How an Emmy-Winning Documentary Was Made Outside Hollywood’s System with Arden Teresa Lewis

In this episode of Best in Fest, host Leslie LaPage sits down with Arden Theresa Lewis — Emmy-winning documentary filmmaker, playwright, and former educator — for a powerful conversation about creative reinvention, historical storytelling, and why it’s never too late to make meaningful work.

Arden shares the eight-year journey behind her Daytime Emmy Award–winning documentary Leveling Lincoln, a film that explores school integration in the North and the hidden history of systemic inequality. What began as a learning experience became her film school — proving that passion, persistence, and purpose can outperform traditional industry paths.

In this episode, we explore:

• 🏆 How Leveling Lincoln won a Daytime Emmy after an eight-year production
• 🎓 Transitioning from teaching to professional filmmaking later in life
• 📱 Why story matters more than gear — and how a phone can start a film career
• 🎥 Learning documentary filmmaking while making the documentary
• 🧠 Using history to humanize modern social issues
• 🌍 Her next documentary on WWII civilian prison camps in the Philippines
• 🎭 Blending documentary, theater, and narrative storytelling
• 🎬 Turning stage work into potential film and TV projects
• 💡 Advice for creatives afraid to start because they feel “too late”
• ❤️ Why creativity is rooted in reconnecting with the inner child

Arden also discusses her current stage production Cassatt at Theater West in Hollywood, her upcoming documentary currently filming overseas, and how hybrid creators can build sustainable creative lives across multiple mediums.