All of these films encouraged me to go deeper, at times, even past the point of comfort.
#3: A mini-lesson in not judging too soon.
The theatre folk arrived for the Theatre Lab mid-way through our own, and much to the chagrin of many of us, including myself, who didn't look forward to the idea of sharing a meal tent with extroverted theatre people. Once the Theatre Lab began, however, I understood that these were intelligent, thoughtful, like-minded people. On our final evening, when we were to present our work of the past eight days, the Theatre Lab participants were invited. After each presentation and a Q & A, there was a moment to say goodbye to Cara Mertes-this was her last Lab as director of the Documentary Film Program before leaving the Institute to take on a new position at the Ford Foundation. An actress from the Theatre Lab got up and began to sing, Somewhere Over the Rainbow, a spare serenade, with quiet emotion, dedicated to Cara, to all of us gathered, and to the subjects in our films, the brave men and women who have shared their stories continue in their struggle. There was not a dry eye in the house. It was truly a transcendent moment, as we imagined the possibilities for all of us in the screening room, and far, far outside of it.
#4: The last morning of the Lab, alone on a chairlift for 50 minutes of soaring vistas, and self-reflection.
I was afraid to go back to life - afraid for what was next for my film. Tears flowed in a way they hadn't for a long time. From the uncomplicated intensity of the Lab, back to the life I have a hard time putting in balance. And then, moments later, there was a question on the shuttle ride to the airport. Creative Advisor Robb Moss asked me, Are you happy as a mother? I'd spent eight days shying away from that part of myself, focused only on the work. Robb's question shocked me, in part, because the answer often was no
More from Sundance Institute
24/01/2023
Feature Film Prize Goes to The Pod Generation, Grantees Honored at Reception dur...
24/01/2023
Today is a big day for film lovers! The 2023 Sundance Film Festival is still raging - the online portion starts today! - and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts ...
23/01/2023
Inspired by Contributions of Late M ori Filmmaker, Fellowship Provides Year-Round Support...
22/01/2023
On Sunday, January 22nd, producers from around the world came together in person...
19/01/2023
Doug Liman Directed and Amy Herdy Produced, Liz Garbus and Dan Cogan Executive Produced Documentary to Debut in Special Screenings Section...
13/01/2023
Top L-R: Joseph Sackett, Sean Wang, Abinash Bikram Shah, Gabriela Ortega, Walter...
11/01/2023
PARK CITY, UTAH, January 11, 2023 - The nonprofit Sundance Institute announced today the 16 jurors granting awards for artistic and cinematic excellence at the ...
09/01/2023
Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke portray two people who meet on a train and feel a spark, in Before Sunrise....
09/01/2023
Evening To Celebrate Independent Storytelling and Raise Funds for the Institute&...
06/01/2023
Additional Institute and Partner Programming to Round Out Public Offerings at Festival...
05/01/2023
Top L-R: CODA, Past Lives, Klondike. Center L-R: Beyond Utopia, Stephen Curry: Underrated, Flora and Son. Bottom L-R: Navalny, Earth Mama, Summer of Soul ( Or, ...
05/01/2023
Five world premiere feature films and four award-winning films from previous Sundance Film Festivals have just been added to the 2023 program. These projects ar...
05/01/2023
Camilla Souza and C cero Lucas appear in Mars One (Marte Um) by Gabriel Martins, a 2022 Sundance Film Festival entry....
30/12/2022
Ben Foster (left) and Woody Harrelson appear in The Messenger, which played at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival....
22/12/2022
By Stephanie Ornelas
[Pictured: The Hebrew Hammer, 2005 Sundance Film Festival]
Those who have attended the Sundance Film Festival over the years might remem...
21/12/2022
By Layla Halfhill
It's December 21, which means that, for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, the Winter Solstice is upon us! This is the day when the ...
20/12/2022
[Pictured: Junebug, 2005 Sundance Film Festival]
By Stephanie Ornelas
There's no place like home for the holidays, even if it's not exactly your home...
16/12/2022
The children in a small town in Quebec decide to stage a massive snowball fight over winter break, in Snowtime!....
15/12/2022
Evening will Celebrate Independent Storytelling and Raise Funds for the Institut...
14/12/2022
By Shahnaz Mahmud
Goaaaallll! This word is echoing across the world as the 2022...
13/12/2022
Top L-R: Oxytocin, The Vacation, Pro Pool, I AM HOME. Center L-R: Kylie, Willie ...
12/12/2022
by Stefania Sarrubba
At the beating heart and growling stomach of American culture, diners have often brought their unassuming, nostalgic allure to the silver ...
12/12/2022
[Above: Maggie Gyllenhaal and Steve Zahn host the 2003 Sundance Film Festival Awards]
By Stephanie Ornelas
We here at the Sundance Institute have been think...
08/12/2022
After weeks of preparation, speculation, and anticipation, we're thrilled to unveil the full program of the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Next month, all eye...
08/12/2022
By Stephanie Ornelas
The holiday season is here which means it's time to start checking off your gift list. Naturally, you might have one or several indie...
07/12/2022
Top L-R: Bravo, Burkina!, Girl, Polite Society, Mami Wata.
Center L-R: Going Varsity in Mariachi, The Accidental Getaway Driver, Deep Rising, Cassandro.
Botto...
06/12/2022
Don Verdean (Sam Rockwell) and Boaz (Jermaine Clement) gaze solemnly at a chalice, in the 2015 Sundance Film Festival's Don Verdean....
05/12/2022
By Vanessa Zimmer
Volunteering at the Sundance Film Festival might mean sitting...
03/12/2022
A true trailblazer within the documentary film world, Julia Reichert passed away yesterday at the age of 76 after a long battle with cancer. Over the course of ...
02/12/2022
Dear Sundance Community,
Here at the Sundance Institute, this time of year is always a period of reflection. As we prepare for the Festival and January Screenw...
02/12/2022
Bill Nighy's performance in Living received accolades at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival....
01/12/2022
Sundance Institute vigorously supports the National Endowment for the Arts, and calls upon our country's leadership to do the same. NEA support played a cru...
01/12/2022
Film still from Red Power: Standing Rock, Part II. Photo by Christopher Yapp.
...
01/12/2022
By Shahnaz Mahmud
The power of dance lies in its ability to touch our emotions solely through the body's expression. Wordless verse, poetry in motion, call...
30/11/2022
Waitresses, from left, Dawn (Adrienne Shelly), Becky (Cheryl Hines), and Jenna (Keri Russell) share a conversation at the diner....
29/11/2022
For Native American Heritage Month, the Sundance Institute is proud to highlight...
29/11/2022
Last night, the Gotham Film and Media Institute unveiled the winners of their 2022 Gotham Awards and, while the Best Feature statuette went to Everything Everyw...
28/11/2022
By Stephanie Ornelas
There's a unique partnership between the director, th...
23/11/2022
Mary J. Blige (on left, in front seat of the wagon) was nominated for an Oscar f...
22/11/2022
If you've been wracking your brain for topics to discuss with your family du...
21/11/2022
by Ianeta Le'i
For Native American Heritage Month, the Sundance Institute i...
21/11/2022
Ryan Coogler To Be Honored with Sundance Institute | Variety Visionary Award...
18/11/2022
Robert Redford (left) personally invited Euzhan Palcy to the 1985 Directors Lab ...
17/11/2022
Wes Anderson hangs a poster for his short film Bottle Rocket at the 1993 Sundance Film Festival....
15/11/2022
by Matthew Eng
In the opening sequence of Joyce Chopra's 1985 Smooth Talk, ...
14/11/2022
By Stephanie Ornelas
It's been two years since we've gathered together in Utah and we're excited to return in person with more films, more accessib...
12/11/2022
Today is a big day for documentary lovers. Not only is Sara Dosa's enchantin...
11/11/2022
Maurice and Katia Krafft made it their life's work to document erupting volc...
10/11/2022
By Stephanie Ornelas
Building an enduring, evolving community for independent s...
10/11/2022
By Stephanie Ornelas
It was a full circle moment for Black Panther: Wakanda Fo...