“I’ve always been critical of the way that documentaries tend towards this ‘objective fact-based’ point of view. Subjectivity of filmmakers is often suppressed or erased in order to present this sort of factual authority that documentary often presents itself with,” Washko explained. Before being a documentary, Workhorse Queen is a portrait — the story of an individual and his community — and Washko was adamant on presenting it as such. It was important to her to balance her own creative voice with that of Popils, ensuring that he can tell his story the way he wants it to be told and that through it, Washko can take a deep dive into the discussions that she felt were appropriate and necessary to have in this film.