Interviews – Jackson Doc Fest

INTERVIEWS

The Life We Leave - JJ Gerber (United States)

This film came from the heart of so many people, and we’re so grateful to all of the families that put themselves out there to tell the story of their loved one at the one of the hardest times of their lives. Micah once told me as he was opening the doors to his facility – “We are standing on the shoulders of giants”. And I think that’s more true now than ever.

“Outside Line” – Jake Gordon (United States)

In Outside Line, Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Jack Gordon follows the remarkable rise of Caruth, one of the few Black drivers competing in NASCAR. With no family connections to professional motorsports and few Black drivers to look toward as examples, Caruth entered one of America’s most competitive sports very much as an outsider.

“The Art of Loss” – Kathy Bruner (United States)

Laura Stevenson, an artist and professor, processes the grief of miscarriage by making art. She and her husband Eric unpack the pain that is rarely discussed publicly.
In The Art of Loss, my main subject, Laura, processed the loss of miscarriage through the mediums of printmaking, sculpture, and porcelain, even as I found the filmmaking process a source of healing for myself. I’m grateful to my collaborators Hannah Johnson for editing and Josh Taylor for sound design and mixing.

“Twice Colonized” – Lin Alluna (Canada)

Aaju Peter is a force of nature. She is a renowned Greenlandic Inuit lawyer and activist who defends the human rights of Indigenous peoples of the Arctic, and a fierce protector of her ancestral lands. She works to bring her colonizers in both Canada and Denmark to justice, and deploys her effusive spirit and illuminating wit to provoke self-examination and personal responsibility among Westerners for imposing their colonial ways. As Aaju launches an effort to establish an Indigenous forum at the European Union, she also embarks upon a complex and deeply personal journey to mend her own wounds, including the unexpected passing of her youngest son. (COMING SOON…)

“Outside Line” – Jake Gordon (United States)

In Outside Line, Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Jack Gordon follows the remarkable rise of Caruth, one of the few Black drivers competing in NASCAR. With no family connections to professional motorsports and few Black drivers to look toward as examples, Caruth entered one of America’s most competitive sports very much as an outsider.

“The Art of Loss” – Kathy Bruner (United States)

Laura Stevenson, an artist and professor, processes the grief of miscarriage by making art. She and her husband Eric unpack the pain that is rarely discussed publicly.
In The Art of Loss, my main subject, Laura, processed the loss of miscarriage through the mediums of printmaking, sculpture, and porcelain, even as I found the filmmaking process a source of healing for myself. I’m grateful to my collaborators Hannah Johnson for editing and Josh Taylor for sound design and mixing.

"The Next Chapter" – Beneath the Surface of War and Humanity

In The Next Chapter, filmmaker Russ van Aardt takes audiences beneath the haunting beauty of Truk Lagoon to uncover how the destruction of war can reveal the strength, compassion, and resilience of the human spirit. What began as a simple exploration of two personal stories evolved into a sweeping, five-part narrative—each thread connected by a single day of devastation: the Allied attack known as Operation Hailstone, on February 17, 1944.

INTERVIEW FILMMAKER: India Anne Michelle

India Anne Michelle discovered her love of storytelling at age 12 when her California school shifted online for over a year. During that uncertain time, she picked up an old cellphone and began documenting the dramatically changing world around her. Using only an old iPhone, free iMovie software, and a strong story, she launched a filmmaking journey defined by purpose and heart.

It sounds like the setup for a joke, and Fiddler on the Moon: Judaism in Space certainly knows how to have fun with the idea. But beneath its playful title is a thoughtful documentary about faith, identity, survival, and one of humanity’s oldest traditions confronting an entirely new frontier.