Whose Version Becomes the Story?

When you tell someone else’s story, how much of it belongs to you?

Filmmaker Julián Nunez builds stories from history, culture, imagination, and his own experience growing up in New Mexico.

But while researching a film about Paulita Maxwell, he encountered something every storyteller eventually has to confront:

His version of her story was not the family’s version.

Instead of ignoring that tension, Julián invited the family into the process, listened to what they knew, and revised the script.

We talk about how writers, directors, actors, and audiences can all interpret the same material differently; who has the power to tell stories; and what responsibility comes with turning fragments of truth into narrative.

Julián defines Narrative Intelligence as knowing the power a story has and how that power can be used to connect with people.

The question I’m left with is:

When several versions of a story are possible, whose version gets to become the one we remember?