NYU Drama Therapy Symposium 2025

Framing Distance: Documentary as a Mirror for Projection and Connection

This presentation explores how documentary filmmaking can serve as a projective technique in drama therapy, focusing on the 25-minute film 500 Miles Away From Home. The film follows Jiuying, a Chinese printmaker with bipolar disorder, as she navigates intergenerational tensions with her mother during Lunar New Year. Through this case study, we discuss how to balance authentic storytelling with space for audience projection, trauma-informed camera use, and embedding therapeutic effects in the creative process. The session also highlights film as a metaphor for “traveling alongside” in therapy, fostering empathy and connection.