TURKEY CREEK senior editor Bill Anderson (L) and filmmaker Leah Mahan (R) with Sundance Documentary Editing and Story Lab Advisors Lewis Erskine, Carol Dysinger and Jean Tsien.

My life as a mother and a documentary filmmaker sometimes seems like a film that’s out of sync. But there was a wonderful moment this summer when everything clicked.

I had been invited to bring the rough cut of my Turkey Creek documentary to the Sundance Documentary Editing and Story Lab but considered declining the invitation because it meant being away from my two four-year-olds for nine days. Ultimately we came up with a plan for my family to join me for the last couple nights, but I wasn’t sure how it would all work out.

The lab was intense, and the film changed in important ways over the course of the week.

Sundance lab advisors and staff in our editing trailer

Sundance lab gathering on the final day

On the final night of the lab, each of the five filmmaking teams showed a segment of their work that demonstrated what they’d accomplished. Turkey Creek was shown last, and my husband brought our children into the theater just before our screening. My son sat on my lap, and when my editor Bill and I had to leave our seats to respond to questions, I wasn’t sure how he’d react. Clinging to my leg in protest was a very definite possibility. Instead, he sat patiently, listening, and when I returned to sit next to him, he shyly held up his stuffed animal, making it applaud. I was so thrilled to share this moment with him, and so honored by his sweet gesture.