To be trusted is a greater compliment than to be loved.
- George MacDonald
The single most important thing in documentary filmmaking is trust. Everything else is secondary.
Trust the people. Trust the story. Trust the moment. Trust the truth it will reveal. Trust the ability to bring it to life.
Trust is never given. It's earned. Its a two way street. Its even harder with children. But over time. It may take a whole year.
By sharing.
By talking.
By giving.
By playing.
There comes a moment when the flood gates open. I think for the documentary, 'Our Daughters' this was that moment. On this day, sometime between the children playing with the easy rig and under the cascade of umbrellas we crossed that bridge of trust. What they said after and what was captured visually on camera was that trust manifested. To have earned that is the best compliment ever.
PS: Our Daughters is a feature length documentary.
Synopsis: A single white mother chooses an Indian American couple to be her twin daughters' adoptive parents. Eight years later, what can this unusual extended family teach us about transracial open adoption?