In this episode of Breaking Indie, we’re coming to you from the Santa Fe Film Festival with two powerful conversations about documentary filmmaking, balance, and finding your voice as an artist.

First, we sit down with filmmaker Alexandra Lexton, director of the feature-length documentary Fool’s Paradise Lost. Alex shares the deeply personal journey behind the film—an exploration of healing, reconnection to nature, and restoring both our inner and outer wilds. Shot across the United States and Tanzania, the film brings together environmental voices, indigenous wisdom, and spiritual reflection. Alex opens up about the five-year process of making the film through COVID, working as a small, often solo crew, and how personal crisis led her to one of her most meaningful projects yet.

Then, we’re joined by Oliver Dixon, a first-time filmmaker whose short documentary Sky is also screening at the festival. Oliver talks about making his very first film as a college student with limited resources, following his friend Sky as she navigates preserving her Indigenous identity while pursuing a Western education and career. It’s a grounded, honest conversation about access, storytelling, and learning to trust your voice behind the camera.

From seasoned filmmakers to first-timers, this episode is all about why we tell stories, how documentaries find us, and what it really takes to bring a film to life—no matter where you’re starting from.

🎬 Films discussed: Fool’s Paradise Lost & Sky
🎙 Recorded at the Santa Fe Film Festival
🎧 A program for filmmakers, by filmmakers

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