Filming a Culture Without Freezing It: Editing Indigenous Narratives Responsibly

Filming a Culture Without Freezing It: Editing Indigenous Narratives Responsibly Facilitator: Sarah Lois Dorai Filming culture is never neutral. What gets captured, what gets cut, and how a story is shaped can either keep a culture alive — or reduce it to something static, simplified, and consumable. Drawing from her work in film and publishing, Sarah Lois Dorai invites participants into the editing process itself, where the most critical decisions are made. Through reviewing real scenes and narrative choices, participants will examine how identity, language, and context are altered in the act of storytelling, and how to make decisions that retain integrity without losing clarity. The session builds a practical understanding of editing as a responsibility — not just a technical step, but a process that determines how culture is seen, understood, and carried forward.