Top Docs: Award-Winning Documentary Filmmakers

”Writing with Fire” with Rintu Thomas & Sushmit Ghosh

Right now, “Khabar Lahariya” might not be as well-known as “The New York Times”, but, with 150 million YouTube views and growing, India’s only women-led news outlet has already established itself as an indispensable local watchdog and source of reporting in the country’s most populated state. Winner of the Audience Award at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, “Writing With Fire”, directed by first-time feature filmmakers Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh, is a fascinating and inspiring profile of Khabar Lahariya’s fearless women journalists as the media outlet makes the crucial transition from print to digital.
 
Talking to Mike and Ken from their home in Delhi, Rintu and Sushmit delved into the making of their film and offered a fascinating, big picture look at the political forces and changing media landscape that are rapidly transforming Indian society. As members of India’s Dalit (“untouchables”) caste, how have the women journalists of Khabar Lahariya overcome seemingly insurmountable odds to do their work under the most difficult, and often threatening, circumstances? What objections do they hear, even in their own homes, from husbands and parents who wish they would give up their work and restrict themselves to their traditional domestic roles? How has the rise of Prime Minister Modi tested the very fabric of India’s democracy? And how is this film the filmmakers’ own personal response to the changing times in their country? Recently named to the Oscar shortlist for Best Documentary Feature, “Writing With Fire” premieres on PBS’ Independent Lens on March 28th.
 
Follow “Writing with Fire” on instagram and FaceBook writingwithfire.film.  Also music box films.
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Hidden Gems:
Supermen of Malegoan
A Woman Captured

”Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry” with R.J. Cutler

With 99.4 million Instagram followers and counting, Billie Eilish, who just turned 20 years old, is already one of the most popular and critically acclaimed artists of our time. Throughout the world, her music inspires young people who flock to her concerts and know all the lyrics by heart. Renowned filmmaker R.J. Cutler’s definitive new Apple TV+ documentary “Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry” is an instant classic, earning its place on this year’s Oscar Shortlist.
 
Joining Mike and Ken from his L.A. home base, R.J. talked about the challenges and joys of creating an intimate documentary portrait of one of pop music’s hottest stars and her family. Why is it so important for R.J. to have final cut on his films, not just for his own sake, but for the benefit of his subjects as well? What was the powerful moment during Billie’s breakthrough Coachella performance that still gets to RJ? By focusing not just on Billie, but also on brother/songwriting partner Finneas and parents, Maggie and Patrick, how did this film end up being, as much as anything, about parenting? And for you fans of “The Office”, how did John Krasinksi indirectly inspire one of the film’s most beautiful moments? (And, yes, Justin Bieber fans, we’ve got you covered, too!) Our Top Docs guarantee: the world may be a little blurry, but this podcast episode is crystal clear.
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@rjcutler
@topdocspod
Hidden Gem:  Dream Deceivers

”Three Songs for Benazir” with Gulistan and Elizabeth Mirzaei & Omar Mullick

In this poetical portrait that transcends the standard documentary treatment of war and refugees, filmmakers Gulistan and Elizabeth Mirzaei explore the dreams, frustrations and love experienced by Shaista and Benazir, a young Afghan couple living in a Kabul displacement camp. Ken sat down with Gulistan, Elizabeth, and producer Omar Mullick (“These Birds Walk”) to discuss their creative approach and learn more about the interior and exterior lives of these two remarkable people. Premiering on Netflix on January 24th, “Three Songs for Benazir” is one of 15 shorts named to the Oscar Shortlist.

”Sophie & the Baron” with Alexandria Jackson

A legendary rock ‘n’ roll photographer. An amazing abstract artist. Can they team up to create something completely new and original? In this touching and inspiring dual portrait, filmmaker Alexandria Jackson focuses her lens on the unlikely friendship and collaboration between photographer Baron Wolman and artist Sophie Kipner. In their Top Docs conversation, Alexandria shared with Ken the story behind this serendipitous partnership and how she managed to capture the magic of two artists just saying, “yes”. Produced by Courteney Cox and Academy Award-winner Joanna Natasegara (“The White Helmets”), “Sophie & the Baron” is one of 15 shorts named to the Oscar Shortlist. A Disney+ Original Documentary, the film can be streamed on Disney+.

”Julia” with Betsy West and Julie Cohen

Betsy West and Julie Cohen (“RBG”, “My Name is Pauli Murray”) return to “Top Docs” to discuss their Oscar shortlisted “Julia”, about the legendary culinary educator, Julia Child.  After sharing their favorite Julia Child recipes, Betsy and Julie dive into how they used new visual tools to recreate Julia’s cooking techniques–ones that weren’t available when Julia was at her peak.  They discuss her romance with her supportive husband Paul, and how Julia changed not only Public Television, but presented a new model for women in the media.  They explain how she inspired superstar chefs like José Andrés and Marcus Samuelsson, and how she could turn a mistake into a success.  We explore Julia’s complicated relationship to Women’s and LGBTQ Rights.  Finally, they tell us why they used Julia’s Beef Bourguignon to provide structure to their documentary.  Join us to learn more about this impressive woman who shaped what we watch and how we eat.

”Summer of Soul” with Ahmir Questlove Thompson

Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson joins us to talk about his Oscar-shortlisted “Summer of Soul (…or, When the Revolution Could Not be Televised)”.  In the summer of 1969, a music festival took place in New York that attracted over 300,000 people. Featuring some of the most incredible artists of that — or any — era, it caught the cultural wave of the moment. No, it wasn’t Woodstock. And, until very recently, practically nobody knew it ever took place. Featuring stunning, previously unseen archival performance footage and incorporating an array of enthralling interviews, game-changing debut documentary “Summer of Soul” is a joyful celebration of the Harlem Cultural Festival and a long-delayed corrective to an egregious example of Black erasure. Winner of both the 2021 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award for Best U.S. Documentary. “Summer of Love” is Oscar shortlisted for Best Documentary Feature. Currently available for streaming on Hulu.
 
Fresh off the set of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon where he serves as Musical Director, Questlove joined Mike and Ken for a spellbinding conversation, showcasing his unique skills as a storyteller. How is it that even a musical aficionado of Questlove’s renown was skeptical that such a concert ever happened? What was his initial reaction to seeing this long-forgotten footage? How did he crack the code of doing justice to the towering musical performances happening on stage and conveying the broader social and political movements happening off it? What inspired him to start the film with Stevie Wonder on drums? And, what about David Ruffin’s sartorial choices? Tune in to this episode of Top Docs for answers to these questions and a whole lot more. Questlove in conversation is its own sublime music set. Headphones not included.

”Camp Confidential” with Mor Loushy

At the height of WWII, a group of young Jewish refugees is sent to a secret POW camp near Washington D.C. The refugees soon discover that the prisoners are none other than Hitler’s top scientists. In a bitter twist of fate, it is the refugees’ job to ensure that the German prisoners will aid their new country in the coming Cold War. Finally, after decades of being classified, this stranger-than-fiction story has now come to light in “Camp Confidential: America’s Secret Nazi’s”, a chilling new Netflix documentary by filmmakers Mor Loushy and Daniel Sivan (“The Devil Next Door”, “The Oslo Diaries”). Joining Ken from her home in Tel Aviv, Mor describes how she and Daniel learned about this fascinating and deeply troubling story, illuminates their creative process, and contemplates the myriad moral dilemmas raised by the film. “Camp Confidential: America’s Secret Nazis” is one of 15 shorts named to the Oscar Shortlist and can be streamed on Netflix.

”Audible” with Matt Ogens

Shortlisted for the Oscars, "Audible"–a short by Matt Ogens–explores the life of graduating high school football star Amaree McKenstry, a life not unlike that of any other teenager with teammates, family, friends, an on-and-off girlfriend, and the rigors of the gridiron.  But a life also marked by the unique culture that defines Maryland School for the Deaf.  Having–after years of winning–suffered a rare defeat, Amaree and his teammates must prepare for the big homecoming game while they face the challenges that will greet them when they leave what their coach calls “the bubble” of the school and face the hearing world.  “Audible” is now streaming on Netflix.

”Lead Me Home” with Pedro Kos and Jon Shenk

Focussing on the issue in San Francisco, LA, and Seattle, “Lead Me Home” manages to give a sense of the tremendous scope of homelessness on the West Coast of America, while still exploring the individual complexities of the lives of those who find themselves–often “step by step”--in this situation.  Directors Pedro Kos and Jon Shenk take an unflinching look at the challenges the unsheltered face, while allowing for the community, joy, and even love they discover as well.  When Coldplay’s “Midnight” kicks in half way through, you may be surprised, but you’ll soon see how Kos and Shenk demonstrate  what connects all of us who inhabit America’s great, yet troubled, cities.  Now streaming on Netflix.
 
Our previous shows with Pedro:
Rebel Hearts
Anatomy of a Scene from “Rebel Hearts”

”In the Same Breath” with Nanfu Wang

In her searing Oscar-shortlisted HBO Documentary “In the Same Breath”, award-winning filmmaker Nanfu Wang challenges both the Chinese and U.S. governments’ initial responses to the pandemic. As she did in her previous film, the devastating “One Child Nation”, Nanfu relentlessly questions government authority and gives voice to those who insist on telling the truth, even at the risk of heavy personal cost.
Ken sat down with Nanfu to talk about this incredibly powerful film, which combines reporting, internet sleuthing and compelling personal narratives to re-examine the critical early period of the pandemic. What if we could roll back the clock and have a “re-do” on the first days and weeks of the pandemic? What if the Chinese government hadn’t silenced those who called attention to the first Covid cases? How did incorrect information from some in the U.S. government do us harm? As someone who grew up in China and now calls the U.S. home, Nanfu has an insightful perspective on both countries. Not only does she insist on asking the hard questions, but manages to show us the possibilities for a better world. “In the Same Breath” is now streaming on HBO Max.
Hidden Gem:  Black Sun