Slate's Represent's Screening Politics: Recent Episodes
Radiotopia
Aisha Harris, host of the Slate podcast Represent, shares a few of her favorite episodes featuring smart, substantive conversations about Hollywood’s dealings with and interpretations of tricky political conversations.
Raoul Peck made one of the most relevant movies of our time, I Am Not Your Negro. I spoke with him about the prophetic nature of Baldwin and why he feels he must stay political in his art.
Host Karina Longworth is amazing at weaving Classic Hollywood history into compelling narratives, and the season focused on the infamous blacklist is one of her best. Start here at the beginning for the full immersive experience.
It seems so long ago now, but just last year, heated debates over Nate Parker and his response to the resurfacing of past rape allegations were everywhere. This roundtable discussion between Kathy Grigsby Bates, Gillian White, Goldie Taylor, and Michael Arceneaux was one of the best dissections of the controversy.
Heben Nigatu and Tracy Clayton are so fun and so real, with the ability to balance the very serious with the incredibly silly. This interview with Ava DuVernay is no different (even though Heben, sadly, is M.I.A), delving into the influential director’s projects and why Hollywood’s progress on inclusion remains so slow.
The perfect podcast for U.S. history nerds: Scholars take current events ripped from the headlines and analyze them through the lens of the past. This is a particularly great Oscars-themed episode from 2013, which includes a debate over Lincoln v. Django Unchained.
Conversations are always crackling and insightful on this longtime show, led by host Linda Holmes. If you’ve recently seen Hidden Figures and/or One Day a Time and are itching to hear more about how they hold up as art and modern representations of women of color, definitely check this episode out.