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Episodes
Thursday Dec 15, 2022
Thursday Dec 15, 2022
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.
Tuesday Dec 20, 2022
Tuesday Dec 20, 2022
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.
Thursday Dec 29, 2022
Thursday Dec 29, 2022
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.
Thursday Jan 05, 2023
Thursday Jan 05, 2023
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.
Follow:
@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.
Tuesday Jan 10, 2023
Tuesday Jan 10, 2023
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.
Friday Jan 13, 2023
Friday Jan 13, 2023
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.
Follow:
@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.
Tuesday Jan 17, 2023
Tuesday Jan 17, 2023
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.
Thursday Jan 26, 2023
Thursday Jan 26, 2023
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. "King Coal" was produced by Diane Becker, Shane Boris, and Peggy Drexler.
Follow:
@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.
Tuesday Jan 31, 2023
Tuesday Jan 31, 2023
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.
Follow:
@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.
Tuesday Feb 07, 2023
Tuesday Feb 07, 2023
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.