As a queer mixed-race Chinese-American independent documentarian and trained death doula, I’m interested in the intersections of identity, resilience, grief, personal history and culture.
My first feature documentary, All We Carry (PSIFF ‘24 editor, co-producer and co-writer), follows an asylum-seeking family from Honduras as they navigate the daily joys and grief of setting up life in a new place, while facing the trauma they carry with them. The film won the Kathleen Bryan Edwards Award for Human Rights at the 2024 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, for “inspiring advocacy, increasing awareness, and promoting equity and justice.” It was a 2024 impact campaign grantee of Subject Matter, won a Spirit Award at Brooklyn Film Festival, and won three awards at El Paso Film Festival: Grand Jury Prize, Best Documentary, and Best Director.
I recently finished editing my second feature, Music for Mushrooms, with the music artist and producer East Forest. The film is about the power of music, psychedelics and ceremony in personal transformation. It is currently screening at theaters across the U.S.
My short film Somali Night Fever, published with The Guardian, tells the story of Somalia’s golden era of music through the stories of two former bandmates and best friends who lost touch during the country’s civil war. It was long-listed and given a special mention at the 2020 One World Media Awards and has over one million views.
I’m a member of Brown Girls Doc Mafia, BIPOC Doc Editors, the Alliance of Documentary Editors, Across The Cut, the Video Consortium, and the Asian American Documentary Network. I am available for shooting, editing, and storytelling consulting.
Equally close to my heart, in early 2022 I trained to be a death doula with Going With Grace, and I’m currently training in conflict resolution and mediation with The Centre for Peaceful Solutions. I host death dinners—facilitated gatherings exploring our personal relationships with death and dying in order to live more deeply into life—from my home in East London. If you’re interested in attending one, please get in touch.
Connect with me at rachelclarareed@gmail.com.