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Episodes
Monday Nov 27, 2023
Monday Nov 27, 2023
Like a black hole, North Korea is a place where light cannot escape. Fed nothing but government propaganda, North Koreans can only access the outside world by slipping across the border to China, the first stop on a harrowing journey that, if successful, eventually leads to South Korea. Against this bleak backdrop, filmmaker Madeleine Gavin’s gripping Sundance-winning documentary “Beyond Utopia” spotlights the stories of two North Korean families and their courageous struggles for freedom.
Joining Ken on the pod, Madeleine describes how human rights activist Pastor Seungeun Kim and a shrewd underground network attempt to shepherd North Koreans to safety. Featuring rarely seen footage shot inside North Korea, a moment-by-moment escape across multiple countries, and a mother’s desperate attempt to free her son, “Beyond Utopia” showcases the fear and determination of those on the verge of escape and the tragedy of those left behind.
Hidden Gem:
“Collective”
“Beyond Utopia” is released by Roadside Attractions.
Follow:
@BeyondUtopiaDoc on Instagram and twitter
@topdocspod on Instagram and twitter
The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix.
Sunday Dec 03, 2023
Sunday Dec 03, 2023
In 1990, at the age of 26, in the wake of a heart attack which, in the words of one expert, “liquified” the core of her brain, Terri Schiavo entered a “persistent vegetative state”. As “Between Life and Death: Terri Schiavo’s Story” shows, over the next 15 years her husband Michael and her immediate family would fight over her fate: in the press, in the courts, in legislatures, and ultimately in the office of the President of the United States.
Mike spoke with Executive Producers Amanda Spain and Alex Waterfield about how Terri’s situation raises questions medical, moral, political, legal, and even philosophical. And they explain how her life became highly politicized, a focal point for the anti-abortion movement and even a broader Christian Nationalist agenda. But throughout it all, they tell Mike, in their film they tried to maintain a focus on Terri and her family.
“Between Life and Death: Terri Schiavo’s Story” premiers on MSNBC Sunday, December 3rd at 10pm ET and then streaming on Peacock.
The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix.
Tuesday Dec 05, 2023
Tuesday Dec 05, 2023
Both were born in 1945 in Germany during the last year of WWII. Both became giants of the modern German art movement: Anselm Kiefer as a painter and sculptor; Wim Wenders as a filmmaker whose landmark films include “Wings of Desire”, “Paris, Texas” and “The American Friend”. The two had met in 1991 and discussed the possibility of doing a film together, but it wasn’t until the two collaborated on Wenders’ new 3-D documentary “Anselm” that the stars were finally aligned.
Joining Ken on the pod, Wenders paints a picture of this monumental artist whose vast studio spaces are as much works of art as the paintings and sculptures that are housed there. For Wenders, what makes working in 3-D such a crucial element in immersing the audience in these dynamic environments? How has Wenders incorporated elements of fiction into his documentaries and vice versa? And why is it so important to him to create a portrait of the art rather than of the artist? It may have taken over 75 years for these two legendary artists to work together, but the payoff was well worth waiting for.
Hidden Gem:
“Reality Winner”
“Anselm” is released by Sideshow and Janus Films and opens in LA in 3-D at the Laemmle Glendale on December 15.
Follow:
@wimwendersfoundation on Instagram and @wimwenders on twitter
@topdocspod on Instagram and twitter
The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix.
Thursday Dec 07, 2023
Thursday Dec 07, 2023
Building on the smoke sauna tradition of Southern Estonia (included by UNESCO on its “Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity”), filmmaker Anna Hints brings together a group of Estonian women to share the smoke sauna experience and to share some of their most personal stories. The result is Anna’s masterfully constructed and emotionally layered Sundance award-winning documentary “Smoke Sauna Sisterhood”.
Joining Ken on the pod, Anna discusses how she conceived of the smoke sauna in her film as a safe space and a source of mutual support for the women in her film. What was the process of finding a smoke sauna, casting the film and shooting it over multiple seasons? How did she work with her cinematographer Ants Tammik to build trust with the women and create a distinctive visual portrait? And what does Anna reveal about one of the scenes that caught Ken completely by surprise? Over the course of the film, the rising power of these stories is undeniable. There’s nothing “intangible” about that.
“Smoke Sauna Sisterhood” is released by Greenwich Entertainment.
Follow:
@annahints on Instagram
@topdocspod on Instagram and twitter
The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix.
Tuesday Dec 12, 2023
Tuesday Dec 12, 2023
One is a beloved bandleader and soon-to-be Grammy nominee; the other, a “New York Times” bestselling author. But, as Matthew Heineman’s (“Retrograde”, “The First Wave”, “Cartel Land”) intimate and heartfelt new documentary “American Symphony” makes clear, life is not always so glittering for high-profile couple Jon Batiste and Suleika Jaouad. Batiste must consider the possibility that his ambitious “American Symphony” may be beyond his creative capabilities just as Jaouad confronts a life-threatening health crisis.
Joining Mike and Ken on the pod, Matthew returns to “Top Docs” to discuss the multitude of creative and logistical challenges that he faced during the making of the film. How did Matthew win Batiste’s trust only to find that access was far from assured? In what way did silence become one of the most impactful moments in the entire film? And how did Batiste’s climactic performance at Carnegie Hall almost not make it on camera? Clearly, in the life of this unscripted drama, improvisation was just as critical for the director as for his subjects.
“American Symphony” is streaming on Netflix.
Follow:
@mheineman on Instagram and @MattHeineman on twitter
@topdocspod on Instagram and twitter
The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix.
Thursday Dec 14, 2023
Thursday Dec 14, 2023
Director Lisa Cortés’ (“The Remix: Hip Hop X Fashion”, “Invisible Beauty”) electrifying and groundbreaking documentary about Richard Penniman (aka “Little Richard”) proves the point that the stories passed down about the origins of rock and roll have been whitewashed. The so-called “Architect of rock and roll”, Little Richard was ripped off, copied, and otherwise taken for granted by a white music establishment all too eager to embrace the likes of Elvis Presley, The Beatles, and the Rolling Stones.
Joining Ken on the pod, Lisa describes how the film goes beyond biography to delve into the undertold story of the Black queer origins of rock and roll. Why was it that, at different periods, Richard could swerve so drastically from being outwardly, publicly queer to denying his sexual identity? What was Richard’s complex and changing relationship to preaching the gospel? And what was the one question that Lisa would have asked Richard had she been able to? “Little Richard” is so much more than a music doc; it’s everything you’ve been missing about one of the true geniuses of rock and roll.
“Little Richard: I Am Everything” is streaming on Max.
Hidden Gem:
“Richland”
Follow:
@misscortes on Instagram and twitter
@topdocspod on Instagram and twitter
The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix.
Monday Dec 18, 2023
Monday Dec 18, 2023
It’s Emmy time. Yes, finally, after a long delay, the Emmys are almost here. “The Hollywood Reporter”’s Executive Editor of Awards Scott Feinberg joins Mike and Ken to break down the 2023 Emmy nominees in all the major documentary categories, including Outstanding Documentary Program; Outstanding Series; Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking; and Outstanding Directing. Besides his Emmy predictions, Scott also weighs in on all the early documentary Oscar buzz. The 2023 Creative Arts Emmy Awards, including all the major doc categories, will be announced on January 6th.
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. Best known for his “Feinberg Forecast,” and for “Awards Chatter”, Scott’s work has been recognized with six National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Awards and five SoCal Journalism Awards from the Los Angeles Press Club.
The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix.
Tuesday Dec 26, 2023
Tuesday Dec 26, 2023
Welcome to the Anne-ual Top Docs Holiday Special featuring the one-and-only Anne Thompson, Editor-at-Large at IndieWire! Anne joins Mike and Ken to tackle this year’s Best Feature Documentary Oscar Shortlist, released on December 21st. One day following the release of the list, Anne is already fired up and ready to go. How competitive is this year’s race? Who are the Frontrunners, Runners Up and Dark Horses? Which film will win it all? Park yourself in front of a roaring fire and pop in those earbuds. It’s Oscar time!
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:
@akstanwyck on Instagram and twitter
@topdocspod on Instagram and twitter
The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix.
Thursday Dec 28, 2023
Thursday Dec 28, 2023
This holiday season, discover another side to “The Painter of Light”! In our final installment of "Live from Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival", Miranda Yousef joins Mike to discuss her feature documentary, “Art for Everybody”. From an early age, Thomas Kinkade struggled with the impact of his impoverished youth, torn between emulating van Gogh’s critical regard and seeking the economic success of a Norman Rockwell or Walt Disney. As Yousef explains, turning himself into a successful brand cost Kinkade dearly, and in the thousands of “unpublished” works that he left behind, we can sometimes glimpse revealing aspects of Kinkade as an artist as well as a living, breathing human with a multi-faceted personality.
While firmly grounded in her subject, Yousef’s film manages to go well beyond the life and oeuvre of this one individual to ask questions about the nature of art: Is it meant only to “talk to” other art, to problematize representation, or can it also properly provide joy and even comfort? And her film may ultimately be read as a plea that no matter what value we place on Kinkade's art, that we not hold disdain for those who appreciate it differently.
Follow:
@artforeverybody on Instagram
@topdocspod on Instagram and twitter
The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix.
Tuesday Jan 02, 2024
Tuesday Jan 02, 2024
The only movie to win an Academy Award for Best Picture with an X rating, “Midnight Cowboy” is one of those movies that once you see it, you never forget it. It broke taboos and made American movies relevant again; it both reflected the changing times and was revolutionary. And it had Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman in the indelible roles of Joe Buck and Ratso Rizzo. The late Nancy Buirski’s final film, “Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy”, masterfully captures the expanding universe of “Midnight Cowboy” and the creative powerhouses who turned James Leo Herlihy’s novel into legend.
Producers Simon Kilmurry and Susan Margolin join Ken on the pod to discuss “Midnight Cowboy” director John Schlesinger’s vision, his influences and constraints. In what ways did a gay novelist and gay director, and a blacklisted screenwriter, infuse the film with its outsider ethos? Is/is not “Midnight Cowboy” a queer film? And how does the documentary aesthetic invigorate the movie? Simon and Susan also reflect on the legendary career of Nancy Buirski, a creative force whose life and career impacted so many in the documentary field.
“Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy” is shortlisted for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film.
Hidden Gems:
Simon Kilmurry: “In the Shadow of Beirut”
Susan Margolin: “Lovin’ Stuff”
Follow:
@midnight_cowboy_doc on Instagram and @SKilmurry twitter
@topdocspod on Instagram and twitter
The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix.