Fog Of Truth

In this final episode of our 9th season, film critic Hannah Buchdahl (of chickflix.net) joins us to review the upcoming documentary on the many battles fought on our behalf by the American Civil Liberties Union in the age of Donald Trump, The Fight. Then, Bart and Chris interview Ramona Diaz about her (also upcoming) A Thousand Cuts, which profiles the challenges faced by journalist Maria Ressa, CEO of the Philippine news site Rappler, under the rule of strongman Rodrigo Duterte. Both films premiered at Sundance 2020, have also just played at AFI DOCS, and together form a bracing call to action to resist authoritarianism at all costs. Care about your freedoms? Then care about these films. We’ll be back in a month or so with the first of two bonus episodes to drop before the start of season 10. Until then, stay safe and healthy. Do not, however, stay out of trouble. Group Review Documentary: THE FIGHT (Eli B. Despres/Josh Kriegman/Elyse Steinberg, 2020) Available in theaters (if possible) and on demand from M

Money makes the world go round, does it not? Let the capital flow, so its profits may trickle down in a wellspring of bounty for all … except that the greater the flow, the faster it trickles up, away from the masses and into the hands of a rarefied, entitled elite that never seems to stop wanting more. In this week’s episode, Women Make Movies’ Executive Director Debra Zimmerman joins us for a discussion of the new Netflix series Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich, which follows the rapacious, billionaire pedophile’s life and career while giving voice to the women he abused. Then, Bart and Chris interview director Justin Pemberton about his recent Capital in the Twenty-First Century, a rousing, enraging examination of how the world is rapidly heading away from the equalizing tendencies of the 20th century’s middle period. Sad, but true. Now what are you going to do about it?          Group Review Documentary: JEFFREY EPSTEIN: FILTHY RICH (Lisa Bryant, 2020) (4-part Netflix series) Available now on Netflix. Film Fe

This week, we briefly step away from our problems at home (while never forgetting or minimizing them) to celebrate the culinary traditions of our neighbors to the south. Guest host Sandie Angulo Chen (of Common Sense Media) joins us as we review Elizabeth Carroll’s Diana Kennedy: Nothing Fancy, which profiles the titular nonagenarian, British-born specialist of Mexican cuisine. Then, Chris interviews director Nick Kovacic about his 2018 documentary Agave: The Spirit of a Nation, which brings the viewer on a journey to Jalisco, Oaxaca, and other locations in Mexico to explore agave’s place in the economy and culture. Eat and drink your fill! Group Review Documentary: DIANA KENNEDY: NOTHING FANCY (Elizabeth Carroll, 2019) Available now on VOD from Greenwich Entertainment. Film Featured in Interview Portion: AGAVE: THE SPIRIT OF A NATION (Nick Kovacic/Matthew Riggieri, 2018) Available on VOD on Amazon or on SVOD from Kanopy. Other Films/Series Mentioned: The Biggest Little Farm (John Chester, 2018) Brewmore Bal

Our nation is burning, and the fire has deep roots in our past. The police violence against communities and people of color is nothing new, emerging from the legacy of slavery that taints our history. In this week’s episode, with guest host Lisa Sanchelo (of the podcast I Love That Movie!), we review Becoming, the recent documentary about Michelle Obama and her eponymous memoir. Then, Bart and Chris interview director Dawn Porter about her upcoming film John Lewis: Good Trouble, coming out on July 3. Given Congressman Lewis’ participation in the Civil Rights marches of the 1960s, the film is especially appropriate to discuss at this time. So listen in and learn about two great movies to check now and in the near future. Group Review Documentary: BECOMING (Nadia Hallgren, 2020) Available now on Netflix. Film Featured in Interview Portion: JOHN LEWIS: GOOD TROUBLE (Dawn Porter, 2020) In theaters (where possible) and on demand July 3, 2020. CNN will broadcast in September. Other Films/Podcasts/Series Mentioned:

In this week’s episode, we discuss cults (or not) and the science of climate change, de-extinction, space exploration and more, all in a brief 50 minutes, as we review Spaceship Earth and interview directors David Alvarado and Jason Sussberg about their We Are As Gods. Joining us as guest host this time is film critic and fellow podcaster Jessica Baxter (whose “Paid in Puke” is worth a listen). Looking for some exciting times and ideas of how to save humanity? Tune in to our show! Group Review Documentary: SPACESHIP EARTH (Matt Wolf, 2020) Available now on VOD, on multiple platforms, courtesy of Neon. Film Featured in Interview Portion: WE ARE AS GODS (David Alvarado/Jason Sussberg, 2020) Film would have premiered at 2020 SXSW Film Festival. Distribution pending. Other Films/Series Mentioned/Referenced: Bill Nye: Science Guy (David Alvarado/Jason Sussberg, 2017) Dosed (Tyler Chandler, 2019) Fantastic Fungi (Louie Schwartzberg, 2019) Have a Good Trip: Adventures in Psychedelics (Donick Cary, 2020) The Immorta

Welcome back! We kick off Season 9 with two documentaries about famous film people, starting with a group review of the biopic Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind and then cutting to an interview with French director Gregory Monro about Kubrick by Kubrick, which would have premiered at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival, had it happened. Joining us as guest cohost is critic Danielle Solzman, of Solzy at the Movies. Get ready for a profound journey into the cinematic firmament! Group Review Documentary: NATALIE WOOD: WHAT REMAINS BEHIND (Laurent Bouzereau, 2020) Is available on HBO NOW, HBO GO and on demand. All clips from film courtesy of HBO. Film Featured in Interview Portion: KUBRICK BY KUBRICK (Gregory Monro, 2020) Film would have premiered at 2020 Tribeca Film Festival. Distribution pending. Other Films/Series Mentioned: The Art of Directing series (Allan Holzman, 2016-2019) The Art of Directing: Frank Capra (https://vimeo.com/186212170, Password = capra) The Art of Directing: John Huston (https://vimeo.com

In this bonus episode, Bart and Chris review the new nine-part Netflix documentary series The Innocence Files and then interview Sarah Dowland, director of the final episode. The series is divided into three sections – ““The Evidence,” “The Witness” and “The Prosecution” – each of which is comprised of three episodes, some of which are linked narratively, as well as thematically, and some of which stand alone. Dowland’s film tells the story of Kenneth Wyniemko, a Michigan man who served 9 years in jail for a crime he did not commit (a short sentence compared to most of the other subjects). A profile as much of the hard-working defense attorneys at The Innocence Project (and elsewhere) as of the poor folks unjustly imprisoned, the series is both an example of fine filmmaking and a call to action to reform the criminal-justice system. Listen in to hear what Dowland has to say about guilt, innocence and … The Innocence Files. Group Review and Interview Documentary: THE INNOCENCE FILES (Sarah Dowland/Liz Garbus/A

In this bonus episode, Bart and Chris chat with Melanie Addington, Executive Director, Oxford Film Festival (which was supposed to run March 18-22); Leslie Raymond, Executive Director, Ann Arbor Film Festival (running online March 24-29); and Lela Meadow-Conner, Executive Director, Film Festival Alliance. Together, we discuss the current state of film festivals in the age of COVID-19, and how the move to online screenings is mostly a net positive, at least for now, and how the future might see greater inclusion of online elements, even as we (hopefully) return to something resembling normalcy. The times may be fraught, but we push on, bringing art and films to all who want them! Festivals, Films and Organizations Mentioned: Ann Arbor Film Festival Art House Convergence Ashland Independent Film Festival Dallas VideoFest Film Festival Alliance Freeland (Mario Furloni/Kate McLean, 2020) Oxford Film Festival Spenser Confidential (Peter Berg, 2020) SXSW Thin Line Festival Link to review by Christopher Llewellyn

Documentarian and educator Elizabeth Coffman joins Bart and Chris to review Andrew Goldberg’s powerful examination of the resurgent scourge of antisemitism across the globe, the just released Viral: Antisemitism in Four Mutations. Bart then interviews Allen and Cynthia Mondell, directors of the 2008 documentary The Monster Among Us, which profiled antisemitism in Europe 10 years ago. Plus ça change … It may be a dispiriting topic, but we have a spirited conversation about the films and the issue, which should be of concern to everyone, everywhere. And so concludes our 8thseason. We’ll be back with a few bonus episodes over the next 6 to 8 weeks before we launch the next season. Until then, you can go back through our now significant catalog if you need your fix of the fog. As always, enjoy, and thanks for listening! Group Review Documentary: VIRAL: ANTISEMITISM IN FOUR MUTATIONS (Andrew Goldberg, 2020) Now playing in theaters Film Featured in Interview Portion: THE MONSTER AMONG US(Allen Mondell/Cynthia Sal

Joining Bart and Chris as guest host for a robust discussion of the three-part 2018 BBC documentary series They've Gotta Have Us, just recently released on Netflix, is film critic Roxana Hadadi. We discuss that program’s approach to the history of African American and Black British actors and directors in Hollywood. Then, Bart interviews director Jacqueline Olive about her film Always in Season, which explores America’s tortured legacy of lynching (we previously reviewed the documentary on episode 705). It’s a brutal subject, but one that cannot be ignored. Group Review Documentary: THEY’VE GOTTA HAVE US (Simon Frederick, 2018) Now playing on Netflix Film Featured in Interview Portion: ALWAYS IN SEASON (Jacqueline Olive, 2019) In theaters and film festivals now Other Films/Shows Mentioned/Referenced: The Alpinist (Peter Mortimer/Nick Rosen, 2020) Amistad (Steven Spielberg, 1997) Chavela (Catherine Gund/Daresha Kyi, 2017) Color Adjustment (Marlon Riggs, 1992) Daughters of the Dust (Julie Dash, 1991) The

How high above soar the stars, enchanting us with their blazing glory! Or perhaps we only project such power onto them, and they are merely ordinary beings, elevated by our own desires. In today’s episode, guest host Leslie Combemale (the Cinema Siren, herself) joins us as we review the new Taylor Swift biopic Miss Americana, which just premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and is now available on Netflix. In addition, Chris interviews director Martha Shane about her documentary Narrowsburg, a tragicomic tale of grifters bedazzling a small town with promises of Hollywood glory. Join us for a look at the pros and cons of fame and fortune.   Group Review Documentary: MISS AMERICANA (Lana Wilson, 2020) Now playing on Netflix Film Featured in Interview Portion: NARROWSBURG(Martha Shane, 2019) Now playing in festivals Other Films Mentioned: After Tiller (Martha Shane/Lana Wilson, 2013) American Factory (Steven Bognar/Julia Reichert, 2019) Analyze This (Harold Ramis, 1999) Beauty and the Beast (Gary Trous

Well, the 2020 Academy Awards may have come and gone, but that’s no reason to stop watching the nominated films, even the ones that did not win. In this week’s episode, returning guest host Patricia Aufderheide joins Bart and Chris to discuss all 5 of the Oscar-nominated short documentaries, after which Chris interviews co-directors Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts (along with al-Kateab’s husband, Hamza) about their collaboration on the (also Oscar-nominated) documentary feature For Sama. Group Review Short Documentaries: IN THE ABSENCE (Yi Seung-Jun, South Korea, 28 min.) Available in select theaters or at www.fieldofvision.org *LEARNING TO SKATEBOARD IN A WARZONE (IF YOU’RE A GIRL) (Carol Dysinger, UK, 39 min.) Available in select theaters or through shorts.tv/theoscarshorts/ *This year’s Oscar winner LIFE OVERTAKES ME (John Haptas and Kristine Samuelson, Sweden/USA, 39 min.) Available in select theaters or on Netflix LOUIS SUPERMAN (Smriti Mundhra and Sami Khan, USA, 28 min.) Available in select theaters

Democracy is under worldwide threat, from dictators, would-be dictators and those followers who seek power at the expense of liberty. In this week’s episode, we discuss two recent documentaries about this very trend. First, with guest host Mirella Martinelli – a Brazilian filmmaker living in Florida – we review Petra Costa’s Oscar-nominated The Edge of Democracy, which tells the disturbing tale of Brazil’s takeover by right-wing forces. After that, Bart and Chris interview prolific documentarian Alex Gibney on his latest movie, Citizen K, about formerly imprisoned, and now exiled, Russian oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky. These are scary times. Be afraid, be very afraid!* Group Review Documentary: THE EDGE OF DEMOCRACY (Petra Costa, 2019) Now playing on Netflix Film Featured in Interview Portion: CITIZEN K(Alex Gibney, 2019) Now playing in theaters Other Films Mentioned: American Look (Jam Handy Organization, 1958) The Armstrong Lie (Alex Gibney, 2013) Catching Hell (Alex Gibney, 2011) Citizen Kane (Orson We

Welcome to Season 8! In this episode, we invite back our old friend and cohost Summre Garber to talk about the documentary slate at the 2020 Slamdance Film Festival, where she is co-captain of the documentary-features program. We learn what she is up to now and hear about her favorites at this year’s fest. In addition, Bart and Chris interview the directors of two of those movies, Film About a Father Who (Lynne Sachs) and Jasper Mall (Bradford Thomason and Brett Whitcomb). Enjoy! Group Review Documentaries: BASTARDS' ROAD (Brian Morrison, 2020) BIG FUR (Dan Wayne, 2019) FILM ABOUT A FATHER WHO (Lynne Sachs, 2020) JASPER MALL (Bradford Thomason/Brett Whitcomb, 2020) LOVEMOBIL (Elke Margarete Lehrenkrauss, 2019) Films Featured in Interview Portions: FILM ABOUT A FATHER WHO (Lynne Sachs, 2020) JASPER MALL (Bradford Thomason/Brett Whitcomb, 2020) Other Films Mentioned: Almost Sunrise (Michael Collins, 2016) GLOW: The Story of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling (Brett Whitcomb/Bradford Thomason, 2012) The Worl

In this bonus episode, cohosts Bart Weiss and Chris Reed talk with Oscar-winning documentarian Morgan Neville (20 Feet from Stardom), discussing his career and thoughts on the art of filmmaking. In addition, we consider two different approaches to the same topic, comparing Neville’s 2018 nonfiction Won’t You Be My Neighbor? to Marielle Heller’s 2019 fictional A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, each of which take the late, great Fred Rogers as their subject. Listen in for a vibrant conversation on documentaries and more! Other Films (and One Show) Mentioned: Best of Enemies: Buckley vs. Vidal (Robert Gordon/Morgan Neville, 2015) Casablanca (Michael Curtiz, 1942) California's Goldwith Huell Howser( KCET, 1991 –) The Cool School (Morgan Neville, 2008) The Devil and Daniel Johnston (Jeff Feuerzeig, 2005) Grey Gardens (Ellen Hovde/Albert Maysles/David Maysles/Muffie Meyer, 1975) Grey Gardens (Michael Sucsy, 2009) Little Dieter Needs to Fly (Werner Herzog, 1997) The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk R

In this bonus episode, cohosts Bart and Chris revisit their favorite documentaries of 2019, and then invite, each in turn, all the podcast’s Season 7 guest hosts to chat about their favorites. Those guests, in order of appearance, are: Sedika Mojadidi, Betsy McLane, Anuradha Rana, Jennifer Proctor, Sonali Gulati and Patricia Aufderheide. Given how many films Chris and Bart always watch, they each listed ten films, while each guest host only listed five. Enjoy, and see you in 2020! Chris’s List (in alphabetical order): American Factory (Steven Bognar/Julia Reichert) Apollo 11 (Todd Douglas Miller) The Brink (Alison Klayman) Cold Case Hammarskjöld (Mads Brügger) Los Reyes (Iván Osnovikoff/Bettina Perut) Maiden (Alex Holmes) Mike Wallace Is Here (Avi Belkin) One Child Nation (Nanfu Wang/Lynn Zhang) Pahokee (Patrick Bresnan/Ivete Lucas) Tell Me Who I Am (Ed Perkins) Bart’s List (in alphabetical order): Amazing Grace (Alan Elliott/Sydney Pollack) American Factory (Steven Bognar/Julia Reichert) Apollo 11 (Todd

For our final episode of Season 7, we invite Patricia Aufderheide, of American University, back on the show (she was Bart’s interview subject, discussing her role in developing the modern rules of Fair Use, on our August 28 bonus episode). The theme this time is the role of journalism in today’s world (and how we got here), as we review the new documentary Mike Wallace Is Here and Chris interviews director Yung Chang of This Is Not a Movie, about the journalist Robert Fisk. It’s been an exciting season, with a different guest host for each episode. Stay tuned for more foggy truths ahead, first with a few more bonuses in the months ahead, and then with a new season early in 2020. Enjoy! Group Review Documentary: MIKE WALLACE IS HERE (Avi Belkin, 2019) Still in select theaters, and out on DVD as of October 29 Film Featured in Interview Portion: THIS IS NOT A MOVIE (Yung Chang, 2019) Currently playing in festivals Other Books, Films, Shows and Sites Mentioned: Cinéma Vérité: Defining the Moment (Peter Wintoni

As our seventh season enters its final third, Bart and Chris join guest host Sonali Gulati, a filmmaker and faculty member at Virginia Commonwealth University, for a review of Jacqueline Olive’s searing look back at America’s violent history of lynching, Always in Season. Then, Bart interviews Elizabeth Coffman, co-director of Flannery, a documentary about the late, great southern writer Flannery O’Connor, which was just awarded the inaugural Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film. Inspiring artists deserve inspiring discussions, and that’s what we bring to the podcast. Enjoy! Group Review Documentary: ALWAYS IN SEASON (Jacqueline Olive, 2019) In theaters and film festivals now Film Featured in Interview Portion: FLANNERY (Elizabeth Coffman/Mark Bosco, 2019) Currently playing in festivals Other Films and Sites Mentioned: Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché (Pamela B. Green, 2019) Diary of a Harlem Family (Gordon Parks, 1968) Equal Justice Initiative Gordon Parks exhibit at the Amo

This week, we welcome guest host Jennifer Proctor, filmmaker and Associate Professor of Journalism and Screen Studies at University of Michigan-Dearborn, for a robust discussion of the new documentary#FemalePleasure and its examination of female agency in the modern world. Following that group review, we play Chris’s interview with director Pia Hellenthal and writer Giorgia Malatrasi, co-creators of Searching Eva, a highly stylized portrait of feminist intellectual and sex worker Eva Collé. Join us as we follow women forging their own paths, patriarchy be damned. Group Review Documentary: #FEMALEPLEASURE (Barbara Miller, 2019) Begins releasing in U.S. theaters on October 18 Film Featured in Interview Portion: SEARCHING EVA (Pia Hellenthal, 2019) Currently playing in festivals Other Films and Sites Mentioned: Born into Brothels (Zana Briski/Ross Kauffman, 2005) CinemAbility (Jenni Gold, 2012) Detrás de la Realidad (SMU Meadows School of the Arts’ Ignite/Arts Dallas Initiative/The Community Action Network, a

Joining us this week is documentarian Anuradha Rana – Associate Professor, School of Cinematic Arts, DePaul University – as we discuss Alexandre O. Philippe’s Memory: The Origins of Alien and interview director Alyssa Bolsey and cinematographer Camilo Lara of Beyond the Bolex. Both films deal, albeit in very different ways, with behind-the-scenes looks at the art of filmmaking. From blood-curdling chest-bursting scenes to the perfect windup, rotating-lens-turret camera, we’ve got you covered. Group Review Documentary: MEMORY: THE ORIGINS OF ALIEN (Alexandre O. Philippe, 2019) Now playing in theaters and on demand Film Featured in Interview Portion: BEYOND THE BOLEX (Alyssa Bolsey, 2019) Currently playing in festivals Other Films and Sites Mentioned: Alien (Ridley Scott, 1979) American Dharma (Errol Morris, 2018) The Brink (Alison Klayman, 2019) Doc of the Dead (Alexandre O. Philippe, 2014) The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara (Errol Morris, 2003) Jodorowsky’s Dune (Frank