The Making Of Transcendence: A Journey Of Hope + Healing

During NCTTP’s 16th Annual Symposium on March 18, 2024, Jane C. Wagner, Tina DiFeliciantonio, and Hawthorne Smith, PhD, showed a preview of their film and then spoke on “The Making Of Transcendence: A Journey Of Hope + Healing.”
 
Abstract:
Filmed over ten years at the Bellevue Program for Survivors of Torture, this intimate
documentary — the first of its kind — traces the journeys of four asylees, originally from Tibet, Sierra Leone, Chad, and Jamaica, who come to the U.S. seeking refuge. We follow their healing journeys as they work with a multidisciplinary team of care providers to overcome unimaginable cruelty, rebuild their lives, and find the strength to speak out against those who terrorized communities in the countries they once called home. We will share an excerpt of Transcendence: A Journey of Hope + Healing. This will be followed by a discussion about making this 75-minute feature documentary. It is important to note that the film’s production relied entirely on the storytelling and agency of torture survivors. Building mutual relationships of trust was paramount.
 
Presenters:
Jane C. Wagner and Tina DiFeliciantonio, director and producers of Transcendence, a project to which they have dedicated over eight years of filming more than 200 hours of footage, as well as decades of expertise. From cinema vérité to impressionistic documentaries, DiFeliciantonio and Wagner’s critically acclaimed films have been screened and broadcast throughout the world. Their wide-ranging work — wartime rape, AIDS, child abuse, social justice, teenage sexuality, civil rights, art, science, ethics, and sustainable energy — has garnered dozens of top honors, such as two National Emmy Awards and two Sundance Film Festival Awards, including the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary.
 
DiFeliciantonio and Wagner began their professional careers after graduating from Stanford University’s M.A. Film Program, where DiFeliciantonio made her directorial debut with the student Academy Award-winning LIVING WITH AIDS, which was the first film on the subject to be broadcast nationally on PBS. Over the course of 35 years, DiFeliciantonio and Wagner’s intellectual and creative collaboration continues to be sustained by a shared vision and passion for storytelling. They have produced in countries worldwide, including Hungary, Senegal, Abu Dhabi, Bangladesh, India, Japan, Australia, Jamaica, China, England, Mexico, and Turkey. Their work has been seen on HBO, Sundance Channel, Showtime, New York Times television, MTV, SyFy, U.S.A. Networks, and foreign television. Wagner holds an M.Sc. in Political Sociology and a B.Sc. in Political Science/Economics from the London School of Economics. DiFeliciantonio holds a B.S. in Humanities and a B.S. in Business from Drexel University. Each graduated from Stanford University with an M.A. in Communication.
 
Dr. Hawthorne Smith, PhD is a licensed psychologist and the Director of the Bellevue Program for Survivors of Torture. He is also an Associate Clinical Professor at the NYU School of Medicine in the Department of Psychiatry. Dr. Smith received his doctorate in Counseling Psychology (with distinction) from Teachers College; Columbia University. Dr. Smith had previously earned a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, an advanced certificate in African Studies from Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar, Senegal, as well as a Masters in International Affairs from the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs. Among his clinical duties, Dr. Smith has facilitated a support group for French-speaking African survivors of torture for the past 25 years.