documentary

Beyond Boundaries :: Sarah Ferrier

Beyond Boundaries :: Sarah Ferrier

I interviewed an amazing and inspirational woman for my minute movie this month, Traca Savadogo. I was having a hard time coming up with an idea this month. And then I was at an event and after it ended Traca and I started talking. The subject of boundaries came up and how limiting boundaries can be. If you never ask, you’ll never get what you want out of life. Just say yes. Ask for what you want and say yes to opportunities that present themselves. Starting Minute Movies was my version of that – creating opportunities for myself where there aren’t any. I’m entering a new, exciting stage of life and doing my best to overcome my own boundaries and the boundaries that I find.

After the interview I sent Traca the written questions and this is what she wrote back:

“Short answer? No, I haven’t always held these beliefs about boundaries. The truth is, I didn’t know what I was capable of. My home environment was very limiting and I grew up in a small-ish town…Peoria, Illinois. Population 120,000. It’s surrounded by farmland and the closest “big city” without going to Chicago or St. Louis. But it was very limiting. I have always liked people from other cultures but there, I couldn’t be further away from those influences. My parents are very Rush Limbaugh/Republicans and their worldview is very small. When I moved to Seattle, my life changed dramatically. Out from under that influence, I realized how empowered I truly was. If I was willing do dream up the idea and put momentum into it, it was astonishing how few limitations were in my path. I thrived at Bellevue College where I landed a position in student government, started a speaker’s bureau, was a member of their Model United Nations group, helped break ground for a new parking garage, flew to New York for conferences at the UN, went to Cuba on a class trip, interned with the 1st Congressional District of Washington State, worked on an election campaign, interned at the World Affairs Council, and on the planning committee for the World Trade Organization meetings in Seattle. And I became an advanced SCUBA diver and dove everywhere from Thailand to the Inside Passage. All in less than 3 years. It was there that I learned how to move ideas along, and ask for what you want. And the key is understanding what the other person wants. What do they get out of saying “yes.” It was a magical time and it set some serious momentum. Going from the isolating environment in my home life to unlimited possibilities? It was staggering and I made the most out of it.”

Remember :: Peter Feysa

Remember :: Peter Feysa

I always knew my father had a troubled childhood with the stories he would tell. This pain he feels haunts him, and of course as a film-maker, I wanted to explore his past with a simple on camera interview. He had no clue why I brought my film equipment to his house when I visited him this past weekend. That is until I took the camera out and asked him for an interview. He said no immediately, but after 20 minutes of conversation and encouragement, he was ready to tell his story. Being vulnerable with the most intimate of memories from your past, painful memories involving your loved ones, takes a lot of courage. To expose yourself in front of an audience can be excruciating, and he felt it right before the camera rolled. However, as the interview progressed, it not only got easier, but he was anxious to share more. Healing took place that night, and hopefully for the viewers who could mildly relate to abuse of any kind.