When Luchina Fisher enters a room, she has seats arranged in a circle to make sure that everybody feels relaxed to engage in conversation rather than listen to her lecture.
For the Emmy Award-winning filmmaker, creating a comfortable environment is more than a method of encouraging participation. It is central to her storytelling, from her debut Mama Gloria (2020) to her latest long documentary The Dads (2026).
"You are creating a space for people to feel comfortable and let them do the talking," she said. "You are listening and sometimes following up."
After the world premiere at this year's SXSW Film Festival in mid-March, The Dads was screened for the first time in Thailand at Baturu's second edition of Bangkok LGBTIQ+ Film Festival last month.
Luchina has enjoyed watching films since childhood, but could not see herself as a director. Instead, she studied journalism in college and cut her teeth in newspapers.
As life came full circle, she went on to become a television producer. She discovered that journalism and documentary filmmaking have something in common -- interviews are at the heart of good stories.
There are a couple of differences, however. Unlike journalists, documentary filmmakers do not know what they are chasing, but decide to go for it. Moreover, they must bring their own lens.
"I always ask my film students why they want to tell these stories," she said.
Luchina shared her motivation for doing her first feature. Mama Gloria profiles black trans activist Gloria Allen in her 70s, who starts a charm school for homeless trans youth. Luchina is not transgender, but feels connected to Gloria because she is the mother of a trans child. At the time, a surge in hate crime also compelled her to tell this story.
The main interview took four hours. Yet, prior conversation by phone two hours a week for a month gave her necessary background. Once the interview started, Luchina asked Gloria simple questions. When conversation turned to high school, however, she shared a traumatic experience of assault and broke down.
"Give them space to open up," she said. "I didn't say anything. I just held space, looked at her and allowed her to be in those memories and bring them forth. Once she was on the other side of it, then I said, 'Should we take a break now?'. Make your subjects feel comfortable to tell or even relive that experience."
Luchina sees filmmaking as a collaborative process. Her filming of Mama Gloria brought together the entire queer community. It came out in 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic. Two years later, the icon passed away at 76, surrounded by those who celebrated her. It won film awards and recognition from then-president Joe Biden during Pride Month in 2022.
Luchina moved on to other projects, including her short documentary The Dads (2023). The idea came to her when she overheard dads planning a fishing trip at an LGBTI conference. She brought them together and filmed their interaction. After its world premiere, Netflix contacted her for the rights to stream the short film on its platform. It won the 2024 Daytime Emmy Award.
What began as a community of fathers has grown into a national movement. Founded in 2024, the Dads Foundation is a nonprofit organisation that supports fathers of trans and gender-expansive kids. A number of activities cultivate lifelong bonds. Her filming of their retreat laid the groundwork for the latest feature of the same name.
Of course, Luchina made them feel comfortable.
"I am a fly on the wall. I receded to the background while they were having conversation. I wanted them to forget that cameras were there. I had a very small crew that are very sensitive. When it came to interviews, I already connected to a number of them. There were some new dads, but my short documentary could convince them to tell stories," she said.
It came down to proving that they can trust her. While filming, a national election gave a new urgency to the story. The Dads (2026) follows a group of fathers who are forced to make a tough choice -- fight or flee -- amid growing hostility towards LGBTIs. When the film came out in March, Luchina said some were really in the midst of leaving the US for safety reasons.
"I would not have got the story if I wasn't connected to them because they are putting their lives on the line to be in the film. It must be somebody who understands their stakes and knows how to protect them," she said.
