Dayna Reggero is a passionate and infectious soul. Her documentaries and projects outside of film show a genuine concern for the human beings and the planet with share with them. I got to speak to Reggero again – a previous attendee of the Femme Filmmakers Festival – about her filmmaking life and what drives her. Have a read and please stick around to watch Planet Prescription.
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Let’s start from the very beginning. Where were you born? Where did you live growing up?
I was born and raised in New York.
When did the passion for film and story-telling start? What did you enjoy watching as a kid?
I started using a camera as a tool to offer people a way to share their truths. My passion for listening started when I was young. I think we offer what we need.
What are documentaries so important? How can we give them more exposure?
Documentaries are important because they can help make sure histories are not deleted. Documentaries inspire viewers to share their stories too, or sometimes to just let folks know they are not alone.
Tell us about your passions in life and how you transfer them to film.
I am a filmmaker but I have in the past identified more as an environmentalist, feminist, anti-racism activist.
Planet Prescription is clearly involved with COVID-19 and the health care professionals. How did you research this?
I partnered with Laura Hope-Gill and Lenoir-Rhyne Narrative Healthcare as well as Laura Turner-Seydel and her organization Mothers and Others for Clean Air. They work separately in inspired ways with health professionals on solutions to heal doctors and communities.
How was your lockdown personally? What challenges did you overcome?
My lockdown was life-changing. I lost all my film funding. I didn’t know if we would be able to travel to film again. Lockdown made me think of other ways to continue to listen and support equitable, community-led, truth-telling work. One of the health professionals in the film, Tanya Davis, really inspired me to continue this listening, healing wave journey.
How long did it take to make this film? Tell us about the process of documentary filmmaking.
We stopped filming when Covid lockdown hit. We were filming in hospitals and doctors offices with the epidemiologists, pulmonologists, therapists, and immunologists were were connecting the pollution and climate crisis, and the layers of trauma in communities, and were now fighting Covid. These individuals are beautiful humans. We changed the film and tried to make everything come together to honor these amazing health professionals.
You must have a ton of ideas for future projects. What can you tell us.
I’m currently listening in the Gulf Coast and working creatively with friends in communities to stop LNG – a buildout of 20+ liquid natural gas export terminals along the coast. Follow my journey: @daynareggero on tiktok and Instagram.
