Top Docs: Award-Winning Documentary Filmmakers

”Ascension” with Jessica Kingdon

Jessica Kingdon’s stunning feature documentary debut, the Oscar-shortlisted “Ascension”, is an enthralling, immersive journey into the heart and soul of today’s People’s Republic of China. With her unerring ability to capture small details and depict epic scale, Jessica gives us a privileged tour of the so-called “Chinese dream” at the center of China’s propulsive economy. Illuminating, awe-inspiring — and, at times, quite funny — “Ascension identifies singular moments of poetry in everyday life and elevates them to high art.
 
Joining Ken to talk about the film, Jessica describes how she gained inspiration from her great-grandfather’s poem that begins and ends the film. With seemingly endless possibilities to choose from, how did she identify and gain access to the wide range of locations that enliven the film? What was it like shooting at the sex doll factory depicted in the film (spoiler: it was even crazier in person)? And what were some of the scenes that didn’t make it into the film, such as the emotional graduation ceremony for the international butler academy? “Ascension” is not only a remarkable film but an apt description of Jessica’s fast rise to join the top tier of documentary filmmakers. Watch the film on Paramount+ and listen to the podcast to find out for yourself.  
 
Hidden Gems:
Acasa, My Home
China’s Van Goghs

”Ailey” with Jamila Wignot

Alvin Ailey is alive and well. That is the lasting impression one gets from “Ailey”, filmmaker Jamila Wignot’s vibrant and probing documentary portrait of one of the 20th Century’s greatest artists, the late dancer and choreographer Alvin Ailey. Ailey’s masterworks are still performed throughout the world. The dance company he founded more that 60 years ago, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, continues to thrive. But who was Alvin Ailey? What drove him? What tormented him? How did he loom so large for countless dancers but remain largely an enigma as a man? 
In Ken’s deep dive “Top Docs” conversation with Jamila, she discusses the many challenges involved in understanding and visually representing Ailey’s life and legacy. How did she avoid the tropes and traps of the standard documentary portrait? How did she use archival footage in such a way to create a constant sense of movement? What did Bill T. Jones, a dance legend in his own right, say once the camera was turned off? And what were the keys to creating a film that would put the audience in “(Ailey’s) body so that you would be experiencing his life as he experienced it”? Experience our conversation with Jamila on Top Docs now and stream “Ailey”, which is part of PBS’ American Masters series, for free until February 8th at PBS.org.
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Hidden Gem:  Harry Dean Stanton: Partly Fiction

”Bring Your Own Brigade” with Lucy Walker

Australia is burning. And so is Greece, China, South Africa, Brazil, Congo, and even Siberia. And, of course, California is burning, more so than ever. In her eye-opening documentary “Bring Your Own Brigade”, Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Lucy Walker (“The Crash Reel”, “Waste Land”) skillfully lays out the causes and consequences of the terrifying, apocalyptic fires that represent a global crisis burning out of control. Focusing on the twin monster fires that engulfed Northern and Southern California on November 8th, 2018, Lucy hits the road to interview a wide range of experts, first responders, fire victims and Native American tribal practitioners to learn about the history behind California’s ongoing and fraught relationship to fire.
 
On a recent, calm California night, Ken spoke with Lucy about her vow to “get to the bottom” of why these horrific fires keep happening. Why did she decide, for the first time, to put herself in her own movie? As her thorough inquiry unfolded, in what ways were Lucy’s assumptions about the relationship between climate change and fire challenged? And, as desperate as this situation is, why does she believe that something can be done to help prevent these catastrophes in the future? You’ll learn a lot from this episode of Top Docs and maybe even experience a spark of something called “hope”.
“Bring Your Own Brigade” can be streamed for free at CBSNews.com.
 
Hidden Gems:
Streetwise
The Farm

”We Need to Talk About Cosby” with W. Kamau Bell

We need to talk about W. Kamau Bell. The talented stand-up comic and popular CNN series host/Executive Producer (“United Shades of America”) has just made his initial foray into directing with the provocative and definitive 4-part Showtime docuseries, “We Need to Talk About Cosby”. When a cultural icon like Bill Cosby, who was once so beloved as to be referred to as “America’s Dad”, is later convicted of using his power and prestige to rape women, the need to reassess his role in society, and the space he occupies in our collective psyche, becomes imperative. But it isn’t until now, thanks to Kamau’s skillfully crafted, sensitive and brutally honest series, that this important conversation is finally beginning to take place.
 
In our own frank and personal Top Docs conversation with Kamau, he discusses what it meant for him to come to grips with the dark truths that have been a part of Cosby’s life for decades, but, which, until recently, were kept mostly hidden. What was it like for Kamau to approach dozens of people to participate in the documentary only to be met, time-and-again, with silence or rejection? Why was “The Cosby Show” such a powerful moment of identification for Black people in America and how did Kamau depict this in the documentary? How did Kamau and his creative team decide on a narrative approach to including the stories of the many survivors of Cosby’s abuse in such a way that portrays them as more than just victims? And, when making the film began to take a personal toll, who did Kamau turn to for support and encouragement? Join us for this vital conversation about Bill Cosby… and about us. Rest assured, there is plenty to talk about. “We Need to Talk About Cosby” can be seen now on the Showtime Network and Showtime Streaming.
 
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Some Documentaries that Inspired Kamau:
Surviving R. Kelly
O.J.:  Made in America

”The Automat” with Lisa Hurwitz

Nostalgia isn't all bad.  That’s one of the themes of our conversation with Lisa Hurwitz, director of “The Automat”, which charts the rise and fall of a uniquely American institution–though one with surprising roots in Northern Europe.  Despite what you might have seen in the pictures, The Automat was more than brass, nickels, and glass windows.  It was an inclusive, and for many, magical place, one from which luminaries such as Colin Powell, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Howard Schultz drew important personal and professional lessons.  Find out what advice Mel Brooks gave Lisa–and check out the film to hear him sing a song he composed about the Automat with a full orchestra!
"The Automat" will be shown at the Film Forum in NYC starting February 18th, as well as the Laemmle Royal, Laemmle Town Center, and Laemmle Playhouse in the LA area starting February 25th.
Screenings:  automatmovie.com
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Hidden Gem:  AKA Doc Pomus
 
Books Mentioned:
Trapped behind the Automat 
The Automat
 

”Best Documentary Oscar Nominees” with Clayton Davis

Now that the five Oscar nominees for Best Documentary Feature have been chosen, the final countdown to see who will win the coveted statuette is underway! Variety’s Film Awards Editor Clayton Davis, who’s been following the race closely for months, joins Top Docs to discuss each of the nominee’s’ chances, handicaps the race (as of the taping date!), and offers his own early prediction for a winner. He also addresses how the Academy’s Documentary Branch, which chooses the five nominees, differs from the general Academy voters, who control the fate of the nominees. And don’t forget the shorts! Clayton sounds off about how he'd like the Academy to step up when it comes to promoting the Oscar-nominated shorts.
 
Clayton Davis is Variety’s Film Awards Editor. He is also one of the hosts of the "Variety Awards Circuit Podcast" and the video web series, "The Take." He's been an awards, film and television analyst and critic for more than 15 years and has co-hosted the Oscars Pre-Show on ABC. Clayton is also co-founder and president of the Latino Entertainment Journalists Association and is a board and active member of the Critics Choice Association.
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Hidden Gem:  Who We Are

”When We Were Bullies” with Jay Rosenblatt

After a series of highly improbable coincidences, filmmaker Jay Rosenblatt (“The Smell of Burning Ants”) finds himself back in his old elementary schoolyard making a film about a bullying incident from 50 years ago. Building on Jay’s own hazy recollections and those of his former 5th grade classmates, “When We Were Bullies” brilliantly pieces together a highly personal story that masterfully evokes universal themes and excavates a shared emotional terrain.
 
Ken recently spoke with Jay on “Top Docs” to discuss how he landed upon just the right animation technique to tell the story, what it was like for him to meet up decades later with his former 5th grade teacher, and how Jay, unexpectedly, came to connect the bullying incident with a separate personal trauma that he had tried to keep hidden from his classmates. A thoroughly original and deeply touching film, “When We Were Bullies” is one of five documentary shorts nominated for this year’s Oscar for Best Documentary Short.
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”The Queen of Basketball” with Ben Proudfoot

It starts like a modern day fairy tale:  from the cotton fields of Mississippi, to three national collegiate championships, to scoring the first basket in Olympic history.  But despite all her plaudits, when all that had passed, Lusia Mae (Lucy) Harrison felt she could pursue the game no further.  In his Oscar-nominated short, “The Queen of Basketball,” director Ben Proudfoot (nominated just last year for “A Concerto is a Conversation”) puts Lucy front and center to tell her own story, while he skillfully illustrates it with both a compelling contemporary portrait as well as well-chosen archival footage.  It’s a story of pride–both for her career and her for her family of 4 outstanding children–but also one of athletic potential halted in its path.  
Join Mike as he and Ben explore the history behind both Lucy’s life and women’s basketball, as well as the choices Ben made in creating this engaging film. And then watch “The Queen of Basketball” on the New York Times site or on YouTube!
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Anatomy of a Scene from ”Attica”

In this powerful Anatomy of a Scene featurette, “Attica” director Stanley Nelson, recently awarded the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary, focuses on a climactic sequence near the end of the Oscar-nominated film. Stanley takes us inside the prison yard at Attica after authorities have re-taken control of the yard and proceed to systematically humiliate, torture, and exact revenge against the prisoners and their leaders. He discusses the thinking behind individual shot selection, the impact of having the composer write one continuous piece of music in different movements, when to use talking heads vs. voice over and the potentially controversial decision not to blur photos or only show prisoners from the waist up when they are paraded completely nude through the prison grounds.
Note: We recommend that, if possible, you follow along with us. The scene takes place from 1:41:13 – 1:46:47, timed from the beginning of the movie. “Attica” is available for streaming on Showtime and on Amazon Prime.
To listen to our previous discussion with Stanley about Attica.
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Anatomy of a Scene from ”Ailey”

In this installment of Anatomy of a Scene, “Ailey” director Jamila Wignot describes the creative process behind a key sequence in her remarkable portrait of American dance legend Alvin Ailey. After building his hugely successful dance company from scratch, Ailey felt an ever-increasing amount of pressure and eventually broke down. Jamila and her team, guided by Ailey’s point of view, figured out how to “mirror and imagine” Ailey’s overwhelming sense of disorientation during this crisis. Creating a montage of clips of New York City culled from the avant-garde films of Jonas Mekas, Jamila and her editors play with time – speeding things up, slowing them down, running shots in reverse. Added to that are layers of sound and music in rhythm with Ailey’s own recorded words. Cut together very early on, the sequence helped the filmmakers to “arrive at the language of the film,” which they would then “carry through, in all parts of the film.”
Note: We recommend that, if possible, you follow along with us. The scene takes place from 1:12:07 – 1:14:47, timed from the beginning of the movie. “Ailey” is available for streaming on Hulu.
To listen to our previous conversation with Jamila about “Ailey”, check out the episode on Top Docs.
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