Welcome to Your Free Voice Episode 51!
A couple of years ago I had the great pleasure of being approached by a young award winning documentary film maker called Colette Ghunim. She was recording voiceover for her latest film Traces of Home and was looking for some voice coaching. I helped her with that, but also we dove into the subject matter of her film, and how to process generational trauma through shadow work, how to manage vocal stress during protest marches, and how to not lose your voice during a gruelling film circuit.
She is one of the most courageous, generous, heart filled and joyful people I have ever had the privilege to get to know and I really hope you enjoy this interview.
BIO
As a documentary filmmaker and nonprofit co-founder, Colette Ghunim’s soul purpose is to use the power of film and storytelling for those oppressed around the world to be seen, to be heard, and to heal. Her first documentary, The People’s Girls (2016), received over 2 million views and won Best Short Documentary at the Arab Film Festival for its bold spotlight on street harassment in Egypt. In co-production with Kartemquin Films and funded by Latino Public Broadcasting, she is directing Traces of Home, her first feature-length film documenting her inner quest to find home through unearthing her parent’s forced migrations from Mexico and Palestine. Colette is also the co-founder of Mezcla Media Collective, a nonprofit organization aimed to cultivate a thriving landscape for over 700 women and non-binary filmmakers of color in Chicago. Her work has been highlighted on international outlets such as Huffington Post, Al Jazeera, Univision, and TEDx. Colette was selected as a 2023 Obama Foundation USA Leader, 2024 Sundance Institute x ISF Fellow, and was featured on Arab America’s “30 Under 30” list.
When we recorded this interview it was only a few days after bombing resumed in Gaza. . I deleted the first 15 minutes of our conversation because it was too tender to share here, but we cried together and laughed together and then got back to the work of sharing stories together. As Colette so beautifully puts it in this episode our job is Radical Love …and also action.
Thank you so much for listening!
Here is where to find Colette and how to support her storytelling mission.
Here is how you can support her efforts to finish the film Traces of Home
please reach out to Colette if you have connections to film festivals or colleges or universities where she might be able to share the film and speak about the journey.
Finally, if you are interested in the visualization she did with me about finding your true self behind the wall, you can get that here.
Please share this episode far and wide and help Colette bring her message of hope and healing to as many people as possible.
