The popularity of a TEDWomen talk about the initiative in 2012, which was viewed over a million times, prompted many filmmakers to be eager to tell the story. But she felt no one was right until Natalie Rae came along.

“Natalie actually made the effort and put in the energy to visit me, get to know the families I’ve worked with in the past, and just learn and be a willing participant,” Patton told The Associated Press during the Sundance Film Festival in January.

The two began their eight-year journey as co-directors to make the documentary “Daughters,” which follows four young girls as they prepare to reunite with their fathers for a dance at a Washington, D.C. prison. The Sundance Award-winning film, executive produced by Kerry Washington, begins streaming on Netflix Wednesday.

Featuring intimate moments in the girls’ homes and glimpses into the intensive 12-week therapy session their fathers previously attended, Daughters paints a moving and complex portrait of broken bonds and their healing.

“It was just one of the most powerful stories I’ve ever heard,” Rae said. “To me, it was a beautiful example of what change can happen in the world when we listen to the wisdom of young women. This is the idea of ​​a young black girl, and she knew what she and her father needed.”

With this in mind, the two filmmakers agreed that they wanted to shoot “Daughters” from the girls’ perspective.

“I’m always advocating for them,” Patton said. “I hear them say, ‘I care about my dad, but I’m really mad at him right now.’ Or ‘My dad is great, and someone else is trying to tell me he’s not, and I want you to not see my dad as the bad guy because he made a bad decision. But he still loves me.’ I hear all of these experiences from a lot of girls in the community. I want to see how we can help them.”

Although Patton has worked with black families in Washington and Richmond for many years, the film required a new level of trust by building close relationships with the girls and their mothers, asking them what they needed and were comfortable with, and knowing when to turn the cameras on and off.

“You have to get to know the families. I believe that the only way we can build trust in the community is to work with them,” Patton said. “I’ve been doing this for over 20 years. I’ve built a certain reputation. … They call me Sister Angela. They know, ‘She’s got our backs. She’s going to protect us.'”

Rae was new to this world, but Patton said her co-director “took it to the next level” by getting to know her subjects and gaining their trust.

“These are really lifelong relationships,” Rae said. “Most of the time we’re not filming. We spend time visiting someone in the hospital or going to a birthday party. Aubrey (one of the protagonists) and I once baked her dad a birthday cake and were able to talk to him on the phone and just tell him what he looked like.”

Daughters is a film that some people call a “three-handkerchiefs” movie that is sure to tug at the heartstrings. The filmmakers hope it can also lead to change, a powerful example of the importance of visits where girls can hug their fathers.

“We really want to show the impact this system and incarcerated fathers have on families and daughters, and raise awareness about the importance of touch visits and family bonding,” Rae said.

Patton added: “I think there’s so much to take away from this film because it’s just moving. You can’t leave without thinking that you should do something, even if it’s just dialing your father’s number and saying, ‘I love you, dad.'”