An autobiography of Miss Wish is a collaborative work that documents the story

of Kimberly, a young woman fleeing sexual violence and her struggle to survive, find emotional and physical safety, to assert herself as a narrator and craft a life while living in a state of flashbacks, trauma, poverty and addiction. Photographed over twenty-five years, the story combines multiple narrative elements including photographs, videos and Kimberly’s vast personal archive of drawings, documents and letters which were safeguarded by Nina who assumed the role of friend and advocate.  The prize-winning project, shortlisted for the Arles and Aperture book awards, is also a tale about two lives intertwined, and the transformative power of collaborative documentary.  Nina Berman comes to DOK19 to share her story of working on this project where personal and professional boundaries blur.

Nina Berman (b. 1960) is a documentary photographer, filmmaker, author and educator.  Her wide-ranging work looks at American politics, militarism, post-violence trauma and resilience.  Awards and fellowships include the Open Society Foundation, World Press Photo Foundation, Center for Documentary Studies at Duke and the Aftermath Project Grant.  She is a member of NOOR images and is a professor at Columbia University in New York City.