Top Docs: Award-Winning Documentary Filmmakers: Recent Episodes
michaellouismerrill
Mike and Ken talk to award-winning documentary filmmakers about their art, their subjects, and their process.
“Stranger at the Gate” charts one man’s delusion: That his neighbors are not the peace-loving, hard-working people they seem to be, but actually dangerous radicals deeply embedded in America’s heartland. But it also subtly portrays a more universal phenomenon of dehumanization–and then offers a hopeful example of where respect and love were able to provide a remedy.
Director Joshua Seftel sat down with Mike to talk about his Academy Award-nominated short documentary that tells the story of Mack, his family, and the good people of the Muncie Islamic Center as they found themselves on what seemed to be an inevitable collision course. Joshua and Mike discuss the classic “Middletown”, the changing landscape of central America, and the challenges not only of immigrants but of veterans as well.
“Stranger at the Gate” is available on the New Yorker website as well as YouTube.
Hidden Gem:
LBJ
Follow:
@strangeratthegate on Instagram
@jrseftel on Instagram & @JSeftel on twitter
@topdocspod on twitter and Instagram
The Presenting Sponsor of “Top Docs” is Netflix.
It’s an age-old query: Can human live in harmony with other creatures on the planet? On their way to speaking to this question, in “The Elephant Whisperers” director Kartiki Gonsalves and producer Doug Blush show us the beauty, intelligence, and even danger of the creatures who share our world.
Kartiki and Doug joined Mike to talk about their Oscar-nominated short documentary. They tell Mike how the elephant caretakers, Bomman and Belli, both helped the young elephant Raghu and were helped by him as well. Why did they choose not to forefront some of the most dire threats to the elephants, including global warming, but instead focus on what they call “a family drama”? And what hope do they have for the future of India’s wildlife, and for the greater planet as well?
The Elephant Whisperers can be seen on Netflix.
Hidden Gems:
Writing with Fire (our conversation with directors Rintu Thomas & Sushmit Ghosh)
Bad Axe (our conversation with director David Siev)
Last Flight Home (our conversation with director Ondi Timor)
Follow:
@theelephantwhisperers on Instagram
Kartiki: @EarthSpectrum on twitter & @kartikigonsalves on Instagram
Doug: @madpix on twitter
@topdocspod on twitter and Instagram
The Presenting Sponsor of “Top Docs” is Netflix.
Luke Lorentzen made a brilliant feature debut at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival with his sparkling documentary “Midnight Family”, a fast-paced look at a family-owned private ambulance business in Mexico City. Luke is back at this year’s Sundance, and this time he’s focusing on life inside one hospital in New York City. “A Still Small Voice” is an intimate portrait of the spiritual care department at the Mount Sinai Hospital and of one aspiring chaplain and her mentor.
Luke sat down with Ken at Sundance to discuss how he came to his latest topic, how he approached the role of time and pacing in a much different way than “Midnight Family”, and how he applied the principles of the spiritual care program to his own filmmaking practice. After the festival, Luke was honored with the Sundance U.S. Documentary Competition Directing Award.
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@topdocspod on Instagram and twitter
@LorentzenLuke on twitter
The Presenting Sponsor of “Top Docs” is Netflix.
A big thanks to Portrait for hosting this conversation at Sundance.
As a realistic account of the deprivations Alzheimers can bring, “The Eternal Memory” is harrowing. But it’s also the story of Augusto’s and Paulina’s determined love in the face of this challenge. And, finally, it’s the tale of Chile’s tragic yet ultimately triumphant democracy.
Maite Alberdi (director of the Oscar-nominated “The Mole Agent”) sat down with Mike at Sundance to discuss her film and how it shows memory as not the finished product of individual solitude, but ever-created between people and even within nations. “The Eternal Memory” was recently acquired by MTV Documentaries.
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@topdocspod on Instagram and twitter
@lamaitealberid on twitter
@maitealberdi on instagram
Also mentioned in the pod: No
The Presenting Sponsor of “Top Docs” is Netflix.
A big thanks to Portrait for hosting this conversation at Sundance.
10 years ago, filmmakers Michèle Stephenson and Joe Brewster premiered their epic personal documentary “American Promise” at the Sundance Film Festival and won the Special Jury Prize. Now, Michèle and Joe have returned to Sundance with the world premiere of their highly inventive, transcendent documentary portrait “Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project”. Once again, the pair find themselves being honored for their dazzling work — this time taking home the Grand Jury Prize in the U.S. Documentary category. Fresh off the first public screening of the film, Michèle and Joe joined Ken to discuss how each discovered the revolutionary poetry of Nikki Giovanni, the process of finding the film’s visual language that was itself a poem, and the rich sources they were able to draw from, and blend together, to build an entire universe to honor the work of this extraordinary artist.
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@topdocspod on Instagram and twitter
@michele_0608 on Instagram and twitter
@brewsterjoe on Instagram and @2joedigital on twitter
The Presenting Sponsor of “Top Docs” is Netflix.
A big thanks to Portrait for hosting this conversation at Sundance.
Premiering at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, Academy Award-nominated director Elaine McMillion Sheldon’s ("Heroin(e)", "Recovery Boys") elegiac, stirring, and magical new documentary “King Coal” gives an insider’s unique perspective on the profound impact that coal has had on the people and mythos of Central Appalachia. As the daughter, granddaughter, and great-granddaughter of coal miners, Elaine’s narrative comes from a place of personal experience and deep reflection — and stretches the boundaries of traditional documentary. Sitting down with Ken in Park City the night before her film’s world premiere, Elaine discusses the liberating effect of using hybrid storytelling strategies, the challenges of presenting a nuanced approach to a highly politicized issue, and her nervous anticipation of watching the film with her family for the first time.
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@topdocspod on Instagram and twitter
@elainemsheldon on twitter
The Presenting Sponsor of “Top Docs” is Netflix.
A big thanks to Portrait for hosting this conversation at Sundance.
Bride kidnapping. What sounds like a practice from long ago or even a tale out of folklore is actually a Lunar New Year tradition among the Hmong community of the mountains of northern Vietnam. First-time feature filmmaker Diem Ha Le explores this controversial custom through the lens of Di, a young Hmong girl, in the fascinating coming-of-age documentary “Children of the Mist”.
Joining Ken on “Top Docs” to discuss her extraordinary film, Diem describes how she didn’t set out to make a film about bride kidnapping, but, eventually, the story led in that direction. How does the issue of bride kidnapping divide parents, the Vietnamese government, and teachers? What drove Diem to enter the fray and become directly involved in the events unfolding in front of her? And what caused the close relationship between Diem and Di to rupture? With no easy answers at hand, it’s obvious that, as the mist clears, the Di at the end of the film will be very different from the young girl at the beginning.
“Children of the Mist” is one of 15 documentaries named to the Oscar Shortlist in the category of Best Documentary Feature and is released by Film Movement.
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@topdocspod on Instagram and twitter
@filmmovement on Instagram and @Film_Movement on twitter
Hidden Gem: Slowly Forgetting Your Faces
The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix.
Hundreds of years ago, cut off from the outside world and confined to so-called chamber rooms, rural women in Jiangyong in southern China did something radical and transformative: they invented their own secret language. Speaking and writing “Nushu” to each other, the women found their voice and created a community of sisterhood. In her poetical and powerful documentary “Hidden Letters”, director Violet Du Feng (“Maineland”, “Confucian Dream”) explores the fascinating history of Nushu and follows two contemporary women who are fighting to keep the language alive and true to its original spirit.
Violet joins Ken on “Top Docs” to discuss Nushu, its current context, and her multi-layered creative approach. How did Violet decide that the key to the film was not just focusing on Nushu but on the “modern” Chinese woman and the staggering societal pressures she faces? In the midst of her production, why did she abandon the idea of animation and go in a completely different direction? And, in the face of Nushu’s recent commercialization, how can its practitioners ensure that Nushu continues to exist “in the internal space of who we are”?
“Hidden Letters” is one of 15 documentaries named to the Oscar Shortlist in the category of Best Documentary Feature. Distributed by Cargo Film and Releasing, the film premieres on Independent Lens on March 27th.
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@topdocspod on Instagram and twitter
@violetdufeng on Instagram and @HiddenLetters_ on twitter
Hidden Gem: Happiness is £4 Million
The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix.
Children in a shelter in Eastern Ukraine–many of whom have all but lost their parents to war, alcohol, homelessness. But the director of “House Made of Splinters”, Simon Lereng Wilmont (“The Distant Barking of Dogs”) insists that his film is one founded not only on tragedy, but on hope.
Hear Simon speak with Mike on “Top Docs” (co-Creator: Ken Jacobson). Simon discusses the cyclical nature of his film–“When one child leaves, another arrives”–and how it is reflected in his depiction of the seasons, even in the structure of the film. They speak about Eva’s fate, Sasha’s strength of character, and Kolya’s intelligence. And finish with the ultimate moral of the “Scorpion and the Frog”.
Hidden Gem: American Movie.
Follow:
@simonlerengwilmont on Instagram and @simonwilmont on twitter
@topdocspod on Instagram and twitter
The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix.
It’s back! After two years of being virtual, the Sundance Film Festival, one of the world’s great film showcases, returns from January 19 – 29, 2023 to Park City and Salt Lake City, UT for a robust lineup of live, in-person screenings and events. While the second half of the festival will also feature online screenings, there is nothing like showing films “up on the mountain” to a packed audience of film fanatics. For the second year in a row, “Top Docs” caught up with a very busy Basil Tsiokos, Sundance Senior Programmer, Nonfiction, to preview this year’s lineup of (no-doubt) extraordinary documentary features and give us a programmer’s inside view of this amazing festival. And don’t miss Basil’s predictions for this year’s Oscar nominations in the Best Documentary Feature category!
To check out more info about the films and to find out which titles are available to view both in-person and (during the second half of the fest) online within the US, go to: festival.sundance.org
By the Numbers: Sundance Feature Submissions and Documentary Competition Sections:
FEATURE FILM SUBMISSIONS: Of the 4,061 feature film submissions, 1,662 were from the U.S. and 2,399 were international; 1,105 (27%) were directed by one or more filmmakers who identify as women; 91 (2%) were directed by one or more filmmakers who identify as nonbinary individuals; 1,676 (41%) were directed by one or more filmmakers who identify as people of color; 547 (13%) were directed by one or more filmmakers who identify as LGBTQ+.
U.S. DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION:
63% or 10 of the 16 directors in this year’s U.S. Documentary Competition identify as women; 63% or 10 of the 16 identify as people of color; 13% or 2 of the 16 identify as LGBTQ+; 6% or 1 of the 16 identify as a person with a disability.
WORLD DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION:
46% or 6 of the 13 directors in the World Documentary Competition identify as women; 38% or 5 of the 13 as people of color; 23% or 3 of the 13 identify as LGBTQ+; 8% or 1 of the 13 identify as a person with a disability.
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@whatnottodoc on Instagram and @1basil1 on twitter
@sundanceorg on Instagram and @sundancefest on twitter
@topdocspod on Instagram and twitter
The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix.
The chosen 15. On December 21st, the announcement came down: the Oscar Shortlist of 15 documentaries selected by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Documentary Branch to compete for the coveted award of Best Documentary Feature in the upcoming 95th Oscars. IndieWire Editor-at-Large Anne Thompson joins “Top Docs” to break down this year’s Oscar Shortlist and dissect the vote by the diverse, and somewhat unpredictable, documentary branch. What were the surprise misses? Which films are a sure bet to make the final 5? And why is this year’s race for the Oscar far more competitive and, therefore, much harder to predict than last year’s, which saw Questlove’s Summer of Soul take home the gold. Spice up your holidays by tuning in and get your scorecards ready!
IndieWire Editor-at-Large Anne Thompson has been a contributor to the New York Times, Washington Post, The Observer, and Wired. She has served as film columnist at Variety, and deputy editor of Variety.com, where her daily blog, Thompson on Hollywood, launched in March 2007.
Key awards mentioned in this episode:
IDA (International Documentary Association) Awards – Nominees and Winners
PGA (Producers Guild of America) Awards – Documentary Nominees
Critics Choice Documentary Awards – Winners
“Top Docs” Interviews with directors of these Oscar Shortlisted films:
All that Breathes
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
Bad Axe
Descendant
Fire of Love
Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song
The Janes
Last Flight Home
Moonage Daydream
Navalny
Retrograde
The Territory
Follow:
@topdocspod on Instagram and twitter
@akstanwyck on Instagram and twitter
The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix.
When it comes to making documentaries with impact, filmmakers Chris Temple and Zach Ingrasci ("Living on One Dollar", "Salam Neighbor"), co-founders of the non-profit film studio Optimist, have walked the walk. Chris and Zach have created more than 15 films and series that have raised over $91 million dollars for the films’ causes. Their films and the impact work supporting them have changed lives and inspired thousands. Chris joins Ken for a special "Top Docs" episode to discuss the ins-and-outs of "impact filmmaking".
What do we mean when we talk about impact in relation to documentary filmmaking? What are some strategies for launching a successful impact campaign? What are Chris' top picks for pathbreaking, unforgettable impact films? Don't miss this insightful conversation. It will definitely impact how you see documentaries from here on.
For more information, go to:
Optimist Doc Club
Films mentioned in this episode:
Living on One Dollar
Salam Neighbor
Five Years North
Aftershock
The Territory
Last Flight Home
The Cove
Blackfish
The Social Dilemma
Paris is Burning
Miss Representation
For Sama
The Reason I Jump
Other resources:
Exposure Labs
impactguide.org
Follow:
@topdocspod on Instagram and twitter
@christemple on Instagram and @Christemple8 on twitter
@optimist on Instagram and @OptimistFilms on twitter
The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix.
The story seems simple enough: An elderly man returns to his homeland to build a house for his family. And this man, Julian, seems a congenial, inviting presence: Always offering food, drink, and conversation. But in Iliana’s Sosa’s new documentary about her beloved grandfather, “What We Leave Behind,” there’s always a sense of mystery lurking.
Sosa builds this tone through her beautiful cinematography which captures not only everyday Mexican life, but also the deeper time of a place which contains the ruins of “The House of 100 Doors”--built for a demanding Spanish bride–as well as a rock named “El Castillo” where witches live. The result is a very personal film which also pulls us into the history of a family both Mexican and American, as well as the broader cultural and even economic relationship between the two nations. The film ultimately poses the question to all of us: What will be our legacy?
What We Leave Behind is now playing on Netflix.
Hidden Gem: A Married Couple
Follow:
@whatweleavebehindfilm on instagram
@la_ili_sosa on instagram and @boderchild on twitter
@topdocspod on twitter and instagram
The Presenting Sponsor of “Top Docs” is Netflix.
“The pivot”. It is one of the most talked about topics among documentary filmmakers. And for good reason. An unpredictable and ever-changing world can render the best laid plans obsolete and wreak havoc for filmmakers. In the course of making his urgent new documentary “Retrograde”, Matthew Heineman (“City of Ghosts”, “Cartel Land”) found himself facing a doozy of a pivot. After years of persistence, he and his team had finally gotten permission to embed with a group of U.S. Army Green Berets stationed in Afghanistan, only to encounter, with the U.S. pullout of all of its troops, a story without any characters. But when the U.S. Special Forces left, Matthew pivoted to the even more dramatic story of an Afghan general trying desperately to lead his troops and defend his crumbling nation against the fast-encroaching Taliban.
Joining Ken on “Top Docs”, Matthew discusses how he navigated this major shift and also sheds light on his distinctive approach to documentary storytelling. Why does Matthew intentionally exclude context from his films, believing that this creates a much more visceral and emotional impact? How did Matthew and the film’s other cinematographers manage to capture moments of great intensity without, in certain situations, understanding what was being said? And, up against a stroke of extraordinary bad luck, how did Matthew reconceive the film’s final scene in such a way to make the film’s ending even more powerful than he could have imagined. Thank goodness for the pivot.
“Retrograde”, released by National Geographic Documentary Films, is available now for streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.
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@topdocspod on Instagram and twitter
@mheineman on Instagram and @MattHeineman on twitter
Hidden Gem: Murderball
The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix.
Director Reid Davenport joins Mike to discuss his new documentary, “I Didn’t See You There.” As the title intimates, this is a film about seeing and being seen. Reid confronts not only the legacy of P.T. Barnum–which he traces all the way to photographer Diane Arbus–but what he sees as the possibility of his own participation in the “freak show”, one which he notes doesn’t necessarily require a tent! He even questions the motivations of what he calls the “Neoliberal” documentary audience: what compels them to watch, to even pat themselves on the back?
Reid and Mike talk about both the pleasures as well as the challenges of navigating Oakland’s urban landscape in a wheelchair. Reid explains how his new camera allowed him to shoot his own film, as well as facilitated showing the world from what will be to many a wholly new perspective. And he describes a variety of purgatories that he experiences: with his family, but not mobile; mobile, but without them.
“I Didn’t See You There” will be showing on PBS’s POV starting January 9th.
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@topdocspod on instagram and twitter
@reidjdavenport on instagram and @ReidDavenport on twitter
@idntseeyoutherefilm on instagram and @IDidntSeeUFilm on twitter
Hidden Gem: Goodbye CP
The Presenting Sponsor of “Top Docs” is Netflix.
One of them is a pathbreaking filmmaker whose oddball, bracingly original work re-defined the underground cinema of the 1960s and ‘70s. The other is one of the most acclaimed and beloved actors of the last 35 years. But, to each other, they are simply “Sr.” and “Jr.” — Robert Downey, Sr. (“Putney Swope”, “Greaser’s Palace”) and Robert Downey, Jr. (“Chaplin”, “Iron Man”), that is. At first glance, filmmaker Chris Smith’s (“100 Foot Wave”, American Movie”) beguiling new Netflix documentary “Sr.” is a thoroughly engaging up-close-and-personal look at this immensely talented father-son duo. But, when Sr. is diagnosed with a life-threatening degenerative disorder midway through production, the film takes on deeper and more universal meanings. What unfolds is a truly moving account of a son’s desire to better understand and connect with his somewhat enigmatic father before it’s too late.
Joining Ken on “Top Docs”, Chris describes the film’s evolution from a portrait of an artist to a much more personal family drama once Sr. was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. What was it like to arrive at Jr.’s house on the first day of shooting and be told, to your surprise, “Nothing is off limits.”? How did Sr.’s genius manifest itself in the rather unusual request he made of Jr. for a full-throated performance of a German folk song in order to engineer the perfect “left turn” for the movie? And, what email did Chris receive at the 11th hour that led to the film’s new and final ending? In making the film, one of Sr.’s guiding principles that Chris took to heart was to “learn to trust anything and anything can happen”. After watching “Sr.” and listening to our conversation with Chris, we trust that you’ll feel pretty much the same way.
“Sr.” debuts on Netflix on December 2nd.
Hidden Gem: “Vernon, Florida”
Follow on Twitter:
@RobertDowneyJr
@topdocspod
The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix.
With its mouth-watering comfort food and welcoming atmosphere, Rachel’s of Bad Axe is the kind of family-run restaurant you’d be lucky to find in your neighborhood or passing through any small town. But, in this case, Rachel’s, started by the Siev family 25 years ago and still going strong, stands for something much bigger. As filmmaker David Siev shows in his remarkably candid and deeply emotional first feature “Bad Axe”, the very essence of the modern American dream, in all its complexity and contradiction, is represented in his parents’ struggles to make it in the rural community of Bad Axe, Michigan.
David joined Ken to talk about how, at the onset of the pandemic, he returned to Bad Axe to join his family and instinctively started filming everything. Not intending at first to make a documentary, over time, David found an irresistible and urgent story emerging: that of a “model minority” family beginning to find its voice in Trump’s America. What was the “light bulb moment” that led David down the path of making a documentary? In what ways did his father’s lingering childhood trauma of living through and escaping the Killing Fields of Cambodia create a cascading effect on the family? And how is it that a place, which, at times, can be outright vicious to the hard-working Sievs, also inspires the kind of love letter that David sees at the heart of his film? Alternating chilling scenes of intolerance with poignant moments of a family’s unshakeable faith in each other, “Bad Axe” is a story as American as apple pie, baked with love by this extraordinary Cambodian Mexican American family.
Hidden Gem: “Sam Now”
Follow on Twitter:
@DavidSiev
@badaxefilm
@topdocspod
“Bad Axe” is currently available for streaming on Prime Video and other streaming services.
The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix.
All you need to know about Ryan White’s (“The Keepers”, “The Case Against 8”) enthusiasm for taking on the project that would eventually become his awe-inspiring new documentary “Good Night Oppy” is that the Cabbage Patch doll he had as a kid was the astronaut version (currently selling on Etsy for up to $200). Couple this opportunity to revisit his childhood passion for space with the fact that the company behind the project is Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment — makers of Ryan’s favorite movie of all-time, “E.T.” — and what you’ve got is the perfect creative marriage of filmmaker and subject.
Ryan joined Mike and Ken to explore the constellation of joyful moments and creative challenges that propelled “Good Night Oppy” on its journey from launch to successful landing. After the experience of spending 90 minutes inside a photoreal environment of Mars, what scene turned everything on its head and became Ryan’s favorite of the movie? What’s the inherent tension that exists between NASA scientists and engineers, and how did they manage to gel so well on this mission? How does the film bring to life the story of an adorable robot while remaining, at its core, a film about people and their attempt to do something for the betterment of humankind? And, as Oppy reaches the end of his miraculous mission, why did a song of Billie Holiday’s take on a starring role? Join us for an out-of-this-world conversation with Ryan White. Cabbage Patch doll not included.
Hidden Gem:
“Bad Axe”
Follow on Twitter:
@ryanwhiteIV
@topdocspod
“Good Night Oppy” premieres on Amazon Prime Video on Nov. 23.
“At first, I was terrified”. These are not words you expect to hear very often from Laura Poitras, one of the world’s most fearless and acclaimed documentary filmmakers. Afterall, this is the filmmaker who took on the U.S. intelligence community with her Academy Award-winning film “Citizenfour” about NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden. But shortly into our “Top Docs” interview about her trenchant and luminous new documentary “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed”, Laura began to use words like “nervous”, “intimidating”, and “terrified”. Rather than experiencing a potentially dangerous physical situation or government surveillance operation, Laura, instead, found herself confronting something even more formidable, the groundbreaking visual artist Nan Goldin. Not wanting to come up short in her portrait of someone that Laura describes as a legend, hero and inspiration, Laura was driven to create a documentary that would do justice to Nan, her artwork and her activism.
Laura joined Ken on “Top Docs” to talk about how she and Nan came together to collaborate on the film and form a strong creative partnership. Given Nan’s frequent use of live slideshows to present her most well-known work, how did Laura and Nan figure out the best way to feature Nan’s art in the film? Why and how did Nan and the activist group that she founded in response to the opioid crisis train their sights on the Sackler family, whose company created OxyContin? And in what ways do big themes like destigmatization, resistance and legacy feature prominently in the film? Join us for this lively conversation… and don’t be afraid.
Hidden Gems:
“Crossroads”
“Perfect Film”
Follow on Twitter:
@topdocspod
“All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” will be released by NEON in theaters on November 23 in New York City and December 2 in Los Angeles and San Francisco. A national release will follow. The film will premiere on HBO and HBO Max at a date to be announced
The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix.
When filmmakers Tamana Ayazi (making her feature doc debut) and Marcel Mettelsiefen (“Watani: My Homeland”) set out in early 2020 to shoot a film about the new generation of young, well-educated Afghans, they knew they wanted to find a strong woman to tell this story. Instead, they encountered a force of nature: Zarifa Ghafari, the 26-year-old mayor of Maidan Shahr, who was not only one of Afghanistan’s first female mayors, but also its youngest. Tamana and Marcel’s thought-provoking, insightful and impassioned new Netflix documentary “In Her Hands” is Zarifa’s story, but it also opens its lens to track a much broader and more tragic narrative. Over the course of 19 months of filming, the filmmakers witnessed the end of one dream for Afghanistan and the rise of its polar opposite.
Tamana and Marcel joined Ken on “Top Docs” to discuss Zarifa, her courageous struggles on behalf of the people of Maidan Shahr and the eventual triumph of the Taliban. How did this team of two directors — one from Afghanistan, the other from Germany — combine forces and eventually get to the point where they could practically read each other’s minds? Why did the search for a strong secondary character solve one dilemma but lead to yet another? And, as a female director filming with the Taliban, what were the special challenges and quandaries that Tamana faced? A story with many twists and turns, “In Her Hands” shows that, in any given situation in Afghanistan, the answers may be just beyond one’s grasp.
Hidden Gems:
Tamana: Facing the Dragon
Marcel: The Distant Barking of Dogs
Follow on Twitter:
@TamanaAyazi
@topdocspod
“In Her Hands” premieres globally on Netflix on November 16.
The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix.
Elvis Mitchell, longtime host of KCRW’s “The Treatment”, and producer of “The Black List”, joins Mike to discuss his new documentary “Is that Black Enough for You?” The film recounts an explosion of Black Film which occurred mainly in the period of 1968-1978, placing it within the context of both the prior failure of Hollywood to provide real representation of Black characters, as well as a strand of chiefly independent African American-produced film that Elvis traces back to as early as the 1910s and 1920s.
Elvis tells Mike how the movies affected his grandmother’s (literal) dreams, as well as how they drove the (figurative) dreams and fantasy life of his stellar cast. Elvis explains to Mike his nuanced view of the legacies of such luminaries as Alfred Hitchcock, Laurence Olivier, and Orson Welles. What role did Mohammed Ali play for Black filmmakers? And how did Diane Sands embody the promise of this era? Mike and Elvis also discuss his process–narration first, clips second–and why he passed on the declamatory “They call me Mr. Tibbs” moments in favor of clips which demonstrate the interiority and development of characters.
And, of course, Elvis and Mike had to talk about the music: Isaac Hayes; Earth, Wind & Fire; Curtis Mayfield… and Alessandro Alessandroni!?
“Is the Black Enough for You” streams on Netflix starting Friday, November 11th.
Hidden Gem:
Portrait of Jason
Follow on Twitter:
@ElvisMitchell
@topdocspod
The presenting sponsor of “Top Docs” is Netflix.
From its lyrical opening shot of rats scurrying across an empty, moonlit lot somewhere in New Delhi, Shaunak Sen’s (“Cities of Sleep”) thoroughly original new documentary “All that Breathes” makes it clear that generous helpings of the cinematically sublime will be served up along with gritty doses of reality. The film follows Nadeem and Saud, two brothers who run a makeshift bird clinic and tend to the ubiquitous black kites of Delhi, which are falling out of the sky at alarming rates. Equal parts character study, environmental/ecological think piece and spiritual contemplation, “All That Breathes” exists in that rare space between the mythological and the all too real.
Shaunak joined Ken on “Top Docs” to discuss the film’s rich visual approach, thought-provoking themes and complex relationships. Sitting in his car stuck in a traffic jam, what inspired Shaunak to go home and immediately begin to research the topic that would lead him to the brothers’ basement clinic? In the midst of the climate change crisis, why did Shaunak find Nadeem and Saud, with their “head down” approach, to be such philosophically interesting figures? And with India’s anti-Muslim fervor creeping ever closer to the brothers’ sanctuary, how did Shaunak figure out the best way to reveal what was happening in the world outside without losing focus on the brothers and their birds? Join us for this engaging conversation with the director of one of the year’s most acclaimed films.
Please note: we apologize for some audio issues experienced during the recording of Shaunak’s interview and ask you to please bear with us.
“All That Breathes” is currently in limited theatrical release and will be on HBO and available for streaming on HBO Max at a date to be announced.
Hidden Gem:
¡Vivan las antípodas!
Follow on twitter:
@allthatbreathes
@topdocspod
The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix.
When your dad — who is also your best friend and your family’s source of inspiration — announces that he has made the decision to die, the immediate reaction is shock and revulsion. But, after careful consideration and discussion, it became clear to the Timoner family that paterfamilias Eli, who had been battling very severe illness and a rapidly deteriorating quality of life, was ready to take this final step in his life’s journey. In “Last Flight Home”, her shattering, deeply moving and, ultimately, spiritually restorative new documentary, acclaimed filmmaker Ondi Timoner (“DIG!”, “We Live in Public”) embraces her most challenging and personal project by documenting her father’s last 15 days of life.
Ondi joined Ken on “Top Docs” to discuss what it was like to experience this devastating loss while, at the same time, “quarterbacking” her father’s care and orchestrating the shooting and editing of this extraordinary portrait of an exceptional man. How did Ondi go from iPhone recordings of her dad to making a full-blown feature doc — and how did she ensure that everyone in her family, especially her dad, was supportive of it? How does California’s End of Life Option law work, and how has it changed since the film was made? What does Ondi mean when she describes this as “the greatest experience of my life”, and what does she hope the film will accomplish? Join us for this intimate conversation. You’ll begin to understand why Eli’s “last flight home” is one more leg on a journey that goes on and on.
“Last Flight Home” is currently in limited theatrical release and will be released by MTV Documentary Films at a date to be announced.
Hidden Gem:
Keep On Keepin’ On
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@InterloperFilms
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The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix.
Can we all agree that the date of August 20, 2015 should be enshrined as one of the most important in the history of documentary? In case you’ve forgotten, that’s the date that “Documentary Now!” burst on the scene with the airing of its first episode: “Sandy Passage”, an unforgettable debut starring Fred Armisen and Bill Hader parodying the Maysles’ classic documentary “Grey Gardens”. Somehow, this crew of on and off-camera SNL talent (the show’s co-creators are Armisen, Hader, Seth Meyers, and Rhys Thomas) managed to pull off the not-so-small miracle of parodying the high priests and priestesses of documentary in half-hour masterpieces and, just as miraculously, found a network to actually air the program (IFC, for the record). Fast forward seven years and “Documentary Now!” has just premiered its first episodes of season 4 (actually, season 53 in the bizarre-o world of “Doc Now!”).
Seth, Rhys and Alex Buono (who directs with Rhys and is also the show’s cinematographer) took time away from whatever else they were doing to join Mike and Ken on Top Docs and talk about the collective creative genius (our words, as they are far too modest) behind this unique show. Stay tuned for answers to such questions as: “Why did it take until season 4 (er, 53) to parody the highly imitable Werner Herzog and Les Blank’s portrait of him, “Burden of Dreams”? How did the team find itself on a remote Welsh mountainside trying to build a sitcom set as howling winds threatened to blow the whole thing to smithereens? And what do you say to Cate Blanchett when she asks, “Is it OK if I wear giant Coke bottle glasses?” Join us as we peal back the layers on the show that dances on the line between the sublime and the ridiculous while never straying from its love of documentary. To paraphrase the show’s host, the immortal Helen Mirren, “I give you ‘Documentary Now!’”
Documentary Now! season 4 episodes discussed in this podcast include: “Soldier of Illusion” (written by John Mulaney) (parts 1 and 2), “Two Hairdressers in Bagglyport” (written by Seth Meyers), and “How They Threw Rocks” (written by Seth Meyers)
Documentary Now! can be seen on IFC and streaming on AMC+.
Follow on twitter:
@DocumentaryNow
@sethmeyers
@AlexBuono
@RhysThom2
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The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix.
It’s not really about the ship. The first thing you have to understand about Margaret Brown’s (“The Great Invisible”, “The Order of Myths”) brilliant new Netflix documentary “Descendant” about the Clotilda, the last known ship to arrive with enslaved Africans in the U.S., is that it’s not primarily about the search for and discovery of this historic vessel. What carries her complex and lyrical film along in its looping journey across time and place are the stories of the descendants themselves. Lorna Woods, Joycelyn Davis and Emmett Lewis are just a few of the remarkable “treasure keepers” of Africatown, now part of Mobile, Alabama, who, for generations, have shared and protected the stories of their ancestors. But, when, as Margaret documents, the ship is discovered, who is to say where the narrative will go from here?
Margaret joined Mike and Ken to discuss how she picked up where she left off from her 2008 film “The Order of Myths”, also set in her hometown of Mobile, to embark on this unique creative journey. How did the work of writer, anthropologist and filmmaker Zora Neale Hurston’s inspire Margaret and become, through Hurston’s book “Barracoon”, a key narrative device in the film? Why did Margaret turn off the camera in the midst of shooting one of the most powerful moments in the entire film? And why is the issue of zoning, as unsexy as it is, so crucial to understanding the past, present and future of Africatown? As Margaret puts it, “Where I ended the film is not the end of their story…. The story continues”.
Hidden Gem:
Last Flight Home
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@margaretbrown
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The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix.
“It’s a caper story, a heist movie, with women at the center. They were outlaws.” So says Tia Lessin (“Trouble the Water”), one of the directors of “The Janes”, the thoroughly engrossing new HBO documentary about… abortion. Set in Chicago, in the late 60’s and early 70’s, “The Janes”, also directed by Emma Pildes (“Jane Fonda in Five Acts”), tracks the mostly forgotten story of a courageous band of women, who, fed up with the lengths to which women had to go to seek abortions, took matters into their own hands (literally). “The Janes” was an underground service which provided safe, affordable – and illegal – abortions but also a social movement that transformed the lives of countless women.
Tia and Emma joined Ken on Top Docs to discuss how the film came together, why, after so many years, the Janes were eager to share their stories and how the film’s timing couldn’t be more impactful. How did Emma’s family connection to the Janes unlock the door to this incredible story? What led this group of diverse women to embark on such a project, at great personal risk to themselves? And, how was it that an illegal abortion service was allowed to operate as an open secret in this heavily Catholic city — until the day it wasn’t? Now that we are in a post-Roe world, nothing could be more timely, instructive or inspiring than “The Janes”.
“The Janes” is now available on HBO and for streaming on HBO Max.
Hidden Gem:
Tia Lessin: “In Search of Monsters”
Emma Pildes: “Inquiring Nuns”
Follow on Twitter:
@TheJanesFilm
@topdocspod
The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix.
Four young men arrive in South Africa from their native Zimbabwe and find each other through their love of–and professional dedication to–wine. Tinashe the big picture philosopher; Pardon the competitive jokester; Marlvin, pious and warm; and Joseph, the stalwart leader of Team Zimbabwe--all will overcome the obstacles facing them as refugees to arrive at the World Championship of Wine Tasting in France.
Directors Rob Coe and Warwick Ross join Mike to discuss their film “Blind Ambition”. They talk about everything from the socio-political challenges of Southern Africa to how they sought to show (not tell) what it means to determine the varietal, country, region, even producer of a wine “blind”, by sight, smell, and taste alone.
Hidden Gems:
Stories we Tell
2040
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@blind_ambition
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@pardon_taguzu
@tnashenyamudoka
The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix.
Ben Crump knows what it’s like to be in the eye of the storm. As a civil rights attorney representing families in some of the most high-profile cases involving police killings in recent years (including George Floyd and Breonna Taylor), Ben is constantly in the spotlight. But as Nadia Hallgren’s (“Becoming”) powerful and incisive documentary portrait “Civil” reveals, it is in the more private moments that Ben really shines, offering the kind of support and genuine concern, in addition to expert legal advice, that these grieving and enraged Black families so desperately need and deserve.
Joining Ken on “Top Docs”, Nadia goes beyond the edges of the film frame to offer insights into what makes the extraordinary Ben Crump tick, as well as to share stories about her own creative journey. How did George Floyd’s tragic murder drive Nadia’s search for a new film and why was this project the perfect answer? What did Nadia learn by seeing Ben with his family that gave her a new perspective on his life and work? And what do Ben’s other, not-so-high profile, cases tell us about his ongoing struggle to see that Black people are treated fairly once-and-for-all? Just as Ben seeks justice for his clients, Nadia’s camera is there, too, revealing how things are — and showing us how they should be.
“Civil” is now available for streaming on Netflix.
Follow us on Twitter:
@AttorneyCrump
@topdocspod
The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix.
What happened to Sinead O’Connor? It can be too easy to misremember the “after” story, of how quickly in the wake of her appearance on Saturday Night Live in October of 1992, this once megastar largely disappeared from the brightest lights of the world stage . But it also is too easy to ignore the “before” story of what brought her to fame early in life. In “Nothing Compares”, Kathryn Ferguson traces Sinead’s story from her childhood years with an abusive mother and time in a reformatory school in Ireland to stardom–first in London, and then worldwide. Along the way, Ferguson skillfully weaves in the story of what the film posits as another abusive relationship: that between Ireland and the Catholic Church. From these twinned stories Sinead emerges as not just a pioneer in the realm of music, but one who cut a path for other activists to follow–within Ireland and beyond.
You can watch “Nothing Compares” on Showtime starting September 30th.
Hidden Gem: The Arbor
Follow on twitter:
@Kath_Ferguson
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The Presenting Sponsor of “Top Docs” is Netflix.
He survived a government-orchestrated poison attack. He pranked the Russian security agency. He endured (and continues to endure) solitary confinement in a remote gulag. Oh, and he also made some pretty cool TikTok videos. His name is Alexei Navalny, and, as Russia’s leading opposition figure, he will use whatever means possible to try to end the authoritarian regime of President Vladimir Putin. He’s also the subject of Daniel Roher’s (“Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band”) timely and relentlessly gripping documentary political thriller “Navalny”.
In the midst of Putin’s unprovoked and disastrous war on Ukraine, Daniel joined Mike and Ken for an engaging conversation about Navalny’s perilous journey, from surviving an assassination attempt to his recovery in Germany and subsequent return to Russia and imprisonment. What led Daniel, in October 2020, from “a place of desperation” to the “Hail Mary pass” of his filmmaking career? How did he navigate the complexity of making a film about a man, who, as a master deployer of media tools himself, was at first skeptical of the documentary and then participated in a battle of wits about creative control over its direction? Finally, how did Daniel ensure that the film retained the sense of hope that Navalny, against all odds, continues to deploy against the dark forces conspiring against him and the Russian people? With its layered narratives, “Navalny” has as much in common with a classic Russian novel as it does with a James Bond thriller. We hope you will enjoy peeling back the layers with us and Daniel at least as much as those TikTok videos.
“Navalny” is available on HBO and HBO Max.
Follow on Twitter:
@DanielRoher
@Navalny
@topdocspod
The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix.
“I was drowning”. Acclaimed filmmaker Brett Morgen (“Kurt Cobain Montage of Heck”, “The Kid Stays in the Picture”) knew he was in deep trouble creatively when he sat down to write the script for his latest documentary and days stretched to weeks and then months. When your film subject’s own creative output is as varied, unpredictable, and brilliant as rock star David Bowie’s was throughout his legendary career, the pressure to measure up can be paralyzing. But, eventually, Brett cracked the narrative code, and the result is his remarkable new documentary, “Moonage Daydream”.
Following the film’s successful launch on IMAX screens, Brett joined Mike and Ken to talk about the emotional rollercoaster of his seven-year odyssey to bring this cinematic exploration of David Bowie’s creative and spiritual journey to life. Faced with two visions of how to approach the topic, why did Brett choose the road less traveled — “a non-biographical experiential non-fiction film” — rather than the more linear musical jukebox that would have surely been the easier path? What is the “covenant” that Brett created with the audience? And after experiencing a massive heart attack at the beginning of the project, how did Brett draw inspiration from Bowie and gain insight into how to live his own life? Join us for this wide-awake conversation that is not intended to answer all of your questions about this extraordinary film, but will, hopefully, provoke more questions. That’s just how it is with David Bowie… and Brett Morgen.
A Neon release, “Moonage Daydream” is now showing in theaters worldwide.
Hidden Gem:
“The Nuer” by Hilary Harris and George Breidenbach, produced by Robert Gardner and Hilary Harris
Follow on Twitter:
@MoonageMov
@brettmorgen
@topdocspod
The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix.
A mustard-colored Porsche races through the streets of Washington, DC. A crazed political operative holds a pencil to the throat of a former presidential advisor. An orgy hosted by a prominent businessman rages through the night. Does this sound like a documentary about Watergate? Well, it’s not actually. These entertaining, adrenaline-fueled moments are brought to you by the 8-part Starz limited series “Gaslit” starring Julia Roberts and Sean Penn about Martha Mitchell, John Dean and the events of Watergate. So, did this stuff really happen? In this special podcast that we’re calling “Fact or Fiction”, Ken sits down with a Watergate expert to see how well the series measures up to the facts and discusses why it matters.
Where did the idea for “Fact or Fiction” come from? Recently, as Ken was preparing to interview the two directors of the Netflix documentary “The Martha Mitchell Effect”, he was also watching “Gaslit”, which covers most of the same historical terrain. With each new episode, Ken began to wonder how much of this is true and wouldn’t it be great to be able to put that question to an expert on Watergate. Enter Jim Robenalt. Jim is a lawyer and writer who has co-taught a course with central Watergate figure (and “Gaslit” main character) John Dean. He’s also someone who practically lives and breathes the facts of Watergate. The format is simple: Ken describes a scene from “Gaslit” and Jim weighs in on whether the events depicted in that scene are mostly fact or fiction. We can’t guarantee that this podcast will hold your attention as much as that orgy, but it is certainly inspired by actual events, and we swear that Jim Robenalt is a real person, not a composite character.
Directors Anne Alvergue and Debra McClutchy talk about “The Martha Mitchell Effect” on “Top Docs”
Jim Robenalt is the author of “January 1973: Watergate, Roe v. Wade, Vietnam, and the Month That Changed America Forever”
Follow on Twitter:
@themarthafilm
@gaslitSTARZ
@jimrobenalt
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The Presenting Sponsor of Top Docs is Netflix.
The Hollywood Reporter’s Executive Editor of Awards Scott Feinberg joins Mike and Ken to break down this year’s Emmy nominees in all the major documentary categories, including Outstanding Documentary Program; Outstanding Series; Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking; and Outstanding Directing. After considering all the angles, Scott pulls no punches in giving his take on who he thinks will take home top honors. Scott also sheds light on this year’s Emmy rule changes, how the voting process really works, recent historical trends… and even gives a sneak peak of this year’s early documentary Oscar buzz. Let the awards season begin!
An award-winning columnist and podcast host (“Awards Chatter”), Scott Feinberg is The Hollywood Reporter’s Executive Editor of Awards. Scott anchors THR’s coverage of the Oscar, Emmy, Tony, and Grammy races, as well as major film festivals. His work has been recognized with six National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Awards and five SoCal Journalism Awards from the Los Angeles Press Club.
Follow on twitter:
@ScottFeinberg
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When the writer Glenn Kurtz stumbled upon an old home movie buried in his parents’ closet in Florida, he inadvertently discovered a whole world that, tragically, had been nearly erased from history. Returning as a tourist in 1938 to the small village of Nasielsk outside Warsaw where he grew up, his grandfather David Kurtz brought with him a brand new 16mm Kodak movie camera. The three minutes of footage he shot there, which later turned up in the closet, are now among the only surviving moving images of any of the Polish villages destroyed in the Holocaust. Years later, the writer and critic Bianca Stigter (“Three Minutes – Thirteen Minutes – Thirty Minutes”) would see those three minutes posted on the website of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and embark on her own investigative journey. The result is the extraordinary documentary Three Minutes: A Lengthening.
Joining Ken to discuss her film, which includes Kurtz’ original footage, Bianca describes her creative “lengthening” process, which involved adding fascinating historical context and an almost microscopic level of detail. With very few markers, how were Glenn and Bianca able to identify people and places in the footage? Why was it so important to Bianca that viewers experience the footage actively rather than passively — and how did her filmmaking encourage that dynamic? And how did a key sequence in the film turn into an unforgettable memorial to over 150 people whose faces were captured by David Katz’ camera? While nothing can bring back the Jewish community of Nasielsk, the efforts of first David, then Glenn, and now, Bianca, have at least ensured that their stories and faces will live on in our own collective memories.
“Three Minutes: A Lengthening”, which is being released by Super LTD, can be seen in select theaters nationwide starting on August 26.
Hidden Gem:
Rose Hobart
Follow on Twitter:
@BStigter1
@topdocspod
The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix. Listen to our recent conversations with these Emmy®-nominated directors whose documentaries are currently on Netflix:
- Andrew Rossi on "The Andy Warhol Diaries"
- Coodie Simmons and Chike Ozah on "jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy"
- Felicity Morris on “The Tinder Swindler”
Not yet 19 years old, a young man named Bitaté Uru-eu-wau-wau is approached by an elder, who tells him, ready or not, it is time for Bitaté to become his community’s new leader. With Brazil’s election of a right-wing president on the horizon, bands of illegal settlers clearing forests, and the impending disaster of climate change, how in the world can Bitaté take on such a staggering responsibility? But he knows he must: the fate of not only his own small Indigenous community but of the entire Brazilian Amazon hangs in the balance. With the stakes constantly rising, first-time feature director Alex Pritz (“My Dear Kyrgyzstan”) brilliantly depicts the opposing forces at play in his urgent and stunningly beautiful documentary “The Territory” from National Geographic Documentary Films.
Joining Ken to talk about the chain of events that led him to the Uru people and their threatened way of life, Alex discusses the close collaboration with the Uru community that made the documentary possible and gave shape to what it would become. How was Alex’s relationship with the environmental activist Neidinha Bandeira a significant first step in developing trust with the Uru? What was the crucial suggestion from Bitaté and Neidinha that led to the film’s impressively even-handed inclusion of opposing points of view? And in what ways were the composer Katya Mihailova’s contributions critical to establishing the locations and building deep connections with the different people featured in the film? Depicting the highs and lows of the Uru people, “The Territory” is an unflinching look at the Amazon today and offers a cautionary glimpse of what may lie just ahead.
“The Territory” can be seen in select theaters nationwide.
Hidden Gems:
Cusp
Mayor
Follow on Twitter:
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The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix. Listen to our recent conversations with these Emmy®-nominated directors whose documentaries are currently on Netflix:
- Andrew Rossi on "The Andy Warhol Diaries"
- Coodie Simmons and Chike Ozah on "jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy"
- Felicity Morris on “The Tinder Swindler”
In the delightful and, yes, delicious CNN Original Series “Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy” the beloved actor/writer/director is constantly on the move, setting out to discover what makes each of Italy’s 20 regions unique. By the end of season two, Stanley had tramped across nine of them, and along the way, sampled enough pasta and salumi to feed a small army of production assistants.
London-based Ian Denyer, who came on board to direct “Venice” (for which he is Emmy®-nominated), “Umbria” and “London” for the show’s second season, joined Ken for an amiable and enlightening chat about the series and the man himself. How did Ian win over Stanley in his initial Zoom interview and come to realize that a shared sensibility around dry humor would not only bind them together but infuse the second season with added flavor? How did Ian’s introduction of a third camera open up new creative possibilities, as well as a tricky set of technical challenges? And, in spite of all the glorious eating and drinking, why does Stanley’s primary interest with the show lie elsewhere? Whether Stanley ever actually “finds” Italy or not is beside the point. Watching these episodes — and listening to Ian’s beguiling behind-the-scenes stories — you will find yourself being entertained, educated, and moved, as well as highly motivated to go searching on your own.
“Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy”, which is nominated for five 2022 Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction Series and Outstanding Directing for a Documentary / Nonfiction Program”, can be seen on CNN.
Hidden Gem:
Russia from My Window
Follow on Twitter:
@topdocspod
The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix. Listen to our recent conversations with these Emmy®-nominated directors whose documentaries are currently on Netflix:
- Andrew Rossi on "The Andy Warhol Diaries"
- Coodie Simmons and Chike Ozah on "jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy"
- Felicity Morris on “The Tinder Swindler”
When Claude Motley got shot… everything changed. Not just for Claude, whose jaw was shattered by a bullet fired through his car window, but for Nathan, the 15-year-old youth who pulled the trigger and for Victoria, the woman who shot Nathan when he tried to rob her, too. These tragic events in Milwaukee in 2014 unleashed a chain reaction of trauma and devastation that continues to wreak havoc on the lives of everyone involved. Brad Lichtenstein’s masterfully crafted, emotionally powerful and profoundly troubling Emmy®-nominated documentary “When Claude Got Shot” explores micro as well as macro perspectives on how gun violence is impacting countless lives in America today.
Joining Ken for his second Top Docs appearance, Brad (“American Reckoning,” “Ghosts of Attica”) shares the gut-wrenching experience of watching his close friend Claude go through this terrible ordeal and the conversations that led to the difficult decision to make the film. How does Claude’s conflicted relationship with the city of Milwaukee play a central role in the film? What happens when Claude and his wife, determined to see that justice is done, find themselves enmeshed in a criminal justice system ill-equipped to serve the needs of communities of color? And how did Brad earn the trust of Victoria, Nathan, and Nathan’s mother while they were going through one of the darkest periods of their lives? As Brad describes Claude’s painful journey and his path toward forgiveness, it becomes clear that when Claude got shot, everything changed… but not all hope was lost.
“When Claude Got Shot”, which is nominated for the 2022 Emmy Award for Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking, can be watched on PBS.org by those with access to the PBS Passport program.
Hidden Gem:
Music for the Movies: Toru Takemitsu
Follow on Twitter:
@371Productions
@bradleylbar
@topdocspod
The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix. Listen to our recent conversations with these Emmy®-nominated directors whose documentaries are currently on Netflix:
- Andrew Rossi on "The Andy Warhol Diaries"
- Coodie Simmons and Chike Ozah on "jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy"
- Felicity Morris on “The Tinder Swindler”
After pop star Britney Spears’ controversial 13-year conservatorship finally came to an end in November 2021, Spears credited the #FreeBritney movement: “I honestly think you guys saved my life.” Filmmakers Samantha Stark and Liz Day also played no small role. When their documentary “Framing Britney Spears” premiered in February of that year, it sparked a flurry of international news coverage and put the spotlight on a conservatorship that seemed less about protecting Spears than it was about controlling and silencing her — and enriching her father and conservator, Jamie Spears. In the months following their film, Samantha and Liz continued to delve into the story and their September 2021 follow-up film, the Emmy®-nominated “Controlling Britney Spears” laid out even more shocking revelations.
The two filmmakers joined Mike and Ken for a deep dive exploration of the ins-and-outs of the conservatorship and the mechanisms used to surveil and manipulate Spears. How is it possible that a mega superstar, who kept to a rigorous performance schedule and was raking in millions of dollars, continued to be subjected to a court-ordered conservatorship? What caused some of the key people working for Britney to break their silence and open up to the filmmakers, at their own potential legal peril? And in what ways does the stigma of mental illness play a part in the Britney Spears saga? Tune in to our conversation to hear how these two highly skilled and determined journalists/filmmakers broke this important story, which continues to resonate and reverberate well-beyond Britney herself.
“Controlling Britney Spears”, which is nominated for the 2022 Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special, is available for streaming on Hulu.
Hidden Gems:
Liz: 7 Up
Samantha: Special Flight
Follow on Twitter:
@starksamantha
@LizDDay
@topdocspod
The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix. Listen to our recent conversations with these Emmy®-nominated directors whose documentaries are currently on Netflix:
- Andrew Rossi on "The Andy Warhol Diaries"
- Coodie Simmons and Chike Ozah on "jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy"
- Felicity Morris on “The Tinder Swindler”
He pops up often in your social media livestream, appearing from just about every corner of the globe. His head bobbing up-and-down in the frame, his voice slightly frantic, he reports in real-time from the frontlines of whatever new catastrophe has left thousands – or even millions — of people in desperate need of food and to describe what’s being done about it. He’s world-renowned Chef José Andrés and his organization, World Central Kitchen (WCK), has become legendary for its quick response in the aftermath of fires, earthquakes, hurricanes, Covid, and, most recently, the war in Ukraine. As José says in the urgent, riveting new Ron Howard (Rebuilding Paradise, Thirteen Lives) documentary “We Feed People”, “We not only feed people. We create systems.”
Ken recently spoke with the film’s producer Sara Bernstein (Leave No Trace, Downfall: The Case Against Boeing) about this exhilarating Emmy®-nominated documentary and the challenge of making a film during the pandemic. How did the film’s director Ron Howard encounter WCK’s work first-hand and why did he keep coming back to the idea of making a film about them? Why did the film’s focus shift from a verité style production to a portrait of WCK’s evolution from a small band of do-gooders into the powerhouse food relief organization that it is today? And how did the film team’s commitment to presenting a three-dimensional, warts-and-all portrait of José result in a more nuanced and, ultimately, more emotionally resonant and fully realized film? Join us for this Tapas-inspired dish of valuable lessons learned about food relief efforts and delicious behind-the-scenes filmmaking stories.
Hidden Gem:
Navalny
Follow on Twitter:
@WCKitchen
@chefjoseandres
@topdocspod
The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix. Listen to our recent conversations with these Emmy®-nominated directors whose documentaries are currently on Netflix:
- Andrew Rossi on "The Andy Warhol Diaries"
- Coodie Simmons and Chike Ozah on "jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy"
- Felicity Morris on “The Tinder Swindler”
Legendary Director Peter Jackson joins Mike to discuss the Emmy-nominated “The Beatles: Get Back”. Peter discusses why after a career that has spanned “Heavenly Creatures,” “The Lord of the Rings,” “The Hobbit,” and “King Kong,” he turned to documentary filmmaking with "They Shall Not Grow Old." And how the techniques that he employed in turning the trenches of the First World War to life came to be useful when faced with the 60 hours of 16mm film shot by Michael Lindsay Hogg in 1969 during the Beatles’ rehearsal for and recording of “Let it Be.”
Peter tells Mike about the challenges posed by the 130 hours of sound recordings, and how his team wrote custom software to isolate and clarify sound–and how this became the spine of the film. He virtually brings us into the New Zealand editing bay with Jabez Olssen where his team (again) built new processes to make the rushes amenable to editing. He explains to Mike why the now-famous scene of Paul creating “Get Back” was–for the sake of historical accuracy–not overly edited, and how the rooftop concert was edited in one productive week before showing it to the surviving Beatles. And he sums up his years of daily exposure to the inner workings of the Beatles by saying that they were 4 nice boys with incredible talent who managed to find each other.
“The Beatles: Get Back” is now streaming on Disney+.
Follow on Twitter:
@topdocspod
@jabezolssen
The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix. Listen to our recent conversations with these Emmy®-nominated directors whose documentaries are currently on Netflix:
- Andrew Rossi on "The Andy Warhol Diaries"
- Coodie Simmons and Chike Ozah on "jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy"
- Felicity Morris on “The Tinder Swindler”
Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. They were America’s most beloved couple and Hollywood’s ultimate power couple. But when the studio lights were turned off, what was it like being the “real” Lucy and Desi? How did their relationship inform everything they did — from creating the groundbreaking sitcom “I Love Lucy” to running one of Hollywood’s most successful television studios? With “Lucy and Desi”, multi-hyphenate comedian-actor-producer — and now documentary director — Amy Poehler aims her prodigious talent at cracking the story of Lucy and Desi, with Emmy®-worthy results.
Mike and Ken recently had the opportunity to speak with the film’s Emmy-nominated editor Robert A. Martinez (“The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart”, “Pavarotti”) to discuss what it was like to sit at the controls of this refreshing, revealing and, at times, surprising portrayal of this dynamic duo. How did Amy’s directorial chops drive the storytelling beyond the superficial “Wikipedia” treatment that it could easily have been given? For the filmmakers, why was it so important to lift up the accomplishments of Desi Arnaz, who, all-too-often has been overlooked in the shadow of Lucille Ball’s comedic brilliance? And what did the comedic genius Buster Keaton see in Ball that enabled her, through tireless rehearsal, to develop a style of comedy that was way ahead of its time? Ultimately, “Lucy and Desi” is about neither Lucy nor Desi’s individual talents, but about the magic that they created as one unit, leaving a legacy that will last as long as the human species comes factory-equipped with a funny bone.
“Lucy and Desi”, which is nominated for six 2022 Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special, is available for streaming on Amazon Prime.
Find our conversation with Mark Monroe about “The Bee Gees” here.
Hidden Gem:
No No: A Dockumentary
Follow on Twitter: @topdocspod
The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix. Listen to our recent conversations with these Emmy®-nominated directors whose documentaries are currently on Netflix:
- Andrew Rossi on "The Andy Warhol Diaries"
- Coodie Simmons and Chike Ozah on "jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy"
- Felicity Morris on “The Tinder Swindler”
Frederick Douglass was not only one of our greatest activists, he was a great writer, an artist who worked in words. Director Julie Marchesi (P.O.V., American Masters, African-American Lives) and producer Seun Babalola (NOVA, The United Shades of America, Africa Everywhere) explore the growth of his mind and the power of his words in their Emmy-nominated “Frederick Douglass: In Five Speeches.”
Each speech is performed by one of the film’s all-star cast (Nicole Beharie, Colman Domingo, Jonathan Majors, Denzel Whitaker, Jeffrey Wright) and André Holland provides a narrative spine by reading from Douglas’ autobiographies. Inspired by David Blight’s magisterial biography, the film is light on didacticism but shot-through with the inspiration that can only come from one born under slavery and freed by his own actions and words.
“Frederick Douglass: In Five Speeches” is now streaming on HBO.
Hidden Gems:
Dear Zachary
Battleground
Follow on twitter: @topdocspod
“Nazaré”. To those who follow the world of big wave surfing, the word speaks for itself. A once sleepy fishing village on the coast of Portugal, Nazaré has now become one of the world’s preeminent big wave surfing spots. It’s also the most likely future location for that most elusive of all surfing dreams: the 100-foot wave. As the hunting ground of legendary surfer Garrett McNamara, Nazaré plays a starring role in the thrilling six-part, Emmy®-nominated HBO series “100 Foot Wave” directed by Chris Smith (“Tiger King”, “American Movie”).
“100 Foot Wave” Executive Producer Joe Lewis (“Fleabag”, “Transparent”) recently sat down with Ken to plunge beneath the surface of the film team’s creative process. How did a conversation with his wife about a distant relation by marriage lead Joe to Garrett McNamara, who spent years working with local officials to put Nazaré on the map of big wave surfing? How did the filmmakers go from thinking they were pitching a feature film to making a six-part series that is now well on its way to a second season? And what was it like collaborating with Garrett and his wife Nicole, whose one condition was, “We don’t want to make a surf movie”? You’ve heard it a million times: it’s the journey that counts. But, if the waves break just right, you can be sure that Garrett or one of his cohorts will be there at Nazaré to catch that 100-foot wave. Please join us as we explore this incredible journey with Joe. It’s the most fun you can have while staying dry.
Hidden Gems:
Sub Eleven Seconds
Vernon, Florida
Follow on Twitter:
@JoeLewis
@topdocspod
The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix. Listen to our recent conversations with these Emmy®-nominated directors whose documentaries are currently on Netflix:
- Andrew Rossi on "The Andy Warhol Diaries"
- Coodie Simmons and Chike Ozah on "jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy"
- Felicity Morris on “The Tinder Swindler”
George Carlin wasn’t just a comedian, he was one of the great American artists of the later half of the 20th-Century, and he was shaped by and interacted with the great events of his day with intelligence, wit, and an ever-adapting nature. That’s what co-director Michael Bonfiglio (with Judd Apatow) of “George Carlin’s American Dream” explains when he sat down with Mike.
Bonfiglio’s (producer of “Paradise Lost 2 & 3”, “Some Kind of Monster” & “The Zen Diaries of Gary Shandling”) film traces the “straight” comic of the 60s, the more personal and edgy comic of the 70’s that we all know, and even the darker–but equally important, the film argues–comic of the 80s and 90s. Michael and Mike discuss the roots of Carlin’s comedy in his Catholic school childhood in Manhattan, the birth of his comedy career in Los Angeles, and the cocaine-fueled 70s. Throughout, his wife Brenda and daughter Kelly stood by him, and despite his solitary nature, his comedy cohort inspired and challenged him. “George Carlin’s American Dream” is now playing on HBO.
Hidden Gem: The Velvet Queen
Follow on twitter:
@mbonfiglio2000
@topdocspod
Racking up win after win, Mack Beggs is well on his way to an undefeated season and a second consecutive Texas state high school wrestling crown. But, far from being recognized as the top athlete that he is, Mack finds himself the target of criticism from parents, social media trolls and national commentators. As a young trans man, Mack wants nothing more than the opportunity to compete against other young men. But Texas law prevents this, and so Mack has no choice but to take on not only his female competitors but also the kind of vicious discrimination that is regularly inflicted against young trans athletes throughout the country. In their standout Emmy®-nominated documentary “Changing the Game”, director Michael Barnett (“Superheroes”) and producers Clare Tucker (“The Mars Generation”) and Alex Schmider (“Disclosure”) follow Mack’s victories and struggles along with two other courageous trans athletes: Sarah, a skier and activist in New Hampshire, and Andraya, a track star in Connecticut.
Joining Mike and Ken to talk about their game-changing documentary, Michael, Clare and Alex discuss the challenges of making a film about trans athletes in the context of a fraught political context. What led Michael and Clare to invite Alex, the Director of Transgender Representation at GLAAD, to join the creative team as producer, and how did their collaboration benefit the film in multiple ways? Why was it a priority for Michael that the cinematic quality of the film match the visual standards of a Nike ad? And what was the toughest scene, emotionally, to include in the film, and why was it so important for people to see it? Join us for this illuminating conversation with three filmmakers determined to go to the mat to “give these young athletes their stories back”.
“Changing the Game” is currently streaming on Hulu.
Hidden Gem:
Michael Barnett, Stay on Board: The Leo Baker Story
Clare Tucker, A Thousand Cuts
Alex Schmider: No Ordinary Man
Follow on Twitter:
@ChangingGameDoc
@anderfinn
To get involved: TheTrevorProject.org
The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix. Listen to our recent conversations with these Emmy®-nominated directors whose documentaries are currently on Netflix:
- Andrew Rossi on "The Andy Warhol Diaries"
- Coodie Simmons and Chike Ozah on "jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy"
- Felicity Morris on “The Tinder Swindler”
With 55 million matches to date, Tinder advertises itself as the world’s most popular dating app. But, back in 2019, it was one match in particular — between a Norwegian woman living in London and a charming, self-described “Prince of Diamonds” — that became a viral sensation. It turned out that “Simon Leviev” was no prince, but a convicted con artist who used Tinder to woo a series of women in an elaborate Ponzi scheme that left them emotionally devastated and thousands of dollars in debt. In the thrilling and eye-opening Emmy®-nominated Netflix documentary “The Tinder Swindler”, filmmaker Felicity Morris (“Don’t F**k With Cats”) deftly tracks the story of three courageous women who went public with their stories of being conned by Leviev and sought their own measure of sweet justice.
Talking to Mike and Ken from her home base in London, Felicity gives her inside take on the swindle and on the making of the film. How did Simon go beyond the conventions of a more traditional con to create such a successful emotional one? How was the story of Ayleen Charlotte, a Dutch woman defrauded by Simon, the key to unlocking the film’s third act? And why does Felicity think that “The Tinder Swindler” — Netflix's most popular documentary of all-time when it launched — resonates so deeply with people? Answers to these questions and more can be found in our podcast interview with Felicity. Just remember to “press play” rather than to “swipe right”.
“The Tinder Swindler” is currently streaming on Netflix. You can also learn more on Felicity’s podcast, “The Making of a Swindler”, available on “You Can’t Make This Up”.
Hidden Gem: “’Twas the Fight Before Christmas”
Follow on Twitter:
@fliss_morris
@topdocspod
The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix. Listen to our recent conversations with these Emmy®-nominated directors whose documentaries are currently on Netflix:
- Andrew Rossi on "The Andy Warhol Diaries"
- Coodie Simmons and Chike Ozah on "jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy"
- Felicity Morris on “The Tinder Swindler”
It’s more than a song. As Dayna Goldfine and Dan Geller (“Ballet Russes”, “The Galapagos Affair”) point out in their new documentary, Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” is a journey. A journey of artistic and spiritual discovery, a 7-year Odyssey of composition, and, once all but lost, an even longer journey to find its place as one of our most admired songs, admiration which take the form of critical praise and popular renditions that can be found in Dreamworks movies and primetime talent shows. Join Mike as he travels this decades-long path with Dayna and Dan.
“Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song,” from Sony Pictures Classics, is now playing in select cities.
Hidden Gems:
The Truffle Hunters
The Five Obstructions
Leonard Cohen Covers:
Sharon Robinson’s “Alexandra Leaving” on YouTube or Spotify
Emmylou Harris’ “The Stranger Song” on YouTube or Spotify
Roberta Flack’s “Suzanne” on YouTube or Spotify
Also discussed:
The Holy and the Broken: Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley, and the Unlikely Ascent of “Hallelujah”
Howling at the Moon: The Odyssey of a Monstrous Music Mogul in an Age of Excess
Coined by a Harvard psychologist in the 1980s, the “Martha Mitchell Effect” describes a process in which a person’s beliefs are initially labeled as delusional but later turn out to be true. But who was the real Martha Mitchell? What were her claims about Watergate? And why, until now, has she been largely erased from our collective memory?
Opening up to Ken about their riveting all-archival documentary short “The Martha Mitchell Effect”, filmmakers Anne Alvergue and Debra McClutchy describe how they set out to widen the lens on Watergate beyond “All the President’s Men” to include the key perspective of Martha Mitchell, wife of former Attorney General and Nixon campaign chief John Mitchell. Dismissed at the time as being crazy and a drunk, Martha was, in fact, the victim of a well-planned gaslighting campaign hatched by Nixon, his top aides and even her own husband. Stunning in its revelations and highly immersive in its creative approach, this powerful film will no doubt leave you with a new perspective on those dark days of American history. Speaking truth to power tends to have that effect on people.
“The Martha Mitchell Effect” is now streaming on Netflix.
Hidden Gems:
Debra: “More Than I Remember” by Amy Bench
Anne: “Deerwoods Deathtrap” by James P. Gannon
Follow on Twitter:
@themarthafilm
@anne_alvergue
@topdocspod
The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix. Listen to our recent conversations with directors whose documentaries are currently on Netflix:
- Rory Kennedy on "Downfall: The Case Against Boeing"
- Andrew Rossi on "The Andy Warhol Diaries"
- Coodie Simmons and Chike Ozah on "jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy"
Love and Lava, Magma and Matrimony. Sara Dosa’s (“The Last Season”, “The Seer and the Unseen”) “Fire of Love” encourages such puns, and that’s no accident: The film explores the relationship of Katia and Maurice Krafft, married volcanologists as they chart the world's volcanoes from the late 1960s until their untimely deaths in 1993. It’s a film that takes science seriously, but, like its subjects, isn’t afraid to have some fun.
Join Mike as he speaks with Sara about how she’s reworking the standard nature documentary: How her narrator, Miranda July, explores science as inquiry rather than established fact, and how by juxtaposing seemingly whimsical graphics, Dosa complicates the standard narrative. How does the growing relationship between the Kraffts echo their relationship with volcanoes? What role do the twin montages at the heart of the film play in developing both those relationships? How did the Kraffts differ when it came to dealing with the deadly reality of volcanic exploration? Finally, how did their interests develop toward the ends of their lives as they began to focus more on the effects of volcanoes on humans, and what is their ultimate legacy?
“Fire of Love” from National Geographic Documentary Films can now be seen in select cities and will be rolling out across the U.S. over the summer.
Hidden Gem: Jaddoland
Follow on twitter:
@saradosa
@topdocspod
Sha’Carri Richardson is fast. Really, really, really fast. At the 2021 U.S. Olympic trials, Sha’Carri, only 21 at the time, ran the 100-meter finals in 10.84 seconds, more than a tenth of a second faster than her closest competitor. In “Sub Eleven Seconds”, his artfully crafted documentary portrait of this superstar athlete at a moment of peak performance, the director Bafic captures Sha’Carri’s split-second athletic brilliance, refreshing honesty and totally original style.
As part of our focus on NextGen filmmakers — up-and-coming talents in the documentary world — “Top Docs” is pleased to be partnering with the 28th Palm Springs International ShortFest (June 21 – 27) to feature several filmmakers with outstanding documentary shorts in this year’s festival. In this episode, Ken and Bafic explore a wide range of filmmaking topics, from the lessons the filmmaker gleaned from Francis Ford Coppola about identifying the core idea of one’s film (in this case, time itself); to Errol Morris’s famous interviewing device, the Interrotron; and the huge influence of the Texas-based music genre “chopped and screwed” on the film’s most critical sequence. “Sub Eleven Seconds” screened as part of the ShortFest documentary shorts block called “Truth Be Told”.
Check out the film at NewYorker.com or YouTube and then take the time to listen to our podcast.
Hidden Gem: Lock Off by Akwasi Poku.
Follow us on Twitter:
@BAFIC
@itskerrii @topdocspod
The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix. Listen to our recent conversations with directors whose documentaries are currently on Netflix:
- Rory Kennedy on "Downfall: The Case Against Boeing"
- Andrew Rossi on "The Andy Warhol Diaries"
- Coodie Simmons and Chike Ozah on "jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy"
In a small town in India, a cow vigilante group seeks to recruit teenage boys to join its ranks. Who are these so-called cow vigilantes and how are they using the welfare of the cow, which is sacred to India’s majority Hindu population, to fan the flames of nationalist extremism? In Varun Chopra’s fascinating, multifaceted and provocative new short documentary “Holy Cowboys”, the filmmaker follows Gopal and his friends as they come under the powerful influence of one such group that, in the name of protecting cows, espouses violence against those, including Muslims, who do not share their beliefs and practices.
As part of our focus on NextGen filmmakers — up-and-coming talents in the documentary world — “Top Docs” is pleased to be partnering with the 28th Palm Springs International ShortFest (June 21 – 27) to feature several filmmakers with outstanding documentary shorts in this year’s festival. In this episode, Ken talks to Varun about his nuanced, inventive portrait of Gopal and the larger cultural, political and economic context surrounding his story.
“Holy Cowboys” is part of the documentary shorts block called “Higher Ground” screening Saturday, June 26th at 10:00 AM at the Camelot Theatres, Palm Springs. For more information about ShortFest and “Holy Cowboys”, please go to:https://psfilmfest.org/2022-shortfest
Short doc recommendation: “A Broken House” by Jimmy Goldblum
The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix. Listen to our recent conversations with directors whose documentaries are currently on Netflix:
- Rory Kennedy on "Downfall: The Case Against Boeing"
- Andrew Rossi on "The Andy Warhol Diaries"
- Coodie Simmons and Chike Ozah on "jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy"
Like a freshly sculpted work of clay, director Rebeca Huntt’s stunning documentary debut BEBA captures in real-time her family’s fluid interpersonal dynamics; the complicated legacies of inherited national, ethnic and racial identity; and her own brewing caldron of coming-of-age dramatics. To call it a “personal film” is both a wild understatement and a reductive miscalculation: “BEBA”, for all its personal complexities, is a profound spiritual quest intended to stir existential questions in the audience and provoke a deep dialogue. Shot in vivid and pulsating 16mm film, “BEBA” is also a feast for the senses and a fever dream for the imagination. In short, it is a film to be reckoned with — and not to be missed.
Fresh off the film’s Tribeca Film Festival screening in her hometown of New York City, which plays a starring role in the film, Rebeca shares with Ken her searching personal journey and eight-year creative quest to bring “BEBA” to life. What was the “meta” experience like of making a film about her life, while at the same time living in the day-to-day? How did the probing interviews that she conducted with her family reveal fascinating truths, but also bring simmering tensions to the surface? Why was film the perfect medium to express everything that she was experiencing and wanted to convey? Join us as Rebeca sheds light on “BEBA”, both the film and the person, two powerful creative forces in the universe.
“BEBA” is being released in theaters by NEON starting on June 24th.
Hidden Gem: “Finding Christa”, “Suzanne, Suzanne”; both by Camille Billops
Follow on Twitter: @topdocspod
The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix. Listen to our recent conversations with directors whose documentaries are currently on Netflix:
- Rory Kennedy on "Downfall: The Case Against Boeing"
- Andrew Rossi on "The Andy Warhol Diaries"
- Coodie Simmons and Chike Ozah on "jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy"
A phone call between mother and daughter. A bad dream. Home movies. Seems simple, yet Ash Goh Hua’s short documentary “The Feeling of Being Close to You” expertly navigates physical and emotional space to provide a compelling, affecting story of attempted reconciliation.
“The Feeling of Being Close to You” will play at the The Palm Springs International ShortFest as part of the “In Search of Lost Time” series on Thursday, June 23rd 2PM, at the Camelot Theatres (Palm Springs Cultural Center). We are delighted to be partnering with Shortfest to promote promising NextGen filmmakers. And if you can’t make it to Palm Springs, on June 25th it will play Brooklyn’s BAM CinemaFest.
Hidden Gem: Learning Tagalog with Kayla
Follow on Twitter: @topdocspod
The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix. Listen to our recent conversations with directors whose documentaries are currently on Netflix:
- Rory Kennedy on "Downfall: The Case Against Boeing"
- Andrew Rossi on "The Andy Warhol Diaries"
- Coodie Simmons and Chike Ozah on "jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy"
Hollyn and Colie are range riders. Every day during the summer, these highly skilled hired hands ride their horses across the remote, rugged Idaho mountains, pushing cows across sky-high ridges to their final destination. It’s hard work for low pay, but the rewards are plentiful: the thrill of the open range, the symbiotic relationship with their animals, and, not least of all, the close bond of friendship with each other. In her magical new documentary “Bitterbrush”, Emmy®, Peabody and Sundance Award-winning filmmaker Emelie Mahdavian (producer/writer/editor, “Midnight Traveler”) poetically and precisely captures the sights, sounds and timeless rhythms of this fiercely beautiful landscape. She also shows us, as few have before, the mutual love and support (and humor) that can happen between two women who care for each other as much as the land that will always be home.
Joining Ken for a wide-ranging conversation, Emelie describes how, living in this part of Idaho herself, she came to meet Hollyn and Colie and embark on this unique cinematic journey. In what ways did she avoid the clichés and tropes of the Western genre to forge her own narrative path? How did she and her cinematographers develop the right camera rigs to shoot images both awe-inspiring and intimate in such a challenging environment? And how did a magnetic 12-minute scene reveal as much to Colie about herself as it did to those watching? Saddle up and come along for this fascinating conversational ride.
“Bitterbrush” is being released in theaters by Magnolia Pictures starting on June 17th.
Hidden Gem:
Listening to Kenny G
Follow on twitter:
@bitterbrushdoc
@topdocspod
The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix. Listen to our recent conversations with directors whose documentaries are currently on Netflix.
Rory Kennedy on "Downfall: The Case Against Boeing"
Andrew Rossi on "The Andy Warhol Diaries"
Coodie Simmons and Chike Ozah on "jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy"
As part of our focus on NextGen filmmakers — up-and-coming talents in the documentary world — “Top Docs” is pleased to be partnering with the 28th Palm Springs International ShortFest (June 21 – 27) to feature several filmmakers with outstanding documentary shorts in this year’s festival.
In this episode, Ken talks to Pavel Mozhar, director of the IDFA-award-winning short documentary “Handbook”, a chilling exposé of the mass arrest and torture of protestors in the filmmaker’s native country of Belarus. Pavel, who now lives and goes to film school in Berlin, takes a unique, genre-bending approach to documenting the Lukashenko regime’s brutal and highly systematized tactics used against its own citizens following the presidential election in August 2020.
“Handbook”, which has its North American premiere at ShortFest, is part of the documentary shorts block called “A Dose of Reality” screening Saturday, June 25th at 10:00 AM at the Camelot Theatres, Palm Springs. For more information about ShortFest and “Handbook”, please go to: https://psfilmfest.org/2022-shortfest
Short doc recommendation from Pavel:
“89MM from Europe” by Marcel Łoziński
Follow us on twitter: @topdocspod
What more can be said about Andy Warhol? Campbell’s Soup. Marilyn Monroe. Pop Art. The Factory. Fright wig. 15 minutes. Connect the dots and you feel pretty confident in your short-hand knowledge of who Warhol was and his place in modern art and contemporary culture. But, as much as Andy Warhol is a household name when it comes to 1960’s celebrity icons, not a lot is known about Warhol’s interior life or his intimate relationships. Using Warhol’s diaries (published just two years after his death) as a springboard, Emmy Award®-nominated filmmaker Andrew Rossi (“Page One: Inside the New York Times”, “Ivory Tower”) takes aim at those parts of Warhol’s life and career that are far less familiar to us. The result, Rossi’s sprawling new, must-see six-part Netflix series “The Andy Warhol Diaries”, is a fascinating portrait of the man who stated his desire to be “like a machine,” but, in reality, was a deeply emotional person whose intimate relationships and vulnerabilities reveal much about who he was and offer valuable insights into the enduring brilliance of his art.
How did Rossi use new A.I. technology, and the skills of actor Bill Irwin, to create a chillingly lifelike version of Warhol’s voice? Who were Jed Johnson and Jon Gould, and in what ways do these men unlock the key to understanding Warhol’s emotional life? Why was it so important to Rossi to explicate Warhol’s diaries as a seminal queer text? How did Warhol’s complicated relationship with the artist Jean-Michel Basquiat lead to one of the most creatively fruitful collaborations in the history of modern art? The truth is Andy Warhol was famous for a lot longer than 15 minutes. But now — thanks to Andrew Rossi’s masterful, exhaustively researched and richly-layered series — we have a window into the off-screen Warhol. It turns out that all the things that he was not famous for give us a whole new perspective on the artist and the man.
Now on Netflix
Follow on twitter:
@a_rossi
@topdocspod
An expat journalist reflects on the recent revolutions that have transformed her native Ukraine. A filmmaker, looking for spiritual advice, goes to a secretive Buddhist monastery in Kyoto. A mother grieves for her young son and seeks answers about why childhood drownings are shockingly common. A young dancer finds her way back to performing after experiencing a life-changing swimming accident. What do these four compelling films have in common? The answer: in each case, a first-time feature documentary director shares a deeply personal point of view that can only be fully explored by turning the camera on him or herself. They are also the four films featured in “Top Docs”’ first live, in-person event, a lively, illuminating and emotional panel discussion called “In the Frame: The Art of Personal Documentary”.
On Saturday, May 14, at the recently concluded 41st Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival, “Top Docs” brought together filmmakers Katya Soldak (“The Long Breakup”), Ahsen Nadeem (“Crows Are White”), Chezik Tsunoda (“Drowning in Silence”), and Kelsey Peterson and Daniel Klein (“Move Me”), whose films were screening at the festival. Moderated by Ken, the panel delved into such questions as: What brought you to the critical creative moment when you decided to go on camera? What makes a personal documentary different from other modes of documentary storytelling? How did you navigate the sensitive issue of whether to film your friends and family? And where did you find the courage to excavate your own archive of home movie footage even if that meant potentially reliving personal trauma? It’s a remarkably frank conversation with four filmmakers just stepping onto the feature documentary stage, and one that we know you won’t want to miss.
“In the Frame” is the first in a series of “Top Docs” podcast events that spotlights the next-gen wave of up-and-coming documentary filmmakers. Stay tuned for more next-gen interviews as part of our partnership with the Palm Springs International ShortFest, which takes place June 21 – 27 in Palm Springs, CA. See https://psfilmfest.org/2022-shortfest for more details about ShortFest.
“If it ain’t Boeing, I ain’t going” was a phrase uttered by generations of pilots in reference to the storied Seattle-based company that was virtually synonymous with American engineering know-how. But, in 2018, a practically brand-new Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft crashed soon after takeoff in Indonesia, followed five months later by a second 737 MAX crash in Ethiopia. All told, between the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines flights, 346 people were killed. And Boeing’s reputation lay in tatters. In her searing new Netflix documentary “Downfall: The Case Against Boeing”, Academy Award®-nominated and Emmy® Award-winning filmmaker Rory Kennedy (“Last Days in Vietnam”, “Ghosts of Abu Ghraib”) sets out to examine not only how and why these planes went down, but to explain the crash of Boeing itself.
Rory joins Mike and Ken on “Top Docs” to talk about her collaboration with former Wall Street Journal reporter Andy Pasztor who doggedly investigated Boeing. Why was he a perfect guide for telling this story? In what ways did the family members of those who died in the crashes prove to be among the most articulate and knowledgeable voices about the crashes? What was the one condition that Garima Sethi, the widow of the Lion Air pilot, put on doing an interview with Rory, and how did Rory convince her that this was, indeed, the one thing that she had to talk about? How did Rep. Peter DeFazio help break open the “case against Boeing”? After all this, would Rory herself set foot on a 737 MAX today? You’ll want to stay tuned to the end of the podcast to find out. The answer may change how you feel about the next flight you take.
“Downfall: The Case Against Boeing” is currently streaming on Netflix.
Hidden Gem: Moon Age Daydream
Follow:
@roryekennedy
@topdocspod
Long before Kanye West became one of the most famous people on the planet, he was a 19-year-old up-and-coming producer of beats trying to make a name for himself in the local Chicago rap scene. Enter comedian Coodie Simmons, host of a local cable access show, who — taking inspiration from the landmark documentary “Hoop Dreams” — decided to turn his camera full-time on Kanye, sensing the young rapper had what it took to make it big. Now, 24 years and over 300 hours of footage later, Kanye is a household name and Coodie’s dreams for creating an epic documentary have also come true. Directed by Coodie and his longtime collaborator Chike Ozah, the new three-part Netflix docuseries, “jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy” is an unprecedented, longitudinal portrait of a huge global superstar that tracks, in real-time, Kanye West’s rise to — and struggles with — fame.
Joining Ken for a wide-ranging conversation about their remarkably intimate and beautifully crafted documentary, the captivating duo of Coodie & Chike (“Benji”, “A Kid from Coney Island”) take us on the long, winding journey that led from the streets of Chicago into the recording studios of New York City and LA, and, eventually, as Kanye became a global phenomenon, to such places as the Dominican Republic and China. What is it like to have Kanye’s mother embrace you as a member of her own family — and then to have to face the wrenching task of putting together a memorial video of her life when she dies suddenly just a few years later? How does one make the hard decision, after filming one’s “young brother” for decades, that, in certain uncomfortable situations, turning off the camera may be the right call? And, ever the comedian, why did Coodie think the comedic device of the “callback” would be the perfect way to make Kanye West’s retainer (yes, the budding rap star wore a retainer) one of the film’s most memorable recurring bits? As Coodie says in the documentary, “Everything happens for a reason.”
“jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy” is currently streaming on Netflix.
Hidden Gems:
Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life is Calling
The Gods Must Be Crazy
In “Sirens”, Rita Baghdadi (“My Country No More”, “City Rising”) joins to Mike to discuss her portrayal of the all-women Lebanese heavy metal band Slave to Sirens, with a focus on Sherry, the virtuosic lead guitarist, and Lilas, the rhythm guitarist who is the charismatic center of the band. As much a coming of age story as a rock doc, “Sirens” explores not only their music, but the lives, relationships, and loves of their young lives. In this highly layered film, the backdrop is the revolutionary Beirut of 2019 and beyond, and the impact of that country’s ever-hopeful and ever-tragic fate can be felt in their views of the past, present, and future.
Hidden Gem:
Fraud
“Sirens” screenings at the Minneapolis Saint Paul International Film Festival
Friday, May 13 | 9:45 PM | The Main
Wednesday, May 18 | 7:00 PM | The Main
For more information about the Festival, go to: https://mspfilm.org/festivals/mspiff/
“He's not a dusty antique from the past; he's the beginning of now” That’s how Marc Shaffer describes the subject of his film, Exposing Muybridge. Mike and Marc explore the strange and varied career of Eadweard Muybridge (just one of the many versions of the name he gave himself over the years). Born in Britain, he moved to New York to sell books, and then to San Francisco to become an early photographer of the American West as well as its native inhabitants. He then had the fortune (both good and mis-) to garner Leland Stanford, rail tycoon and Californian politician, as a patron. He started with photographs of Stanford’s family, but then moved on to the series of pictures that would make him a known worldwide: Proving the long-argued notion that at some point in full gallop, all 4 of a horse's hooves leave the ground.
Disavowed by Leland Stanford just as he was about to be honored by the Royal Society of his home country, Muybridge returned to America and supported by the likes of painter Thomas Eakins, took up residency at The University of Pennsylvania. Here he continued his motion studies, but as Shaffer and his experts demonstrate, in a manner that revealed as much about the mores and prejudices of his day as they do about the nature of motion.
Aided by the exemplary explanatory mode of none other than Muybridge fan and collector Gary Oldman, Schaffer reveals much about Muybridge’s life, technique, and art. And he demonstrates the impact on our culture from Francis Bacon, to The Matrix, to Jordan Peele.
“Exposing Muybridge” screenings at the Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival
- Monday, May 9 | 4:40 PM | The Main
- Tuesday, May 10 | 1:45 PM | The Main
- Friday, May 13 | 1:50 PM | The Main
For more information about the Festival, go to: https://mspfilm.org/festivals/mspiff/
Hidden Gem:
Hearts of Darkness
In 1976, a curator at Harvard’s Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnography discovered a long-forgotten item stored away in the museum’s collection: a series of stark but stirring daguerreotypes taken in 1850 that are believed to be the oldest photographs of enslaved Africans in the U.S. While the discovery made headlines across the country, they did not prompt a serious inquiry by Harvard to find out more about the photographic subjects, who included a man called Renty and his daughter Delia. David Grubin’s soul-searching documentary “Free Renty: Lanier v. Harvard” reveals the story behind the people in the photographs and the long, heroic quest of Tamara Lanier, Renty’s great great great granddaughter, to convince Harvard to turn over what she considers to be her family pictures.
Joining Ken to talk about “Free Renty”, director David Grubin describes how this film journey began with a conversation with his cousin Michael Koskoff, one of Tammy’s lawyers in her lawsuit against Harvard. How did Tammy also get Benjamin Crump, one of the nation’s most prominent civil rights attorneys, to take on the case? What happened to make the legal team, all of a sudden, pivot from avoiding the word “reparations” in its legal argument to embracing the term with gusto? And how did the plot thicken when Tammy came face-to-face with the descendants of Louis Agassiz, the renowned but racist Harvard professor who originally commissioned the daguerreotypes? Whatever the legal case’s ultimate outcome, this eloquent documentary makes it clear that, by telling Papa Renty’s story, Tammy has finally given voice to her enslaved ancestors and re-claimed the true power and the humanity behind these cruel images.
Our Top Docs conversation with David Grubin is part of our partnership with the Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival (May 5 – 19, 2022) to spotlight the more than 40 documentary feature films screening at this year’s festival.
“Free Renty Lanier v. Harvard” screenings at the Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival:
- Sunday, May 15, 4:00 PM CT, Capri Theater, Minneapolis
- Wednesday, May 18, 2:00 PM CT, MSP Film at the Main (formerly the St. Anthony Main Theatre), Minneapolis
David Grubin will be attending both screenings.
The film is also available to be screened virtually during the Festival and is accessible throughout the U.S.
For more information about the Festival, go to: https://mspfilm.org/festivals/mspiff/
Hidden Gem:
Listening to Kenny G
While over the decades, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has periodically been front page news in America, for the most part, the issue has not taken center stage in U.S. politics. But what if it turned out that, unbeknownst to the vast majority of Americans, state legislatures throughout the country have been approving bills that not only took a stand on the conflict, but actually penalized some Americans for expressing an opinion on the issue? In her revelatory and thoroughly gripping documentary “Boycott”, director Julia Bacha has uncovered a widespread and deeply disturbing effort over the last several years to punish individuals or companies that support the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions) Movement against Israel — or even refuse to sign an oath stating that they have not participated in any such boycotts.
Ken sat down with Julia to find out more about this vastly under-reported and troubling story and to hear about the creative challenges involved in reaching audiences that may not have heard much — or anything — about the issue. What drew her to the three central characters in the film and their uphill legal challenges to the law? How did she react, when, suddenly, out of the blue, she ran into an Arkansas state senator who had some surprising revelations to share about his vote on the state’s anti-BDS measure? How did Julia connect the dots between the Israeli government, the U.S. Christian fundamentalist movement and the Democratic and Republican Parties? As the facts pile up and the revelations keep coming, it becomes clear that the issues raised by “Boycott” are sure to make us stand up and pay attention. Nothing less than the First Amendment is at stake.
Our Top Docs conversation with Julia Bacha is part of our partnership with the Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival (May 5 – 19, 2022) to spotlight the more than 40 documentary feature films screening at this year’s festival.
Information about the “Boycott” screenings at the Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival:
“Boycott” screens in-person at The MSP Film at The Main Theatre in Minneapolis:
Wednesday, May 18, 6:30 PM CT, The Main 2
Thursday, May 19, 12:30 PM CT, The Main 2
Julia Bacha will be attending both screenings.
For residents of Minnesota only, the film also can be screened virtually during the Festival.
More information about the screenings can be found here.
Hidden Gem:
Elena
In this installment of Anatomy of a Scene, “Ailey” director Jamila Wignot describes the creative process behind a key sequence in her remarkable portrait of American dance legend Alvin Ailey. After building his hugely successful dance company from scratch, Ailey felt an ever-increasing amount of pressure and eventually broke down. Jamila and her team, guided by Ailey’s point of view, figured out how to “mirror and imagine” Ailey’s overwhelming sense of disorientation during this crisis. Creating a montage of clips of New York City culled from the avant-garde films of Jonas Mekas, Jamila and her editors play with time – speeding things up, slowing them down, running shots in reverse. Added to that are layers of sound and music in rhythm with Ailey’s own recorded words. Cut together very early on, the sequence helped the filmmakers to “arrive at the language of the film,” which they would then “carry through, in all parts of the film.”
Note: We recommend that, if possible, you follow along with us. The scene takes place from 1:12:07 – 1:14:47, timed from the beginning of the movie. “Ailey” is available for streaming on Hulu.
To listen to our previous conversation with Jamila about “Ailey”, check out the episode on Top Docs.
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In this powerful Anatomy of a Scene featurette, “Attica” director Stanley Nelson, recently awarded the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary, focuses on a climactic sequence near the end of the Oscar-nominated film. Stanley takes us inside the prison yard at Attica after authorities have re-taken control of the yard and proceed to systematically humiliate, torture, and exact revenge against the prisoners and their leaders. He discusses the thinking behind individual shot selection, the impact of having the composer write one continuous piece of music in different movements, when to use talking heads vs. voice over and the potentially controversial decision not to blur photos or only show prisoners from the waist up when they are paraded completely nude through the prison grounds.
Note: We recommend that, if possible, you follow along with us. The scene takes place from 1:41:13 – 1:46:47, timed from the beginning of the movie. “Attica” is available for streaming on Showtime and on Amazon Prime.
To listen to our previous discussion with Stanley about Attica.
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It starts like a modern day fairy tale: from the cotton fields of Mississippi, to three national collegiate championships, to scoring the first basket in Olympic history. But despite all her plaudits, when all that had passed, Lusia Mae (Lucy) Harrison felt she could pursue the game no further. In his Oscar-nominated short, “The Queen of Basketball,” director Ben Proudfoot (nominated just last year for “A Concerto is a Conversation”) puts Lucy front and center to tell her own story, while he skillfully illustrates it with both a compelling contemporary portrait as well as well-chosen archival footage. It’s a story of pride–both for her career and her for her family of 4 outstanding children–but also one of athletic potential halted in its path.
Join Mike as he and Ben explore the history behind both Lucy’s life and women’s basketball, as well as the choices Ben made in creating this engaging film. And then watch “The Queen of Basketball” on the New York Times site or on YouTube!
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After a series of highly improbable coincidences, filmmaker Jay Rosenblatt (“The Smell of Burning Ants”) finds himself back in his old elementary schoolyard making a film about a bullying incident from 50 years ago. Building on Jay’s own hazy recollections and those of his former 5th grade classmates, “When We Were Bullies” brilliantly pieces together a highly personal story that masterfully evokes universal themes and excavates a shared emotional terrain.
Ken recently spoke with Jay on “Top Docs” to discuss how he landed upon just the right animation technique to tell the story, what it was like for him to meet up decades later with his former 5th grade teacher, and how Jay, unexpectedly, came to connect the bullying incident with a separate personal trauma that he had tried to keep hidden from his classmates. A thoroughly original and deeply touching film, “When We Were Bullies” is one of five documentary shorts nominated for this year’s Oscar for Best Documentary Short.
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Now that the five Oscar nominees for Best Documentary Feature have been chosen, the final countdown to see who will win the coveted statuette is underway! Variety’s Film Awards Editor Clayton Davis, who’s been following the race closely for months, joins Top Docs to discuss each of the nominee’s’ chances, handicaps the race (as of the taping date!), and offers his own early prediction for a winner. He also addresses how the Academy’s Documentary Branch, which chooses the five nominees, differs from the general Academy voters, who control the fate of the nominees. And don’t forget the shorts! Clayton sounds off about how he'd like the Academy to step up when it comes to promoting the Oscar-nominated shorts.
Clayton Davis is Variety’s Film Awards Editor. He is also one of the hosts of the "Variety Awards Circuit Podcast" and the video web series, "The Take." He's been an awards, film and television analyst and critic for more than 15 years and has co-hosted the Oscars Pre-Show on ABC. Clayton is also co-founder and president of the Latino Entertainment Journalists Association and is a board and active member of the Critics Choice Association.
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Hidden Gem: Who We Are
Nostalgia isn't all bad. That’s one of the themes of our conversation with Lisa Hurwitz, director of “The Automat”, which charts the rise and fall of a uniquely American institution–though one with surprising roots in Northern Europe. Despite what you might have seen in the pictures, The Automat was more than brass, nickels, and glass windows. It was an inclusive, and for many, magical place, one from which luminaries such as Colin Powell, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Howard Schultz drew important personal and professional lessons. Find out what advice Mel Brooks gave Lisa–and check out the film to hear him sing a song he composed about the Automat with a full orchestra!
"The Automat" will be shown at the Film Forum in NYC starting February 18th, as well as the Laemmle Royal, Laemmle Town Center, and Laemmle Playhouse in the LA area starting February 25th.
Screenings: automatmovie.com
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Hidden Gem: AKA Doc Pomus
Books Mentioned:
Trapped behind the Automat
The Automat
We need to talk about W. Kamau Bell. The talented stand-up comic and popular CNN series host/Executive Producer (“United Shades of America”) has just made his initial foray into directing with the provocative and definitive 4-part Showtime docuseries, “We Need to Talk About Cosby”. When a cultural icon like Bill Cosby, who was once so beloved as to be referred to as “America’s Dad”, is later convicted of using his power and prestige to rape women, the need to reassess his role in society, and the space he occupies in our collective psyche, becomes imperative. But it isn’t until now, thanks to Kamau’s skillfully crafted, sensitive and brutally honest series, that this important conversation is finally beginning to take place.
In our own frank and personal Top Docs conversation with Kamau, he discusses what it meant for him to come to grips with the dark truths that have been a part of Cosby’s life for decades, but, which, until recently, were kept mostly hidden. What was it like for Kamau to approach dozens of people to participate in the documentary only to be met, time-and-again, with silence or rejection? Why was “The Cosby Show” such a powerful moment of identification for Black people in America and how did Kamau depict this in the documentary? How did Kamau and his creative team decide on a narrative approach to including the stories of the many survivors of Cosby’s abuse in such a way that portrays them as more than just victims? And, when making the film began to take a personal toll, who did Kamau turn to for support and encouragement? Join us for this vital conversation about Bill Cosby… and about us. Rest assured, there is plenty to talk about. “We Need to Talk About Cosby” can be seen now on the Showtime Network and Showtime Streaming.
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Some Documentaries that Inspired Kamau:
Surviving R. Kelly
O.J.: Made in America
Australia is burning. And so is Greece, China, South Africa, Brazil, Congo, and even Siberia. And, of course, California is burning, more so than ever. In her eye-opening documentary “Bring Your Own Brigade”, Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Lucy Walker (“The Crash Reel”, “Waste Land”) skillfully lays out the causes and consequences of the terrifying, apocalyptic fires that represent a global crisis burning out of control. Focusing on the twin monster fires that engulfed Northern and Southern California on November 8th, 2018, Lucy hits the road to interview a wide range of experts, first responders, fire victims and Native American tribal practitioners to learn about the history behind California’s ongoing and fraught relationship to fire.
On a recent, calm California night, Ken spoke with Lucy about her vow to “get to the bottom” of why these horrific fires keep happening. Why did she decide, for the first time, to put herself in her own movie? As her thorough inquiry unfolded, in what ways were Lucy’s assumptions about the relationship between climate change and fire challenged? And, as desperate as this situation is, why does she believe that something can be done to help prevent these catastrophes in the future? You’ll learn a lot from this episode of Top Docs and maybe even experience a spark of something called “hope”.
“Bring Your Own Brigade” can be streamed for free at CBSNews.com.
Hidden Gems:
Streetwise
The Farm
Alvin Ailey is alive and well. That is the lasting impression one gets from “Ailey”, filmmaker Jamila Wignot’s vibrant and probing documentary portrait of one of the 20th Century’s greatest artists, the late dancer and choreographer Alvin Ailey. Ailey’s masterworks are still performed throughout the world. The dance company he founded more that 60 years ago, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, continues to thrive. But who was Alvin Ailey? What drove him? What tormented him? How did he loom so large for countless dancers but remain largely an enigma as a man?
In Ken’s deep dive “Top Docs” conversation with Jamila, she discusses the many challenges involved in understanding and visually representing Ailey’s life and legacy. How did she avoid the tropes and traps of the standard documentary portrait? How did she use archival footage in such a way to create a constant sense of movement? What did Bill T. Jones, a dance legend in his own right, say once the camera was turned off? And what were the keys to creating a film that would put the audience in “(Ailey’s) body so that you would be experiencing his life as he experienced it”? Experience our conversation with Jamila on Top Docs now and stream “Ailey”, which is part of PBS’ American Masters series, for free until February 8th at PBS.org.
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Jamila @jamilawignot
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Hidden Gem: Harry Dean Stanton: Partly Fiction
Jessica Kingdon’s stunning feature documentary debut, the Oscar-shortlisted “Ascension”, is an enthralling, immersive journey into the heart and soul of today’s People’s Republic of China. With her unerring ability to capture small details and depict epic scale, Jessica gives us a privileged tour of the so-called “Chinese dream” at the center of China’s propulsive economy. Illuminating, awe-inspiring — and, at times, quite funny — “Ascension identifies singular moments of poetry in everyday life and elevates them to high art.
Joining Ken to talk about the film, Jessica describes how she gained inspiration from her great-grandfather’s poem that begins and ends the film. With seemingly endless possibilities to choose from, how did she identify and gain access to the wide range of locations that enliven the film? What was it like shooting at the sex doll factory depicted in the film (spoiler: it was even crazier in person)? And what were some of the scenes that didn’t make it into the film, such as the emotional graduation ceremony for the international butler academy? “Ascension” is not only a remarkable film but an apt description of Jessica’s fast rise to join the top tier of documentary filmmakers. Watch the film on Paramount+ and listen to the podcast to find out for yourself.
Hidden Gems:
Acasa, My Home
China’s Van Goghs
In her searing Oscar-shortlisted HBO Documentary “In the Same Breath”, award-winning filmmaker Nanfu Wang challenges both the Chinese and U.S. governments’ initial responses to the pandemic. As she did in her previous film, the devastating “One Child Nation”, Nanfu relentlessly questions government authority and gives voice to those who insist on telling the truth, even at the risk of heavy personal cost.
Ken sat down with Nanfu to talk about this incredibly powerful film, which combines reporting, internet sleuthing and compelling personal narratives to re-examine the critical early period of the pandemic. What if we could roll back the clock and have a “re-do” on the first days and weeks of the pandemic? What if the Chinese government hadn’t silenced those who called attention to the first Covid cases? How did incorrect information from some in the U.S. government do us harm? As someone who grew up in China and now calls the U.S. home, Nanfu has an insightful perspective on both countries. Not only does she insist on asking the hard questions, but manages to show us the possibilities for a better world. “In the Same Breath” is now streaming on HBO Max.
Hidden Gem: Black Sun
Focussing on the issue in San Francisco, LA, and Seattle, “Lead Me Home” manages to give a sense of the tremendous scope of homelessness on the West Coast of America, while still exploring the individual complexities of the lives of those who find themselves–often “step by step”--in this situation. Directors Pedro Kos and Jon Shenk take an unflinching look at the challenges the unsheltered face, while allowing for the community, joy, and even love they discover as well. When Coldplay’s “Midnight” kicks in half way through, you may be surprised, but you’ll soon see how Kos and Shenk demonstrate what connects all of us who inhabit America’s great, yet troubled, cities. Now streaming on Netflix.
Our previous shows with Pedro:
Rebel Hearts
Anatomy of a Scene from “Rebel Hearts”
Shortlisted for the Oscars, "Audible"–a short by Matt Ogens–explores the life of graduating high school football star Amaree McKenstry, a life not unlike that of any other teenager with teammates, family, friends, an on-and-off girlfriend, and the rigors of the gridiron. But a life also marked by the unique culture that defines Maryland School for the Deaf. Having–after years of winning–suffered a rare defeat, Amaree and his teammates must prepare for the big homecoming game while they face the challenges that will greet them when they leave what their coach calls “the bubble” of the school and face the hearing world. “Audible” is now streaming on Netflix.
At the height of WWII, a group of young Jewish refugees is sent to a secret POW camp near Washington D.C. The refugees soon discover that the prisoners are none other than Hitler’s top scientists. In a bitter twist of fate, it is the refugees’ job to ensure that the German prisoners will aid their new country in the coming Cold War. Finally, after decades of being classified, this stranger-than-fiction story has now come to light in “Camp Confidential: America’s Secret Nazi’s”, a chilling new Netflix documentary by filmmakers Mor Loushy and Daniel Sivan (“The Devil Next Door”, “The Oslo Diaries”). Joining Ken from her home in Tel Aviv, Mor describes how she and Daniel learned about this fascinating and deeply troubling story, illuminates their creative process, and contemplates the myriad moral dilemmas raised by the film. “Camp Confidential: America’s Secret Nazis” is one of 15 shorts named to the Oscar Shortlist and can be streamed on Netflix.
Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson joins us to talk about his Oscar-shortlisted “Summer of Soul (…or, When the Revolution Could Not be Televised)”. In the summer of 1969, a music festival took place in New York that attracted over 300,000 people. Featuring some of the most incredible artists of that — or any — era, it caught the cultural wave of the moment. No, it wasn’t Woodstock. And, until very recently, practically nobody knew it ever took place. Featuring stunning, previously unseen archival performance footage and incorporating an array of enthralling interviews, game-changing debut documentary “Summer of Soul” is a joyful celebration of the Harlem Cultural Festival and a long-delayed corrective to an egregious example of Black erasure. Winner of both the 2021 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award for Best U.S. Documentary. “Summer of Love” is Oscar shortlisted for Best Documentary Feature. Currently available for streaming on Hulu.
Fresh off the set of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon where he serves as Musical Director, Questlove joined Mike and Ken for a spellbinding conversation, showcasing his unique skills as a storyteller. How is it that even a musical aficionado of Questlove’s renown was skeptical that such a concert ever happened? What was his initial reaction to seeing this long-forgotten footage? How did he crack the code of doing justice to the towering musical performances happening on stage and conveying the broader social and political movements happening off it? What inspired him to start the film with Stevie Wonder on drums? And, what about David Ruffin’s sartorial choices? Tune in to this episode of Top Docs for answers to these questions and a whole lot more. Questlove in conversation is its own sublime music set. Headphones not included.
Betsy West and Julie Cohen (“RBG”, “My Name is Pauli Murray”) return to “Top Docs” to discuss their Oscar shortlisted “Julia”, about the legendary culinary educator, Julia Child. After sharing their favorite Julia Child recipes, Betsy and Julie dive into how they used new visual tools to recreate Julia’s cooking techniques–ones that weren’t available when Julia was at her peak. They discuss her romance with her supportive husband Paul, and how Julia changed not only Public Television, but presented a new model for women in the media. They explain how she inspired superstar chefs like José Andrés and Marcus Samuelsson, and how she could turn a mistake into a success. We explore Julia’s complicated relationship to Women’s and LGBTQ Rights. Finally, they tell us why they used Julia’s Beef Bourguignon to provide structure to their documentary. Join us to learn more about this impressive woman who shaped what we watch and how we eat.
A legendary rock ‘n’ roll photographer. An amazing abstract artist. Can they team up to create something completely new and original? In this touching and inspiring dual portrait, filmmaker Alexandria Jackson focuses her lens on the unlikely friendship and collaboration between photographer Baron Wolman and artist Sophie Kipner. In their Top Docs conversation, Alexandria shared with Ken the story behind this serendipitous partnership and how she managed to capture the magic of two artists just saying, “yes”. Produced by Courteney Cox and Academy Award-winner Joanna Natasegara (“The White Helmets”), “Sophie & the Baron” is one of 15 shorts named to the Oscar Shortlist. A Disney+ Original Documentary, the film can be streamed on Disney+.
In this poetical portrait that transcends the standard documentary treatment of war and refugees, filmmakers Gulistan and Elizabeth Mirzaei explore the dreams, frustrations and love experienced by Shaista and Benazir, a young Afghan couple living in a Kabul displacement camp. Ken sat down with Gulistan, Elizabeth, and producer Omar Mullick (“These Birds Walk”) to discuss their creative approach and learn more about the interior and exterior lives of these two remarkable people. Premiering on Netflix on January 24th, “Three Songs for Benazir” is one of 15 shorts named to the Oscar Shortlist.
With 99.4 million Instagram followers and counting, Billie Eilish, who just turned 20 years old, is already one of the most popular and critically acclaimed artists of our time. Throughout the world, her music inspires young people who flock to her concerts and know all the lyrics by heart. Renowned filmmaker R.J. Cutler’s definitive new Apple TV+ documentary “Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry” is an instant classic, earning its place on this year’s Oscar Shortlist.
Joining Mike and Ken from his L.A. home base, R.J. talked about the challenges and joys of creating an intimate documentary portrait of one of pop music’s hottest stars and her family. Why is it so important for R.J. to have final cut on his films, not just for his own sake, but for the benefit of his subjects as well? What was the powerful moment during Billie’s breakthrough Coachella performance that still gets to RJ? By focusing not just on Billie, but also on brother/songwriting partner Finneas and parents, Maggie and Patrick, how did this film end up being, as much as anything, about parenting? And for you fans of “The Office”, how did John Krasinksi indirectly inspire one of the film’s most beautiful moments? (And, yes, Justin Bieber fans, we’ve got you covered, too!) Our Top Docs guarantee: the world may be a little blurry, but this podcast episode is crystal clear.
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Hidden Gem: Dream Deceivers
Right now, “Khabar Lahariya” might not be as well-known as “The New York Times”, but, with 150 million YouTube views and growing, India’s only women-led news outlet has already established itself as an indispensable local watchdog and source of reporting in the country’s most populated state. Winner of the Audience Award at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, “Writing With Fire”, directed by first-time feature filmmakers Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh, is a fascinating and inspiring profile of Khabar Lahariya’s fearless women journalists as the media outlet makes the crucial transition from print to digital.
Talking to Mike and Ken from their home in Delhi, Rintu and Sushmit delved into the making of their film and offered a fascinating, big picture look at the political forces and changing media landscape that are rapidly transforming Indian society. As members of India’s Dalit (“untouchables”) caste, how have the women journalists of Khabar Lahariya overcome seemingly insurmountable odds to do their work under the most difficult, and often threatening, circumstances? What objections do they hear, even in their own homes, from husbands and parents who wish they would give up their work and restrict themselves to their traditional domestic roles? How has the rise of Prime Minister Modi tested the very fabric of India’s democracy? And how is this film the filmmakers’ own personal response to the changing times in their country? Recently named to the Oscar shortlist for Best Documentary Feature, “Writing With Fire” premieres on PBS’ Independent Lens on March 28th.
Follow “Writing with Fire” on instagram and FaceBook writingwithfire.film. Also music box films.
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Hidden Gems:
Supermen of Malegoan
A Woman Captured
The 2022 Sundance Film Festival is almost here! From Jan. 20– 30, all eyes will be on the Sundance lineup and on what are sure to be some of the year’s most heralded documentaries. Top Docs caught up with Basil Tsiokos, Sundance Senior Programmer, Nonfiction, to preview this year’s doc features and to give us an inside look into how the programming process works.
Basil Tsiokos is Senior Programmer, Nonfiction, Sundance Film Festival. He was most recently with DOC NYC for nearly a decade, as well as with the Nantucket Film Festival as its Film Program Director. Basil was the longtime Artistic and Executive Director of NewFest: The NY LGBT Film Festival and serves on the feature nominating committees for the International Documentary Association Awards and Cinema Eye Honors. Since 2010, he has written daily about documentaries on what (not) to doc.
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Two schools, two neighborhoods, two vastly different worlds… one football program. When it became clear that Messmer High School and Shorewood High in Milwaukee would not have enough players to field their own teams, the two schools came together to form the Messwood football team. But playing together does not mean that the team’s young athletes aren’t immune from the systemic problems plaguing one of America’s most racially divided cities. Filmmakers Brad Lichtenstein (“When Claude Got Shot”, “As Goes Janesville”) and Emily Kuester (making her feature documentary debut) go deep inside the Messwood football program to craft an intimate portrait of the team’s players, parents, and coaches and explore broader themes of racial inequity, trauma, friendship, and love.
Ken sat down with Emily and Brad to discuss how the two Milwaukee-based filmmakers won the trust of Messwood’s dynamic Coach Davis and developed close ties to the players and their families. What was their response to Coach Davis’ position that race is a non-issue when it comes to his football team? How did Emily’s bond with one of the film’s main characters help this young man push through a difficult moment and yield one of the film’s most powerful moments? What was it like for Brad, a parent himself of Shorewood High students, to see things from a different perspective? In the fine tradition of “Hoop Dreams” and other classic sports films, “Messwood” opens a window into a wider world, one that extends well beyond the “Friday Night Lights”.
Hidden Gem: Gimme Shelter
Firouzeh Khosrovani’s “Radiograph of a Family” is among the rarest of documentaries. Like a perfectly composed classical symphony, the film’s form and content effortlessly complement each other. The result is a film that is both beautifully symmetrical and dynamically creative. Seamlessly moving between the personal and the political, Firouzeh employs the full range of storytelling tools--from re-enactments and staged dialogue, to family photographs and archival footage--to portray how the 1979 Iranian Revolution upended her parents’ marriage and caused a surprising role reversal in the fortunes of her mother and father.
Mike had the opportunity to talk in-depth with Firouzeh about her stunning film, winner of the top prize at the 2020 International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA). How did the Iranian Revolution disrupt the family dynamic and almost literally cut the family’s Tehran home in half? What was it like for Firouzeh to be caught between “two lifestyles, two ideologies and two realities”? Did her mother really marry a photograph? And, Firouzeh answers the biggest question of all: how can love endure when everything else seems to be coming apart?
Imagine being one of the two young songwriter/lyricists who are invited to an imposing Hollywood mansion to meet with movie legend Gloria Swanson. Greeting you in all her movie star glamour, Gloria pitches her idea for a Broadway musical based on her starring role in the brilliant movie “Sunset Boulevard”. Three months later, your musical BOULEVARD is ready for the big time. Unfortunately, that version of the musical never gets produced. But, in a delicious twist, the real-life story of the love triangle between Gloria and the two young songwriters (Dickson Hughes and Richard Stapley) ends up being a mirror image of the plot of “Sunset Boulevard”.
In Ken’s thoroughly entertaining Top Docs conversation with filmmaker Jeffrey Schwarz (“BOULEVARD! A Hollywood Story”), Jeffrey shares all the juicy details of unearthing the amazing story of these three unlikely collaborators. How much fun was it for Jeffrey to go on this creative journey about a movie classic he has seen “7,000 times”? Who were Dickson Hughes and Richard Shapley? How did their passionate but closeted relationship blossom into a professional partnership that led to Gloria’s door? In what ways was Richard’s acting career — and life — diminished by having to maintain a macho image that couldn’t account for who he really was? And will the “real” Gloria Swanson finally step forward out of the shadow of Norma Desmond? For all you “wonderful people out there in the dark,” we give you the Top Docs interview with Jeffrey Schwarz!
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Jeffrey @SchwarzJeffrey
Top Docs @topdocspod
Hidden Gem: Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey
Famous for its Beluga caviar and rich oil deposits, the Caspian Sea region is less well-known for the corruption that goes hand-in-hand with both of these highly desired commodities. Taking as his primary subject the post-Soviet regime of Azerbaijan and its strongman leader, Ilham Aliyev, journalist and filmmaker Benoît Bringer pulls back the curtain on the creative ways Aliyev uses to buy his country’s way into Europe’s club of democratic nations. Framed as a political thriller, “The Caviar Connection” makes the direct link between the Aliyev regime and officials in the stately Council of Europe, whose appetites for caviar — and good old-fashioned cash — make them prime targets for bribery.
Speaking to Ken from his Paris home, Benoît filled in the picture of this fascinating and under-the-radar story and explained how he was able to put all the complex puzzle pieces together in such a gripping, cinematic way. How do celebrities like Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Kanye West, Jennifer Lopez and Gérard Depardieu play a key role in legitimizing these regimes? (Hint: follow the money.) Why is it that the Council of Europe turned a blind eye to its own report on human rights violations in Azerbaijan? (Hint: follow the money.) Who is Khadija Ismayilova, and how did her reporting help expose the regime’s corruption and land her in jail? (Hint: she followed the money.) Listening to Benoît, you might be surprised to learn that the issues at stake extend far beyond the shores of the Caspian Sea, all the way to the heart of our very own democratic institutions. (Hint: follow the podcast!)
“The Caviar Connection” – Palm Springs International Film Festival Screenings:
Sat. Jan. 8, 11:15 AM, Regal Cinemas
Weds. Jan. 12, 8:00 PM, Camelot Theatres
Sun. Jan. 16, 3:30 PM, Regal Cinemas
Top Docs and the Palm Springs International Film Festival
Top Docs is thrilled to announce that we are partnering with the 33rd Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (January 6 – 17, 2022) as a media sponsor, with the goal of spotlighting documentary filmmakers whose work is screening at the upcoming Festival. In the coming weeks, please look out for our interviews with filmmakers featured in this year’s lineup, including Daniel Raim (“Fiddler’s Journey to the Big Screen”), Vivian Kleiman (“No Straight Lines: The Rise of Queer Comics”), Benoît Bringer (“The Caviar Connection”), Lisa Hurwitz (“The Automat”) … and more!
Check out the complete Festival lineup and information about pass and ticket sales at: https://www.psfilmfest.org/film-festival-2022
Hidden Gem: The First Wave
Alison Bechdel. Jennifer Camper. Howard Cruse. Rupert Kinnard. Mary Wings. From the 1970s to the 2000s and beyond, these five brilliant queer cartoonists broke the mold, paved the way, and told the truth one panel at a time. Each contributed to creating the world of queer comics and helped forge a vital community of LGBTQ artists that continues to thrive today. Effortlessly weaving together portraits of these five seminal cartoonists and filling in the essential historical backstory, documentary filmmaker Vivian Kleiman (“Color Adjustment”) uses a camera instead of a rapidograph pen, but the result is just as delightful and visually delicious as the work of the artists she profiles.
Mike and Ken had a blast talking to Vivian and discovering how her iterative creative process took the “no straight lines” ethos to heart. Why did Vivian insist that the film not be solely focused on Alison Bechdel even though this could have greased the funding wheels? Why was it so important to Vivian to reach an intergenerational audience, and how did this lead to a mid-course adjustment and a daring experiment? How did the filmmakers manage to capture the essence of these great artists at work? And what is it about spreadsheets that gets Vivian and Mike so excited? No need to fire up Excel, just download our latest Top Docs episode and discover the dazzling world of “No Straight Lines”.
“No Straight Lines: The Rise of Queer Comics” – Palm Springs International Film Festival Screenings:
Sun. Jan. 9, 8:30 PM, Regal Cinemas
Mon. Jan. 10, 9:00 AM, Mary Pickford is D’Place
Sun. Jan 16, 2:00 PM, Palm Canyon Theatre
Top Docs and the Palm Springs International Film Festival
Top Docs is thrilled to announce that we are partnering with the 33rd Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (January 6 – 17, 2022) as a media sponsor, with the goal of spotlighting documentary filmmakers whose work is screening at the upcoming Festival. In the coming weeks, please look out for our interviews with filmmakers featured in this year’s lineup, including Vivian Kleiman (“No Straight Lines: The Rise of Queer Comics”), Daniel Raim (“Fiddler’s Journey to the Big Screen”), Lisa Hurwitz (“The Automat”) … and more!
Check out the complete Festival lineup and information about pass and ticket sales at: https://www.psfilmfest.org/film-festival-2022
Hidden Gem: No Crying at My Table
Also Discussed in the Pod:
Tongues Untied
Fun Home
Stuck Rubber Baby
Welcome to the Top Docs Holiday Special! IndieWire Editor-at-Large Anne Thompson joins Mike and Ken to break down the Best Feature Documentary Oscar shortlist released this week. Anne shares her insights about the 15 documentaries that made the cut and the ones that didn’t. What are the biggest surprises? Which films have the best chance to make it to the list of the five final nominees? And, drumroll, please… who does Anne predict to win it all? You’ll have to tune in to find out!
IndieWire Editor-at-Large Anne Thompson has been a contributor to the New York Times, Washington Post, The Observer, and Wired. She has served as film columnist at Variety, and deputy editor of Variety.com, where her daily blog, Thompson on Hollywood, launched in March 2007.
Follow on twitter:
Anne @akstanwyck
Us @topdocspod
When “Fiddler on the Roof” opened on Broadway in 1964, many thought that this Yiddish-inspired portrait of Jewish shtetl life in Tsarist Russia would be a huge flop. But audiences flocked to the musical, and its songbook soon entered the popular lexicon. Hollywood set its sights on a film version and United Artists signed the well-respected, but hardly household name, Norman Jewison to direct. The fascinating behind-the-scenes story of what happened next is the subject of Oscar-nominated director Daniel Raim’s (“The Man on Lincoln’s Nose”) delightful new documentary “Fiddler’s Journey to the Big Screen”, which has its world premiere at the upcoming Palm Springs International Film Festival (Jan 6 – 17, 2022).
Mike and Ken’s conversation with Daniel Raim marks the first in a series of interviews they will be having with documentary directors as part of a special Top Docs partnership with the 33rd annual Palm Springs International Film Festival. A formative musical and movie-going experience for both of them, Mike and Ken were very excited to chat with Daniel about Fiddler. What was the shocker that Jewison told the studio head that might have cost him this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity? How did the filmmakers try to be authentic to the Jewish lived experience and also appeal to a general audience? And casting Topol or Zero Mostel as Tevye? How did Jewison make the call? Find out the answers to these questions and more, plus discover what three albums Mike’s parents had in the house when he was growing up. Please join us for this lively conversation. What better way to celebrate the 50th anniversary of this much beloved classic?
Follow on twitter:
Daniel @DanielRaim
The Palm Springs International Film Festival @PSfilmfest
Top Docs @topdocspod
“Fiddler’s Journey to the Big Screen” – Palm Springs International Film Festival Screenings Information:
Sat. Jan. 8, 7:00 PM, Annenberg Theater
Sun. Jan. 9, 9:45 AM, Regal Cinemas
Sun. Jan 16, 9:00 AM, Mary Pickford is D’Place
Top Docs and the Palm Springs International Film Festival
Top Docs is thrilled to announce that we are partnering with the 33rd Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (January 6 – 17, 2022) as a media sponsor, with the goal of spotlighting documentary filmmakers whose work is screening at the upcoming Festival. In the coming weeks, please look out for our interviews with filmmakers featured in this year’s lineup, including Vivian Kleiman (“No Straight Lines: The Rise of Queer Comics”), Daniel Raim (“Fiddler’s Journey to the Big Screen”), Lisa Hurwitz (“The Automat”) … and more!
Check out the complete Festival lineup and information about pass and ticket sales at: https://www.psfilmfest.org/film-festival-2022
Hidden Gem: ABC Africa
Influences mentioned in the pod:
Sholom Aleichem
Marc Chagall
Roman Vishniac
A presidential election held during a period of extreme political divisiveness. A constitutional democracy under threat by the incumbent president himself. The possibility of a stolen election. These conditions might bring to mind the U.S. in 2020. But Camilla Nielsson’s masterful new observational documentary “President” focuses its unblinking eye on Zimbabwe during the country’s pivotal and turbulent 2018 presidential campaign. Picking up where her widely acclaimed film “Democrats” left off, Nielsson embeds with presidential challenger Nelson Chamisa, a young, charismatic leader dedicated to challenging the corrupt ruling order. The result is a campaign film as riveting and revealing as any you have ever seen.
Speaking to Mike and Ken from her home in Copenhagen during a gloomy fall evening, Camilla shed light on the incredible political journey of Nelson Chamisa and on her own challenging creative process. How did she gain such amazing access to Chamisa and his campaign? How did a small documentary crew manage to outshine the international news media in its coverage? When Chamisa was forced into hiding, how did Camilla pivot and keep shooting? With democracies everywhere under fire, there are no easy answers. But thanks to “President”, we can see what courageous leadership looks like. Released by Greenwich Entertainment, “President” opens in theaters on December 17th.
President is now playing in New York and Los Angeles.
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Hidden Gem: The Store
In our second Anatomy of a Scene featurette, we delve into two key scenes from TRY HARDER! with director Debbie Lum. In this illuminating conversation, Debbie offers some fascinating back story to deepen our understanding of the complex dynamics that play out on screen.
The Scenes:
Scene 1: Winter Holiday at Le Soleil Restaurant - 42:37 – 45:06
Scene 2: Chinese New Year at R&G Restaurant - 51:28 – 53:37
The Setup:
In these two scenes from the second half of the film, Debbie Lum and her crew tag along with Alvan, a senior at San Francisco’s Lowell High School and one of the film’s main characters, during the most intense phase of the college admission process. In the first scene, which takes place at Le Soleil restaurant, Alvan’s mom, Capri, discusses how the college admissions process in the U.S. is vastly different from Capri’s native country of Taiwan. It’s a scene rife with code-switching: between an immigrant parent and her son, as well as between filmmakers and subject.
In the second scene, which occurs the next month on Chinese New Year, the holiday plays a key role in Alvan’s potential prospects for admission to Brown University. By offering the Brown interviewer a small gift, has his mother, accustomed to traditions of gift giving on such occasions, made a serious misstep that could hurt Alvan’s chances? Once again, Alvan is the master code switcher. But this time, he is more assertive in his interactions with his headstrong mother. How this family traverses the minefield of the high-stakes college admissions process sheds light on the hurdles and discrimination that Asian Americans must overcome if they hope to gain admission to America’s most elite colleges.
Listen also to our full-length interview with Debbie about “Try Harder!”
Sometimes you think you know the full story when it turns out you really don’t know the half of it. Oscar-winning filmmakers E. Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin’s (“Free Solo”, “Meru”) riveting new documentary “The Rescue” chronicles the heroic international effort in the summer of 2018 to save twelve boys and their soccer coach trapped deep inside a flooded cave in Northern Thailand.
At the time, the Thai cave rescue story was a world-wide media sensation. But very little was known about what actually went on inside the cave, how the rescue was carried out, and the complex interpersonal dynamics between the various key players. Equal parts suspense thriller and character study, the film also manages to be a thoughtful cultural exploration. In total, “The Rescue” is a tour-de-force of non-fiction filmmaking.
After drying their eyes, Mike and Ken were eager to talk to Chai and Jimmy about the immense challenges they faced in telling this miraculous story. How did they transition from documenting the high-risk pursuits of elite mountain climbers to portraying the equally treacherous and hidden world of cave diving? What did they make of the quirky cave divers themselves? How did one last ditch effort to get their hands on some crucial footage pay off? And, finally, what does ground up broccoli have to do with any of this? You’ll have to tune in to this “Top Docs'' episode to find out. “The Rescue” is available now for streaming on Disney+
Hidden Gem: Le Joli Mai
141 boxes. That’s a lot of stuff. But, if that “stuff” happens to be the Pauli Murray Papers at Harvard’s Schlesinger Library, then you may well have just struck documentary gold. Filmmakers Betsy West and Julie Cohen first learned of Murray when they were in the throes of research for their Oscar-nominated documentary “RBG” about Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Later, after immersing themselves in those archives (in addition to speaking to scholars and those who knew Murray), West and Cohen were amazed to learn how often this pathbreaking legal scholar and civil and women’s rights pioneer was years ahead of the times.
Recently, Ken and Mike had the opportunity to talk to Betsy and Julie about their deeply moving documentary portrait, “My Name is Pauli Murray” and the creative choices that guided them along the way. How did RBG provide the first clue that led them on this journey? How did they make the decision to consider Murray’s life as a queer, non-binary person, as well as include Murray’s key romantic partnership in the film, even though, during Murray’s own life, those subjects remained private? How was first lady Eleanor Roosevelt’s life changed by knowing Murray? And how did a cameo by Murray’s dog, Roy, in a grainy bit of black-and-white footage, practically steal the show? As Betsy says, “I’m amazed that Pauli isn’t in our history books.” Now, thanks to “My Name is Pauli Murray”, we can say that Murray has gone one step further: Pauli Murray is a star on Amazon Prime. Check out the film there and enjoy our interview.
Hidden Gems:
Theramin: An Electronic Odyssey
First Cousin Once Removed
For many 17- and 18-year-olds, life exists on the unsettling edge between the daily grind of high school and the promised land of freedom and opportunity: college. The brilliance of Debbie Lum’s enthralling new documentary “Try Harder!” is that it occupies the treacherous space in between these two worlds by focusing on the hyper competitive college application process. With an all-access pass to Lowell High School, San Francisco’s top-ranked public high school, “Try Harder!” profiles five endearing students (and their parents) who are struggling to make it through the process in one piece.
In this up-close-and-personal conversation, Mike and Ken discover that they went to the same college as Debbie (but during a much less competitive time). When Mike shares his recent experiences as a parent of a student who has just gone through all this, Debbie jokingly calls Mike a “wolf dad”, and the podcast is off-and-running… How did Debbie get access to Lowell and what got the students to open up to her and her crew? Why was it so important to Debbie to explore — and explode — the myth of Asian Americans as a model minority? (At Lowell, the majority of the student body is Asian American). And why did Debbie want the silly and fun side of adolescence to shine through just as much as the academics? Join us for this silly/fun/warm conversation about growing up. To be admitted, all you need to do is press “play”.
“Try Harder!” (Greenwich Entertainment) debuts in theaters December 3rd in New York, LA and the SF Bay Area and will have its broadcast premiere on PBS’ Independent Lens on May 2, 2022.
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Hidden Gem: AKA Don Bonus
Want to know more about how one of our award-winning directors crafts a complex scene? For our inaugural “Anatomy of a Scene'' special segment, we invited “Rebel Hearts” director Pedro Kos to peel back the curtain on his filmmaking process by dissecting a pivotal scene from his new movie. It’s a fascinating “deep dive” that we know you will enjoy!
The Scene: The 1967 Immaculate Heart General Assembly
The nuns of the Immaculate Heart are determined to bring a progressive vision and more flexible practices into the daily life and mission of the monastery. But, when the Archdiocese of Los Angeles views this as a direct threat to his power, the nuns are faced with a life-altering choice: back away from their ideals or continue to fight for what they believe. In this scene, Pedro draws upon all the tools in his creative toolbox to bring this critical event to life and deliver a powerful emotional punch to the audience.
Note: We recommend that, if possible, you follow along with us. The scene takes place from 57:44 – 1:01:47, timed from the beginning of the movie. Rebel Hearts is available on Discovery+ .
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Almost daily, the news media report on a new refugee crisis or a tragic border crossing attempted by those fleeing desperate circumstances in their home countries for the promise of a better life elsewhere. Danish filmmaker Jonas Poher Rasmussen takes the measure of one such story in his remarkable new documentary “Flee”, which gives a blow-by-blow, first-hand account of a young Afghan refugee named Amin who faces a perilous journey before finally making it safely to Denmark.
Jonas and Amin became friends in high school, but it was not until years later that Jonas had even the slightest idea of all that had happened to Amin and his family. Why did Amin finally decide to tell his story? How did Jonas respect Amin’s desire to stay anonymous, while at the same time portraying his story not only accurately and completely, but also visually? How did a filmmaker who started out with an idea for a short film, eventually take on an incredibly ambitious, multi-layered animated feature? Recently, Mike and Ken had the opportunity to ask Jonas about his special relationship with Amin and delve into Jonas’ own creative odyssey. “Flee” captured the 2021 Sundance Grand Jury Prize and is now being heralded as a serious contender for this year’s Oscar for Best Documentary Feature.
NEON releases the film in theaters starting on December 3rd.
Hidden Gem: Trollkarlen
Miscarriage of justice doesn’t begin to describe the wrongs that have been done to the six men at the heart of Robert Greene’s (“Bisbee ’17”, “Kate Plays Christine”) pathbreaking, searing, and, ultimately, immensely healing, new documentary “Procession”. As boys, Joe, Mike, Ed, Dan, Michael and Tom each suffered sexual abuse, including rape, at the hands of Catholic Church clergy. As men, their cases have been dismissed or ignored. Partnering with Greene, they have now taken matters into their own hands, co-creating staged scenes in order to reclaim the spaces where the abuse took place and to confront the trauma that has plagued them into adulthood.
Speaking to Mike and Ken from his home base in Columbia, Missouri, Robert describes how the practice of drama therapy inspired him to push his filmmaking in a bold new direction. He goes deep into the unique collaborative process that forged a powerful bond between the men and the film crew. And, as one might expect with a film as powerful as this, the conversation turns personal, with Mike sharing his own experiences as an altar boy in Burlington, Vermont. No doubt, the reverberations of “Procession” will be felt far and wide, like the church bell that Ed rings midway through the film. After years of living with trauma, it’s finally his turn to be heard loud and clear. Now streaming on Netflix.
Follow Robert on twitter @prewarcinema
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Hidden Gems: The films of Peter Watkins.
The War Game
Edvar Munch
Academy Award-nominated director Matthew Heineman’s (“Cartel Land”, “City of Ghosts”) harrowing new cinema verité documentary, THE FIRST WAVE, takes us into the eye of the storm, a New York City intensive care unit during the worst four months of the COVID-19 crisis. Trailing a relentlessly driven medical team led by the remarkable Dr. Nathalie Dougé and spending countless hours with desperately sick patients and their families, Heineman and his crew are there to document this unfathomable terror inside the hospital, but, also, stories of hope, too, and even moments of pure joy.
What was it like to film during the early days of the pandemic when “safety protocols” were being created on the fly? How did the glint in the eye of an intubated patient provide a clue that an unforgettable relationship would develop between the patient and the medical staff? And in what ways did the events following George Floyd’s murder make the connection between the worlds inside and outside the hospital? Ultimately, as Heineman says, THE FIRST WAVE is a testament to the power of the human spirit.” Prepare to cry.
Now playing in select theaters across the country and https://films.nationalgeographic.com/the-first-wave.
Follow Matthew on twitter @MattHeineman
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Hidden Gems:
Sherman’s March
Murderball
Immaculately produced by Daniela Alatorre and Elena Fortes and stylishly directed by Alonso Ruizpalacios (“Museo”, “Gueros”, “Narcos: Mexico”), A COP MOVIE is a dazzling hybrid documentary brain teaser and gorgeous piece of cinematic eye candy. It’s also, well, a cop movie, with a blood pumping chase scene and a pair of captivating Mexico City police officers known as “the love patrol.” At its core, the movie illuminates the systemic police corruption that plagues the Mexican police force, eroding the public’s trust and making life untenable for even the “good cops.”
Mike and Ken spent a thoroughly engaging afternoon with Alonso, who, fresh off a screening at DOC NYC, set us straight about what was “real” and what was scripted, how he imbedded his actors in a police academy training program and shared a hilarious anecdote about Alfonso Cuaron’s baby dummy from “Roma”! This is the kind of documentary that even your Thanksgiving in-laws will appreciate. So, grab another slice of pie and cozy up with “A Cop Movie”. Available now on Netflix.
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Hidden Gems:
Waltz with Bashir
The Five Obstructions
The English Surgeon
F for Fake
Also mentioned:
The Conversations: Walter Murch and the Art of Editing Film
Midnight Family
“Faya dayi” is a hymnal chant recited by the Harari farmers of Ethiopia as they harvest khat, a native plant chewed for its stimulant properties. Roughly translated, faya dayi means “giving birth to wellness or health.” It is also the title of Ethiopian/Mexican filmmaker Jessica Beshir’s one-of-a-kind, profoundly moving new documentary set in the magical and troubled land where she grew up.
Deeply affected by the stunning beauty and originality of the film, Ken and Mike were extremely fortunate to be able to talk to Jessica at length about her tour-de-force documentary feature debut, which she shot, directed and produced over the course of a transformative ten-year personal journey. How did Jessica maintain her faith in the project for so many years and develop the sense of self-confidence that she could pull it off? What was her inspiration for embracing an aesthetic that privileges instinct and emotion over traditional narrative devices? How did she do justice to the stories of the young people who have been struggling for freedom under a series of repressive regimes? We invite you to listen in on our conversation with Jessica for her many insights into the film. We also encourage you to experience “Faya Dayi”, a Janus Films release, on the big screen. For those in NYC, catch it at the Maysles Documentary Center 11/19 – 12/3. Congratulations to Jessica on being nominated for three IDA Documentary Awards!
Follow Jessica Beshir on Twitter @jessybeshir
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Hidden Gem: The House is Black
While the international news media has mostly turned the page on the war in Syria, Academy Award-winning filmmaker Megan Mylan’s (“Smile Pinki”, “Lost Boys of Sudan”) new documentary “Simple as Water” shows how the shattering consequences of the war continue to reverberate through the lives of those who have been displaced, as well as those who have stayed behind. Presented in five unforgettable vignettes, the film spans the globe from Syria to Greece, Turkey, Germany, and the U.S.
How is it possible to capture the sprawling nature of this terrible international tragedy while keeping the focus on the mothers and fathers, daughters and sons, brothers and sisters who are struggling to grab onto a more hopeful future? In an intimate Top Docs conversation, Megan joins Mike to talk about the close ties she formed with these families and how her experience of becoming a mother changed the way she sees the world and informed her approach to the film. Mike relates how watching the film with his own children was an eye-opening experience. It’s a film that parents everywhere will want to share with their children. It’s as simple as that. The film will have a limited theatrical run and then debuts on HBO and HBO Max on November 16th.
Follow Megan on twitter @megamylan
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Hidden Gem: Sing Faster
To support Syrian refugees: Karam Foundation
Ask Google what Storm Lake, Iowa is famous for and you’ll learn that it’s the fourth largest glacier lake in the state and is considered the region’s best for walleye fishing. But this seemingly ordinary town of 11,000 in northwest Iowa is also the home of the Pulitzer Prize-winning biweekly The Storm Lake Times, edited by the incomparable Art Cullen. In Jerry Risius and Beth Levison’s beguiling documentary “Storm Lake,” we meet Art and the rest of the Cullen clan, who, together, are fighting the good fight for the continued survival of small, independent journalism in this country.
Beth joins Mike and Ken for a delightful conversation about her thoroughly enjoyable ride of a film. We ask about topics big and small, including the future of journalism, what it’s like when the presidential primary circus comes to town, how Andrew Bird came to lend his musical chops to the film, and even what really goes on above the Better Day Cafe (hint: son Tom Cullen lived there). The podcast is free, even if the paper costs a dollar (but well worth it). You won’t want to miss our conversation or the documentary, which premieres on PBS’ Independent Lens on November 15th.
Follow Beth on twitter @Beth_Levison
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Hidden Gems:
Advocate
Lydia Lunch: The War is Never Over
Charm Circle
Also mentioned: Art Cullen’s Book, Storm Lake.
With two dozen feature documentaries to his credit, filmmaker Stanley Nelson has, over the course of an astonishing four-decade career, created an unparalleled chronicle of the Black experience in America. Whether documenting the early Civil Rights Movement in “Freedom Riders” and “Freedom Summer” or the fight for self-determination in “The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution,” Stanley can always be counted on to provide a wide lens, a fresh perspective, and a deep understanding of the people and forces shaping some of the U.S.’ most defining moments. In his latest film, the riveting and haunting “Attica” (see it in theaters and on Showtime November 6th), Stanley and co-director Traci A. Curry, re-visit the story of the largest prison rebellion in the history of the U.S.
Join Ken in his wide ranging and deep dive conversation with Stanley. We learn how the creative team left no stone unturned to unearth every conceivable photograph, film clip and testimonial that might shed light on the unprecedented events of Attica. Ken asks Stanley about the challenges of bringing to life the culminating events of the prison rebellion’s fifth and final day. And Stanley weighs in on whether the rebellion’s tragic ending could have turned out any differently. Always thoughtful, and occasionally surprising, Stanley proves to be every bit as engaging and creatively inspired as each of those 24 films.
Follow Stanley on twitter @StanleyNelson1
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Hidden Gem: Through the Night
Continuing our Series on Emmy-nominated films. From “Derrida” to “Outrage” and culminating in the hugely impactful “The Invisible War” and “The Hunting Ground,” Amy Ziering and Kirby Dick have proven themselves to be the dynamic duo of documentary. Shining a light on sexual abuse and the subsequent conspiracy of silence and coverups inside some of America’s most powerful institutions, Kirby and Amy have left no stone unturned in their pursuit of justice and reform. In “Allen v. Farrow,” their multipart documentary for HBO Max (and their first foray into docuseries), Amy and Kirby re-examine the events and evidence surrounding Woody Allen’s alleged sexual abuse in 1992 of his adopted daughter Dylan and build a formidable case against Allen. The strength and poignancy of the series comes from the rigor of their investigation and from the film’s main storyteller, Dylan Farrow, whose voice has been silenced for far too long.
Mike and Ken, once — and now former — Woody Allen fans explore with Amy and Kirby the long journey of Allen v. Farrow, which began with interviews with survivors of incest and eventually led to the Connecticut country house of Mia Farrow and the traumatic events that took place there in August 1992. We delve into Amy and Kirby’s exhaustive research strategies and deconstruct how the pair approach the interviews that form the core of their emotional powerful filmmaking. We also learn about the surprising interviews that took place with critics following the film’s release. In addition to fascinating behind-the-scenes stories, this week’s podcast is also a window into a great creative relationship chock full of insights for anyone who has collaborated closely with a partner on a creative project. You won’t want to miss it!
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Hidden Gems:
The Emperor’s Naked Army Marches On
Heart of a Dog
Sans Soeil
Koyaanisqatsi
Sick: The Life and Death of Bob Flanagan, Supermasochist
“The Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.” Yes, nuns. A lot of nuns. A lot of LA nuns to be precise. Rebellious, brilliant, creative, socially committed, take-no-cr*p-from-anybody nuns. These are the Sisters who form the heart-and-soul of Pedro Kos’ joyful new documentary “Rebel Hearts,” a portrait of a trailblazing group of nuns in Los Angeles who took up the banner of the social and political activism of the 1960s and bravely stood up to the hierarchy of the Catholic Church. (Now screening on the Discovery + platform.) It’s a story of political power, a mostly forgotten civil rights struggle and a riveting human drama all rolled up in one.
Mike, a product of Catholic schools himself, gets things rolling with a conversation with his sister Kara, who shares her experience with Catholic education and has some fascinating insights into how the nuns she knew helped shape who she is today. Mike and Ken then delve into director Pedro Kos’ background to learn how his upbringing in Brazil was influenced by the Catholic Church. From there, it’s a deep dive into the story of the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and into the long, winding creative journey of the filmmakers. From animation to motion graphics to an exceptional musical score (and original songs by Sharon Van Etten and Rufus Wainwright), they used every tool in the toolkit to bring this important story to cinematic life.
If a film about a group of nuns doesn’t sound like your cup of tea, we challenge your preconceptions of what a compelling documentary subject can be. Have faith. After seeing this highly inspirational film and hearing all that Pedro has to say, you will thank us… and maybe a higher power, too… for the extraordinary gift that is “Rebel Hearts.”
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Hidden Gem: Land of Gold
“Disco sucks!” Be honest. Did you ever utter that phrase in a weak moment brought on by hard rock/punk music-induced peer pressure? Legendary filmmaker Frank Marshall, who has produced some of Hollywood’s biggest films, makes his documentary directing debut with “The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart,” a thoroughly satisfying corrective that finally gives just due to one of rock music’s greatest bands. Archival gems and transcendent performance footage are seamlessly interwoven with a deeply personal interview with Barry Gibb and refreshing insights from contemporary musicians and massive Bee Gees fans including Justin Timberlake, Noel Gallagher, and Chris Martin.
“Bee Gees” writer and producer Mark Monroe joins us on Top Docs to share many insights from the making of the film and to break down how he, as the writer on the film (and on many top docs, including Oscar® winners, “The Cove” and “Icarus”), helped develop the story’s creative arc. What’s Mark’s process for applying classic three-act structure to the documentary form in order to land a film’s emotional highs and lows? What went down on the recording of the “Saturday Night Fever” soundtrack and what really was behind the infamous “disco sucks” movement of the late ‘70s, anyway? Mark also shares his own story about how, at one point, peer pressure turned him away from the Bee Gees. How can you mend a broken heart? Dust off your old Bee Gees LPs (or 8-track or cassette player…) and tune in to this week’s Top Docs episode to find out. And that’s no jive talkin’!
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Hidden Gem: No End in Sight
Ken and Mike welcome Kirsten (KJ) Johnson, who recently won Best Director for her groundbreaking film, "Dick Johnson is Dead." This film is like no other film you’ll find in your Netflix queue. KJ’s boundary-pushing documentary uses the art of cinema to keep the ravages of time and the onset of dementia from taking her beloved father Dick away from her. The solution? Keep killing her father over-and-over again on camera, all with Dick’s active participation and encouragement.
Once you survive the film, you’ll definitely want to join Mike and Ken for this refreshingly candid conversation with KJ who constantly questions everything (including our questions!) and proves herself to be every bit as provocative, playful and engaging as the film itself. Covering everything from Seventh-day Adventism and the best way to stage your father’s funeral while he’s still alive to Vertov’s Man with a Movie Camera and, of course, chocolate cake, this week’s podcast is one you’ll be dying to listen to. And look out for that falling air conditioner!
You can follow us on twitter @topdocspod
Other films directed by Kirsten Johnson:
Cameraperson
Deadline
People who worked on the film:
Judy Karp
Michael Hilow
Nels Bangerter
Peter Horner
Nadia Hallgren
John Foster
Simon Mendes
Marilyn Ness
Hidden Gem: Marjoe
Also mentioned in the pod:
Ousmane Sembène
Djibril Diop Mambéty
Wellington Bowler
Young Frankenstein
Monty Python’s Flying Circus
Charles Addams
Lacan on social death
Derrida (the documentary)
Quantum Entanglement
The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill
Continuing their series on Emmy-nominated films, Mike and Ken delve into their first historical documentary for Top Docs in this deep dive conversation with Peabody Award-winning filmmaker Marco Williams (Banished, Two Towns of Jasper), one of the directors of the History Channel’s Emmy-nominated Tulsa Burning: The 1921 Race Massacre. (Co-directed with Stanley Nelson)
Tulsa Burning traces the under told story of the Greenwood District of Tulsa, Oklahoma, the thriving African-American community known as “Black Wall Street”, from its founding in the early 1900s through its near destruction during the tragic 1921 massacre by local whites that killed hundreds of African-Americans.
How did Marco Williams do justice to this horrific and yet all-too common story of white vengeance against Black people? How did he grapple with the crucial question of who gets to tell this story?
And, making the film during the height of George Floyd’s murder and local protests over police killings of Black Tulsans, what were the specific storytelling challenges of converging the past and the present? Join us for a candid conversation with Marco, who, after a remarkable 40-year filmmaking career, continues to approach his work with the ethos, “I’m still learning how to make films.”
You can find Marco @hiptruth
You can follow us on twitter @topdocspod
Other films by Marco Williams:
Banished
Two Towns of Jasper
Murders that Matter
Also discussed in the Pod:
Black Swan Records
Stanley Nelson’s Attica
Observational documentary as one of the 6 types of documentaries
Russell Westbrook’s Enterprises
Black Codes and Jim Crow Laws
Red Summer
The police killing of Terrence Crutcher
Greenwood Rising
Events of the Tulsa Disaster
Recommended: This New York Times 3D Model of what was lost in the 1921 massacre
Filmmaker Cullen Hoback (Q: Into the Storm) leads Mike and Ken on a fascinating — and frightening — trip down the QAnon rabbit hole as he attempts to unmask the identity of the conspiracy movement’s mysterious and mischievous leader, Q.
Focusing on 8chan, the internet site that Q calls home, Cullen locks in on founder Fredrick Brennan and former partners turned archrivals, Jim and Ron Watkins. Cullen’s mission goes from lark (or LARP, as the case may be) to full blown nightmare when Q’s followers descend on the Capitol and join in the Jan. 6th insurrection.
How did Cullen go from bootstrapping this series himself to pitching to Adam McKay (The Big Short) and landing the project at HBO? What’s it like to find neutral ground between your film’s main subjects who will stop at nothing to tear each other down? What do you do when one of your subjects calls in a panic from thousands of miles away and puts his life in your hands? Join us for all that and more, including an answer to the question, “What does the song White Rabbit have to do with all this, anyway?"
You can follow Cullen on twitter @cullenhoback
You can follow us @topdocspod
Other Films by Cullen:
Terms and Conditions May Apply
What Lies Upstream
Monster Camp
Hidden Gem: Strad Style
Also Mentioned:
King of Kong
American Movie
Q: Into the Storm
The Big Short
The Jinx
Robert Durst
LARPing
Edge Lord
Qanon Anonymous Podcast
Streisand effect
Dig!
Tiger King
In his chilling Netflix documentary The Social Dilemma, Sundance award-winning filmmaker Jeff Orlowski (Chasing Ice and Chasing Coral) sounds the alarm about the insidious effects of social media and its potentially devastating consequences for society. Using a range of documentary and fiction techniques, Jeff argues that tech’s attention extraction model is the “Frankenstein’s Monster” of our time.
How did Jeff crack the code of telling this story in a compelling way that would make visible social media companies’ use of A.I. to prey upon all of us? And what was it like to direct actor Vincent Kartheiser (Mad Men) playing three versions of himself? Things get personal when Mike confronts his own “dilemma” as someone who has used “growth hacking” in his work, and we ask Jeff, “What apps are still on your phone?”
Jeff’s activist site supporting the move: thesocialdilemma.com
You can follow us @topdocspod
Other Films by Jeff:
Chasing Ice
Chasing Coral
Hidden Gem: Baraka
Also Mentioned in the Pod:
Center for Humane Technology
The Big Short
Vincent Kartheiser and Mad Men
Citizen Kane
Sundance Film Festival
Yesterbox
Frankenstein
Sophocles' Antigone
Growth Hacking
Mirror Neurons
A/B Testing
Hippocratic Oath
Section 230
Woz and Jobs
Mike and Ken talk to Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss about their Emmy Award-nominated Boys State. They discuss Robert, Ben, Steven, and René, the four boys at the heart of the film, as they navigate their way, at a formative stage of life, through the Texas Boys State program. It's a film that shows winning, losing, and the lessons learned during a weeklong immersion in the cutthroat world of Boys State politics.
In this intimate and illuminating conversation, Amanda and Jesse reflect on their own filmmaking journey and the unpredictability and power of documentary storytelling. Be sure to stay tuned to the end to learn which of their films made the biggest impression on 17-year-old Texas boys!
You can follow us @topdocspod Other Films by Amanda & Jesse:
Speedo: A Demolition Derby Love Story
The Overnighters
The Bandit
Hidden Gems:
Acasa, My Home
Seventeen
Also discussed:
Performative masculinity
The Maysle Brothers (here interviewed by David Letterman)
