CR 029: Nadia Gill on Documentary Filmmaking and the Importance of Listening

The producer-director discusses her work on the award-winning short film, “Planetwalker.”

Nadia Gill

For more than a decade, husband-and-wife team Dominic and Nadia Gill have used their love of the outdoors and passion for the arts to produce meaningful and moving documentary films. In 2024, their short film Planetwalker premiered at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, where it won an Artistic Vision award. It has since been shortlisted for the Academy Awards in the Best Documentary Short Film category.

The film tells the story of Black environmentalist Dr. John Francis—also known as “Planetwalker”—who, after witnessing an oil tank collision in 1971, decided to give up motorized transportation, instead choosing to walk everywhere. Soon after, he took a vow of silence and spent the next 17 years walking the United States and choosing to listen rather than speak.

I recently chatted with Nadia about the making of the film, her transition from law to filmmaking, and what she learned from telling Dr. Francis’ story.