After a prominent film festival rejection in December 2023, their feedback prompted a major overhaul on what was presumed to be an almost-finished film — Soraya Simi’s first feature documentary, ROW OF LIFE. This required four more months of working alongside three veteran documentary editors: Sara Newens (Pretty Baby, Farrow v. Allen), Lily Frances Henderson (For Akheem), and Joe Beshenovsky (Jane, Montage of Heck). Soraya will discuss how this process unfolded technically by way of the storytelling breakthroughs each editor offered, and emotionally and psychologically how an indie filmmaker can prepare themselves better for a marathon and not a sprint mentality.