April 9, 2021

In this episode, I speak with filmmaker Lindsey Dryden and filmmaker, novelist, and podcaster, Day Al-Mohamed. In our conversation, we chat about Day’s advocacy work in Washington, D.C., Lindsey’s work as a producer of the film Unrest, and the organization they co-founded with the Oscar-nominated director of Crip Camp, Jim Lebrecht and Alysa Nahmias, FWD-Doc. FWD-Doc is committed to empowering filmmakers with disabilities and part of that advocacy is being bold saying the words “disability” and “disabled.” With that said and the spirit of naming what is, is, this week’s song is Destiny Child’s “Say My Name.”

Photo Credit: Rachel Ellis

[Image Description: B&W photo. Day is pictured from the torso up. She sits on the ground with her dog, a light-colored Labrador retriever named Veni. Day has a pair of sunglasses on top of her head and wears a denim-like jacket over a dark-colored top. She wears a metal necklace as she looks at the camera.]

Photo Credit: Jo Irvine

[B&W photo. Lindsey is pictured from the chest up smiling with her body turned slightly as she faces the camera. She stands in an open field, her hair blowing in the wind. She wears a dark velvet-like top.]

About Day

Day Al-Mohamed is an author, filmmaker, and policy expert with over 15 years of experience. She has written two novels: Baba Ali and the Clockwork Djinn and The Labyrinth’s Archivist. In addition, she is a regular host on Idobi Radio’s Geek Girl Riot with an audience of 80,000 listeners. She is a Founding Member of FWD-Doc (Documentary Filmmakers with Disabilities) and sits on the Board of Docs in Progress. Her documentary, The Invalid Corps about disabled Civil War soldiers was recently licensed to Alaska Airlines and will had its broadcast premiere on Maryland Public Television in December 2020. However, she is most proud of being invited to teach a workshop on storytelling at the White House in 2016.

About Lindsey

Lindsey Dryden (she/her) is an Emmy-winning filmmaker who produces, writes, and directs short and feature-length films.
She is the founder of Little By Little Films, which is led by underrepresented voices and prioritizes bold new storytelling by and about
LGBTQ folks, women, and disabled people. As a queer filmmaker with a disability, she brings an authentic route to those rarely seen perspectives. She’s also a proud founding member of Queer Producers Network, FWD-DOC (Filmmakers with Disabilities), and a fellow of BAFTA/BFI Flare, Guiding Lights, Good Pitch, HotDocs Forum, and Sundance Creative Distribution Initiative.

Lindsey produced Sundance Special Jury Award-winning and Oscar-shortlisted Unrest with Jennifer Brea (2017, PBS Independent Lens/Netflix), produced Emmy-winning Trans In America with Daresha Kyi and Cary Cronenwett (2018, ACLU/Conde Nast), co-produced multi-award-winning Unrest VR (2017, Tribeca), and is the executive producer of Ahead of the Curve which has an all-female LGBTQ+ crew. Her directing/writing credits include Lost and Sound (2012, SXSW), Jackie Kay: One Person, Two Names (2017, Tate Queer British Art), and Close Your Eyes And Look At Me (2009, True/False). She co-authored Unrest’s DocSociety Hi5 Impact Case Study and Sundance Creative Distribution Case Study, and with a background as an Impact Producer, she consults on and crafts innovative audience engagement strategies.

Lindsey’s work has been selected for SXSW, Tribeca, Sundance, HotDocs, True/False, CPH: Dox, MIFF, and Sheffield Doc/Fest, screened at Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Art Of The Real, enjoyed international theatrical release, and broadcast on Netflix, PBS Independent Lens, BBC and Channel 4. She is known for telling stories that allow audiences unique access to unexpected, moving, and gripping new worlds, nurturing bold new voices and advocating for opportunities for underrepresented storytellers in the film industry.

About FWD-Doc

FWD-Doc is a group of filmmakers with disabilities (FWDs) working in documentary film, — and their allies. They believe that coming together as a community allows them to support each other and advocate for themselves with greater power. FWD-Doc seeks to increase the visibility of, support for, and direct access to opportunities, networks, and employment for disabled filmmakers. They aim to foster greater inclusion of disability within the broader entertainment industry.

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