”Joonam” with Sierra Urich

In her feature documentary directorial debut, Sierra Urich follows women of three generations as they search for the meaning of “home”.  Torn between the past in Iran and the present in New England, the women navigate their family’s complicated legacy through art:  Video, painting, and song.  And they maintain and build the relationships between them through freighted words, both direct as well as translated.   Native Vermonters Sierra and Mike sat down to discuss this emotionally powerful film, one packed with stories from the past but playing with narrative form in its own telling.  They spoke of place:  Everything from domestic kitchens to the missing Google Street View of Iran.  And of how Sierra and her editor used hard cuts and other cinematic techniques  to emphasize the connection between and the distance from the world she found herself in and the land she wished to visit.  And yes, they did speak of her father, Gary–quiet, but ever-present.   Joonam is currently playing the festival circuit.   Hidden Gems: I Didn’t See You There Radiograph of a Family   Follow: @joonamfilm on Instagram @topdocs pod on twitter & Instagram   The Presenting Sponsor of Top Docs is Netflix.