Fog Of Truth

For this second episode of our current season we try something new with a look back at an important film from the past, Barbara Kopple’s 1976 Harlan County U.S.A., which won the 1977 Best Documentary Oscar. Why this trip down docu-memory lane? Two reasons: 1) our guest host this week is actually a guest historian, Betsy McLane, who not only knows just about everything there is to know about documentary history, but also knows quite a lot about Kopple; and 2) the coal miners of Harlan County, Kentucky, are once again on strike, gaining national and international attention over the summer. Plus ça change … And while we’re on the topic of great films about unions, we thought we’d also play a recent interview Chris did with directors Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert of American Factory, just recently released on Netflix, which tells the story of what happens when a Chinese glass company takes over an abandoned GM plant. It starts out so well, but then, well … you’ll just have to listen to our podcast and then wa

We are back for a new season, and this time with a series of guest hosts – a new one each episode – to accompany Bart and Chris on their journey through documentary cinema. Our guest for this episode is filmmaker Sedika Mojadidi, whose Facing the DragonI mentioned on our April 17 bonus episode. We review Danish director Mads Brügger’s Cold Case Hammarskjöld, a wild romp of an investigative movie, just recently released in theaters, and interview director Stephen Maing about last year’s Crime + Punishment. Curious about the connection? Listen on … Finally, at the end, in “Doc Talk,” since Sedika has just taken up a teaching position at Savannah College of Art and Design, we discuss her planned strategies to train the next generation of documentarians. And all that in just over 50 minutes. Enjoy! Group Review Documentary: COLD CASE HAMMARSKJÖLD (Mads Brügger, 2019) Now in theaters and on demand Film Featured in Interview Portion: CRIME + PUNISHMENT (Stephen Maing, 2018) Now on Hulu Other Documentaries, Sites a

In this bonus episode, Bart interviews Patricia Aufderheide, of American University’s Center for Media & Social Impact, about how she first developed the guidelines for “fair use,” those rules whereby documentary filmmakers place footage from other sources in their films without fear of lawsuits. It’s one of the most important developments in the nonfiction filmmaking worldof the last 20 years, and Aufderheide made it happen. This is her story.   Films and Texts Mentioned: Best Practices in Fair Use manual (American University, School of Communication, Center for Social Media) Documentary Film: A Very Short Introduction, by Patricia Aufderheide (Oxford University Press, 2007) Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats & Rhymes / 2006 (Director: Byron Hurt) Rat Film / 2016 (Director: Theo Anthony)   Timestamps: 00:40 - Intro 06:58 - Interview with Patricia Aufderheide 30:40 - Closing   Website/Email: www.fogoftruth.com disinfo@fogoftruth.com   Credits: Artwork by Hilary Campbell Intro music by Jeremiah Moore Editing by

Release date – 7/24/19 Bonus Episode – “The Great Hack” This bonus episode features a review of the new Netflix documentary The Great Hack – which opens today on the site – and an interview with its directors, Karim Amer and Jehane Noujaim, from this year’s AFI DOCS film festival. The film discusses both the 2016 Brexit and 2016 U.S. presidential elections and how the public’s personal data was misused by the now-defunct political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica. It’s a visually exciting and dramatically gripping look at how social-media activity leads to the hacking of our brains. Sadly, this is also the first Fog of Truth episode done without our erstwhile colleague Summre Garber, who has left the podcast to pursue other opportunities. We miss her. Stay tuned for more information about the guest hosts that Chris Reed and Bart Weiss will invite onto the show for Season 7, which we plan to launch some time in September, after first recording one more bonus episode between now and then.   Group Review + In

There are no shortage of documentaries on various aspects of film history and we discuss a few of them plus we have a group review of BE NATURAL and Chris interviews Midge Costin of MAKING WAVES.   Group Review Documentary: BE NATURAL: THE UNTOLD STORY OF ALICE GUY BLACHE (2018) / USA (Director / Producer: Pamela B. Green) Now playing at select theatres nation-wide   Film Featured in Interview Portion: MAKING WAVES: THE ART OF CINEMATIC SOUND (2019) / USA (Director: Midge Costin / Producers: Bobette Buster, Midge Costin, & Karen Johnson) Now playing at select theatres nation-wide   Other Documentaries Mentioned: After Tiller / 2013 (Directors: Lana Wilson & Martha Shane) Cameraman / 2017 (Director: Jon Alpert) Cameraperson / 2016 (Director: Kirsten Johnson) Casting By / 2013 (Director: Tom Donahue) Celluloid Closet / 1996 (Directors: Rob Epstein & Jeffrey Friedman) Color Adjustment / 1992 (Director: Marlon Riggs) The Cutting Edge / 2004 (Director: Wendy Apple) Decade Under the Influence / 2003

This episode is dedicated to 2019 AFI DOCS featuring an interview with Festival Director Michael Lumpkin, group discussion of three features playing this year and an interview with Chris and Linda Goldstein Knowlton of WE ARE THE RADICAL MONARCHS.   Group Review of Three films at 2019 AFI Docs: Recorder: The Marion Stokes Project / 2019 (Director: Matt Wolf) Slay the Dragon / 2019 (Directors: Barak Goodman & Christopher Durrance) We Believe in Dinosaurs / 2019 (Directors: Clayton Brown & Monica Long Ross   Film Featured in Interview Portion: We are the Radical Monarchs / 2019 (Director: Linda Goldstein Knowlton)   Other Documentaries Mentioned: American Factory / 2019 (Directors: Julia Reichert & Steven Bognar) The Apollo / 2019 (Director: Roger Ross Williams) The Brainwashing of My Dad / 2016 (Director: Jen Senko) Dark Money / 2018 (Director: Kimberly Reed) Gay Chorus Deep South / 2019 (Director: David Charles Rodrigues) The Great Hack / 2019 (Director: Karim Amer, Jehane Noujaim) Maiden / 201

This week we look at documentaries about photography, polaroid film and ways of seeing as we review INSTANT DREAMS and Chris interviews Rodney Evans, the director of VISION PORTRAITS. Group Review Documentary: INSTANT DREAMS (2018) / USA (Director: Willem Baptist / Producer: Pieter van Huystee) Now playing in select theaters nationally and internationally. Film Featured in Interview Portion: VISION PORTRAITS (2019) / USA (Director: Rodney Evans / Producers: Rodney Evans, H. Robert Wunder) Opening in New York on August 9 (at the Metrograph) and in Los Angeles on August 23.  Other Documentaries Mentioned: At Sundance / 1995 (Directors: Michael Almereyda, Amy Hobby) The B-Side: Elsa Dorfman's Portrait Photography / 2017 (Director: Errol Morris) Born into Brothels / 2004 (Directors: Zana Briski, Ross Kauffman) Brother to Brother / 2004 (Director: Rodney Evans) Close to Home / 1998 (Direcor: Rodney Evans) Dolphin Lover / 2015 (Director: Kareem Tabsch) Don from Lakewood  / 1989 (Directors: Patrick Tierney, Eric

Politics is the theme this week as we discuss election and political documentaries, review KNOCK DOWN THE HOUSE, and Bart interviews David Modigliani of RUNNING WITH BETO.   Group Review Documentary: KNOCK DOWN THE HOUSE (2019) / USA (Director: Rachel Lears / Producers: Rachel Lears, Robin Blotnick, Sarah Olson) Now playing on Netflix   Film Featured in Interview Portion: RUNNING WITH BETO (2019) / USA (Director: David Modigliani / Producers: David Modigliani, Rebecca Feferman, Greg Kwedar, Rachel Ecklund, Nancy Schafer, Michelle Modigliani) Now playing on HBO   Other Films Mentioned: American Dharma / 2018 (Director: Errol Morris) American Factory / 2019 (Directors: Julia Reichert, Steven Bognar) The Brink / 2019 (Director: Alison Klayman) The Eternal Jew / 1940 (Director: Fritz Hippler) Fahrenheit 9/11 / 2004 (Director: Michael Moore) Fahrenheit 11/9 / 2018 (Director: Michael Moore) The Legend of Cocaine Island / 2018 (Director: Theo Love) Man with a Movie Camera / 1929 (Director: Dziga Vertov) Run Li

This week we look at documentaries about immigration (and specifically about migrant workers) as we review BISBEE ‘17 and have an interview with Chelsea Hernandez of BUILDING THE AMERICAN DREAM.   Group Review Documentary: BISBEE ‘17 (2018) / USA (Director: Robert Greene / Producers: Douglas Tirola, Bennett Elliott, Susan Bedusa) Now playing on iTunes   Film Featured in Interview Portion: BUILDING THE AMERICAN DREAM (2019) / USA (Director: Chelsea Hernandez / Producers: Chelsea Hernandez, Marisol Medrano) Now playing at select screenings nation wide   Other Films Mentioned: 306 Hollywood / 2018 (Directors: Elan Bogarin, Jonathan Bogarin) The Act of Killing / 2012 (Director: Joshua Oppenheimer) Actress / 2014 (Director: Robert Greene) Close to Home (short) / 2010 (Director: Theo Rigby) Dolores / 2018 (Director: Peter Bratt) Human Flow / 2017 (Director: Ai Weiwei) The Institute / 2013 (Director: Spencer McCall) Island Soldier / 2017 (Director: Nathan FItch) King of Kong / 2007 (Director: Seth Gordon) Le

Many documentaries use archival footage in different ways, sometimes the entire film is archival and other times it is interwoven with new footage, or altered or animated to create a completely new and different work. This week we chat a bit about all of these variations and review the recent archival masterpiece, THEY SHALL NOT GROW OLD and Chris interviews Todd Douglas Miller of APOLLO 11.   Group Review Documentary: THEY SHALL NOT GROW OLD (2018) / UK, New Zealand (Director: Peter Jackson / Producers: Peter Jackson, Clare Olssen) Now playing on Amazon, Vudu, YouTube & Google Play   Film Featured in Interview Portion: APOLLO 11 (2019) / USA (Director: Todd Douglas Miller / Producers: Todd Douglas Miller, Evan Krauss, Thomas Peterson) Now playing on Amazon, Vudu, YouTube & Google Play   Other Films Mentioned: Chicago 10 / 2007 (Director: Brett Morgen) Decasia / 2003 (Director: Bill Morrison) Dinosaur 13 / 2014 (Director: Todd Douglas Miller) Eyes on the Prize / 1987 (Creator: Henry Hampton) Gaha

This bonus episode features an interview with the great Stanley Nelson, a prolific director telling complex and socially relevant stories in an expert and entertaining way. The episode drops the day before Nelson’s latest film, Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool, plays at the Maryland Film Festival, in co-host Chris Reed’s hometown of Baltimore.   Stanley Nelson Films Discussed: Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool / 2019 The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution / 2015 The Black Press: Soldiers Without Swords / 1999 Boss: The Black Experience in Business / 2019 Freedom Riders / 2009 A Place of Our Own / 2004 Tell Them We Are Rising: The Story of Black Colleges and Universities / 2017 Two Dollars and a Dream / 1989 Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple / 2006   Other Films Mentioned: Listen to me Marlon / 2015 (Director: Stevan Riley) Always in Season / 2019 (Director: Jacqueline Olive) Words From a Bear / 2019 (Director: Jeffrey Palmer) The Infiltrators / 2019 (Director: Cristina Ibarra & Alex

In what is now a tradition for bonus episodes, we look at an online collective of short documentaries, this time with Field of Vision. Founded by Laura Poitras, AJ Schnak and Charlotte Cook, the site showcases insightful films from insider perspectives on various areas of the world, with a focus on political and social inequalities.   https://fieldofvision.org/   Field of Vision Films Covered: The Above / 2015 (Director: Kirsten Johnson) Adversary / 2018 (Director: Scott Cummings) Concussion Protocol / 2018 (Director: Josh Begley) Libre / 2019 (Director: Ana Barsan) Our New President / 2017 (Director: Maxim Pozdorovkin) Relatively Free / 2016 (Director: Alex Winter)   Other Films & Series Mentioned: Buffalo Juggalos / 2013 (Director: Scott Cummings) Facing the Dragon / 2019 (Director: Sedika Mojadidi) Menashe / 2017 (Director: Joshua Z Weinstein) World in Action (TV Series 1963 - 1998)   Timestamps: 00:46 - Intro discussion of Field of Vision 07:57 - Discussion of six Field of Vision short documentaries

For SXSW we discuss two of the films playing this year, RAISE HELL: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF MOLLY IVINS and PAHOKEE, and Bart & Chris interview the filmmakers from Austin Texas.   SXSW Films Covered: Raise Hell: The Life and Times of Molly Ivins / 2019 (Director:Janice Engel) Pahokee / 2019 (Directors: Patrick Bresnan & Ivete Lucas)   Other Documentaries and Film Festivals Mentioned: AFI DOCS DOC NYC Full Frame Documentary Film Festival Hot Docs Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival The Send-Off / 2016 (Directors: Patrick Bresnan & Ivete Lucas) True/False Film Festival   Hammer to Nail Links by Christopher Llewellyn Reed: Review of Pahokee Review of Raise Hell: The Life and Times of Molly Ivins   Timestamps: 00:45 - Intro discussion of film festivals and documentary film 09:38 - Review of Raise Hell 21:15 - Review of Pahokee 31:57 - Interview with Patrick Bresnan & Ivete Lucas of Pahokee 47:55 - Interview with Janice Engel of Raise Hell: The Life and Times of Molly Ivins   Website/Email: www

Portrayals of Southern culture in documentary is the topic this week as we look at HILLBILLY and Chris interviews Morrisa Maltz, the director of INGRID.   Group Review Documentary: HILLBILLY (2018) / USA (Directors / Producers: Ashley York, Sally Rubin) Now playing on YouTube, Google Play, Vudu & Amazon   Film Featured in Interview Portion: INGRID (2018) / USA (Director / Producer: Morrisa Maltz) Now playing on Amazon, YouTube & Google Play   Other Films & Podcasts Mentioned: The Allusionist (Podcast) The Innocent Man / 2018 (Director: J. Clay Tweel) Coal Miner’s Daughter / 1980 (Director: Michael Apted) Deliverance / 1972 (Director: John Boorman) Dirtbag: The Legend of Fred Beckey / 2017 (Director: Dave O’Leske) Dogs / 2018 (Creator: Glen Zipper) Harlan County, USA / 1977 (Director: Barbara Kopple) Look & See: A Portrait of Wendell Berry / 2016 (Director: Laura Dunn) S-Town (Podcast) Sherman’s March / 1985 (Director: Ross McElwee)   Timestamps: 00:45 - Intro discussion of docs about folk

Audience fascination with films about the ultra-wealthy in a time of great economic disparity is the topic this week as we discuss THE PRICE OF EVERYTHING and Chris interviews the director of GENERATION WEALTH.   Group Review Documentary: THE PRICE OF EVERYTHING (2018) / USA (Director: Nathaniel Kahn / Producers: Carla Solomon, Debi Wisch, Jennifer Stockman) The HBO documentary film THE PRICE OF EVERYTHING can be viewed on HBO GO/ NOW) Audio excerpts courtesy of HBO   Film Featured in Interview Portion: GENERATION WEALTH (2018) / USA (Director / Producer: Lauren Greenfield / Producers: Wallis Annenberg, Frank Evers) Now playing on Amazon, YouTube & Google Play   Other Documentaries Mentioned: The American Meme / 2018 (Director: Bert Marcus) The Art of the Steal / 2009 (Director: Don Argott) Attica / 1974 (Director: Cinda Firestone) Born Rich / 2003 (Director:Jamie Johnson) Dirty John (Podcast) / 2016 Fyre / 2019 (Director: Chris Smith) Fyre Fraud / 2019 (Director: Jenner Furst, Julia Willoughby Nason