I Was There

Synopsis

Blurring the boundaries between documentary and fiction, filmmaker Kamila Kuc delves into her family's past to uncover how stories are inherited, reshaped, and passed on.

A haunting exploration of memory, legacy, and the ties that bind generations.

About the Film

This film grew out of my long-term exploration of intergenerational trauma and the emotional weight of stories passed down within families. Drawing on my background as a multicultural and social justice-focused therapist, the project centers on a story-driven process that uses guided conversations, shared memories, and imaginative reenactments to uncover how personal and inherited histories shape identity.

The film was made through an intimate, story-driven process that centers authenticity and emotional immediacy, allowing for a direct confrontation with difficult experiences and the freedom to reinterpret them on their own terms. Rather than explaining or resolving trauma, the film captures moments of transformation as they unfold, when new perspectives emerge and long-held narratives begin to shift.

After years of development and attempts to place the project within traditional production models, it became clear that the film could only be made independently in order to preserve its authenticity and emotional integrity. Blurring the lines between documentary and fiction, the finished film reflects both the subject matter and the way it was made: personal, collaborative, and formally bold, while remaining accessible to audiences.

Director's Statement

I Was There is a deeply personal film born out of a question that has followed me for years: what does it mean to bear witness to experiences we did not live through ourselves, but that nonetheless shape our bodies, relationships, and sense of self?

The film emerges from the stories passed down through our family—stories marked by loss, survival, and silence. Rather than treating memory as something fixed or archival, I approach it as something alive: carried through voice, gesture, repetition, and the body itself. Moving between documentary, performance, and fiction, I Was There embraces the instability of testimony—its gaps, distortions, and emotional truths—as a way of getting closer to what cannot be fully represented.

I am interested in testimony not only as an act of recounting the past, but as something that happens in the present moment. To say "I was there" is not simply to assert fact, but to claim proximity, responsibility, and care. In this film, I bear witness both for myself and on behalf of another generation, allowing inherited memories to surface through performance, sound, and image. Fiction becomes a necessary tool—not to obscure truth, but to access it emotionally, somatically, and ethically.

Making this film required an independent, self-driven approach. Its intimacy, vulnerability, and formal hybridity could not be separated from the way it was made. The process demanded trust, risk, and a willingness to sit with what remains unresolved. Rather than offering answers or closure, I Was There invites viewers into a shared space of listening—attentive to what is remembered, what is withheld, and what continues to reverberate across time.

At its core, I Was There is a film about connection: between generations, between past and present, and between storyteller and listener. It treats memory as both fragile and powerful—a site of resistance, repair, and ongoing negotiation. By placing my own body and voice on the line, I hope the film opens a space where audiences can reflect on the stories they carry, the histories they inherit, and the ways we might imagine themselves into more honest and compassionate futures. More about Kamila Kuc.