When Ryan White initially asked producer Tig Notaro why documentaries aren’t funnier, he did not expect her to pitch a queer poet’s terminal cancer journey as the antidote.

“Tig called us a couple years ago with this idea,” the director said at TheWrap’s Sundance Studio presented by World of Hyatt. “We said truly what could be a less funny combination of words than poetry and cancer?”

After meeting the soon-to-be subjects of “Come See Me in the Good Light,” White — previously best known for directing docs like “Good Night Oppy” and “Pamlea: A Love Story” — quickly changed his mind. White and Notaro’s unlikely documentary charts poet laureate Andrea Gibson’s journey with ovarian cancer. Following the now 49-year-old writer, who uses they/them pronouns, the film shows them navigating life after the diagnosis and enjoying the time left with partner and fellow poet Megan Falley. It...