When Ondi Timoner began to film her family and her father as he waited the obligatory 15 days before opting for death with dignity, she never intended to make a feature-length documentary. As she spent more time with the footage, however, she realized that she had captured something that is paradoxically both rare, in that it is infrequently discussed and depicted, and universal, in its confrontation of death. Timoner answered questions about undergoing that journey and what she learned as she repeatedly watched and edited the scene of her own father’s death. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up […]

A financially precarious temp worker effectively locked out of a stable job due to a minor criminal record takes a black market gig buying goods with stolen credit cards in Emily the Criminal. As its logline suggests, the film examines the gig economy and class structure in America, and editor Harrison Atkins discusses how he shaped the film to approach that film with anger rather than numbness Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the editor of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led to your being hired for this job? Atkins: I’ve been working […]

The Mission focuses on four missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints working in Finland. In addition to the often frustrating day-to-day missionary work, director Tania Anderson also captures the missionaries on the eve of their departure, during their Finnish language lessons and on their welcomes home. Editor Suvi Solja discusses the challenges of piercing the nonchalant façade of the subjects and the decision to include a voiceover in the film, as well as why she frequently watches the opening of Bob Fosse’s All That Jazz. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the editor of […]

In Palm Trees and Power Lines, the feature debut of Jamie Dack, aprecocious but aimless 17-year-old  named Lea finds herself drawn to Tom, a man twice her age who initially appears to give her the much-needed attention she does not have at home. As their relationship continues, however, Tom begins to assert his power in the relationship. Editor Christopher Radcliff explains the importance of keeping the film tied to Lea’s perspective and of editing the film to emphasize the patience evident in the script. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the editor of your film? What were the […]

Dos Estaciones pulls equally from documentary and fictional aesthetics to tell its story of a tequila factory in the highlands of Jalisco. It devotes time not just to its protagonist, but also to the process of making tequila, the landscape and other inhabitants. Editor Lívia Serpa recounts how the edit was always based on the material at hand rather than the script and the emphasis on the overarching structure of the film. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the editor of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led to your being hired for this job? […]

When a circus tent appeared outside the window of Reid Davenport, a visibly disabled filmmaker, he began to contemplate the history of the “freak show” and its relationship to his own aesthetics. This inquiry formed the backbone of I Didn’t See You There, for which Davenport captured images from his wheelchair and sought to make a film about how he sees the world. Below, editor Todd Chandler explains his desire to work on a film so aesthetically different from his own and why he likes to watch other films with his collaborators. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up […]