EditCon 2026: Rooted In Story: Identity, Legacy and Decolonization

Today's episode is a panel from EditCon 2026 that took place in February 2026.

ROOTED IN STORY: IDENTITY, LEGACY AND DECOLONIZATION

Three visionary documentary storytellers explore how the editor's hand shapes narratives rooted in memory, identity, and the contested spaces of land and legacy.

Featuring Elad Tzadok (TREASURE OF THE RICE TERRACES), Ryan Mullins (YINTAH), and renowned editor Mary Stephen, CCE (PALIMPSEST: THE STORY OF A NAME), the panel dives into the unique editorial challenges of crafting vérité-based, community-centred narratives. From remote rice terraces in the Philippines, to the frontline of land defense in northern B.C., to a quiet meditation on ancestral naming across continents, these films each required distinct approaches in balancing structure, ethics, and emotional truth.

Enjoy an inspiring and practical look at the art of shaping multi-layered documentary narratives. Where place becomes a character, sound becomes testimony, and the cut becomes an act of cultural care.

This panel was moderated by Nick Hector, CCE, BFE, ACE