Sasha Wortzel

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As soon as RIVER OF GRASS (2025) starts, the viewer is given an astonishing sense of place, and according to my guest, director Sasha Wortzel, this is most certainly by design. The film -- "an ode to the Florida Everglades past and present" -- is an amazing piece of artwork that elevates its subject to a character all of its own. Wherever you watch the film -- perhaps at DC/DOX on June 14th, 2025 -- you are going to feel like you are in Florida.

I’m not sure you’re transported there during the podcast, but what I can certainly promise is you’ll be hearing from an extraordinarily talented filmmaker. 

In this episode, Sasha and I discuss:

• how did she get the sense of place, the feeling of being in Florida, through sound and visuals, so right?
• how did she get the archival footage that makes up RIVER OF GRASS?
• "the more you know about the place, the louder the whispers become" -- how did she get so many insights from the people she interviewed for the film?
• how she became a filmmaker focused on "attend[ing] to sites and stories systematically erased or ignored from...[New York and Florida's] histories"
• did RIVER OF GRASS, a doc feature, feel like a natural progressive after making shorts?
• her advice for doc filmmakers -- "really hone in what is the story you want to tell and why";
• her film won a jury prize at Hot Docs; how does she approach the festival process?
• the importance of resilience in getting her film made -- "make bold choices with your work creatively";
• her roles as director, producer, and editor -- was editing important to her for this project?
• how she was able to get her voiceovers right -- "what really worked for the voiceovers in this particular film that it's a lot about memory";
• with this film, does she consider herself a climate filmmaker?
• what's next for her and when does she expect RIVER OF GRASS to be available for streaming -- she's "dreaming up a sort of live immersive performance version"

Sasha's Indie Film/Filmmaker Highlight: THE RED SHOES (1948) -- available on Tubi!; THE TUBA THIEVES (2023) dir. by Alison O'Daniel; Ja'Tovia Gary

Links:

Follow RIVER OF GRASS On Instagram

Follow Sasha Wortzel On Instagram

Buy Tickets To See River of Grass At DC/DOX On June 14th, 2025

Watch This Episode On YouTube