Doc Talk: A Deadline and Nō Studios Podcast

As we move deeper into the second half of the year, cohosts John Ridley and Matt Carey examine the documentaries that have emerged as early contenders for Oscar recognition. American Doctor, Closure, Nuisance Bear, Everybody to Kenmure Street, To Hold a Mountain — they're in the running. So are two dozen more, many of them having premiered at Sundance. We dig into what's g...

Nudity, comedy, cutting edge music, precocious kids, wannabe stars: public access in New York in the 1970s and '80s had everything -- a freewheeling outgrowth of cable TV that allowed freedom of expression to flourish. Director David Shadrack Smith dials back to that time in his documentary Public Access, which premiered in competition in Sundance. He joins the show to discuss one of the most fasc...

Leaders of two thriving documentary film festivals join us: Sky Sitney and Jamie Shor of DC/DOX in the nation's capital, and Karol Piekarczyk, artistic director of Millennium Docs Against Gravity in Poland. They explore their successes and challenges and why festivals are enjoying a resurgence in the age of streaming. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A documentary observing  the work of the Martha Graham Dance Company is contending for Emmy recognition, even as the company founded by the legelndary choreographer celebrates the 100th anniversary of its founding. We're joined by filmmakers Cyndee Readdean and Peter Schnall to discuss all things Graham, and the dancers and choreographers of today who are carrying on her legacy. Learn more about y...

Tennis champ Rafael Nadal joins the show to discuss 'Rafa,' his 4-part Netflix documentary series that reveals the physical pain and psychological pressure he endured to become one of the sport's greatest of all time. Oscar-nominated director Zach Heinzerling shares insights on the intimate portrayal of Rafa and his family in his Emmy-contending series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit mega...

With the 25th Tribeca Festival about to kick off in New York City, we're joined by festival director Cara Cusumano for a preview of Tribeca's nonfiction lineup. Among the films slated to premiere are the latest from Oscar winner Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, docs about musician Sara Bareilles, late NY Gov. Mario Cuomo, and artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, a film by California's First Partner Jennifer Si...

Director Felipe Bustos Sierra joins the show to discuss his award-winning documentary Everybody to Kenmure Street, a riveting account of a spontaneous protest that sprang up in Glasgow, Scotland after UK authorities attempted to stage an immigration raid. Emma Thompson serves as executive producer of the film and appears in the documentary in the guise of "Van Man," a mysterious figure who latched...

Oscar-nominated actor Bruce Dern and director Mike Mendez join us to discuss Dernsie: The Amazing Life of Bruce Dern, their documentary premiering Wednesday at the Cannes Film Festival. Dern is not only one of Hollywood's greatest actors, but one of its greatest raconteurs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Filmmaker Alexandria Stapleton discusses her Emmy-contending Netflix series, Sean Combs: The Reckoning, a forensic examination of the sexual misconduct allegations against the rapper, actor, and mogul that landed Combs in federal prison. It's produced by Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Producer-director Colin Hanks and producer Ryan Reynolds join the show to share stories of making John Candy: I Like Me, their cinematic exploration of the beloved Canadian actor and SCTV sketch performer. Candy's two children plus many of his friends and famous collaborators — Tom Hanks, Steve Martin, Martin Short, Catherine O'Hara, Eugene Levy, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and many others — appear i...

The proposed merger of Paramount and Warner Bros Discovery would reshape the documentary landscape, putting HBO Documentary Films, CNN Films, HBO Max, Paramount+,  MTV Documentary Films and more under one roof. As major stars and filmmakers write an open letter protesting the merger, we speak with documentary veterans Marjan Safinia and Lois Vossen about the impact of the planned alliance on the n...

We report from the 18th Milwaukee Film Festival, speaking two makers of two documentaries in the festival lineup: All of the Above, and Newport and the Great Folk Dream. All of the Above focuses on a world religions class taught in a Chicago public high school, while Newport examines the iconic music festival renowned for performances by Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Johnny Cash and more. Learn more about...

Now entering its third year, the American Cinematheque's This Is Not a Fiction festival in Los Angeles has emerged as a major event for documentary lovers. We speak with AC film programmer Cindy Flores about this year's festival, running April 16-24. It will feature some of the greatest names in documentary, including Barbara Kopple, Gianfranco Rosi, Ross McElwee, Caveh Zahedi, and Liz Garbus amon...

Doc Talk reports from CPH:DOX in Copenhagen. Artistic Director Niklas Engstrøm shares his highlights from the 2026 edition of the world-class festival and tells us how CPH:DOX keeps politicians at "arms length" to avoid outside interference in the program. And we visit with directors Hansen Lin and Siyi Chen who pitched their documentary Queens Ballroom at the CPH:FORUM. Learn more about your ad c...

Filmmaker Julia Loktev joins us to discuss her award-winning documentary My Undesirable Friends: Part I - Last Air in Moscow, which chronicles the last independent television news source in Russia. The journalists in the film, mostly young women, found themselves treated as enemies of the state for daring to stray outside the bounds of Kremlin-approved reportage, victims of a crackdown on press fr...

Oscar winner Juliette Binoche speaks about her directorial debut, the documentary In-I In Motion that explores the creative process behind a unique dance and theater project she co-created with dancer-choreographer Akram Khan. The film screened at the Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival in Greece, where we also spoke with Head of Program Yorgos Krassakopoulos. Learn more about your ad...

Hosts John Ridley and Matt Carey discuss why Mr. Nobody Against Putin prevailed as Best Documentary Feature in an upset at the Oscars. And we talk with makers of two films that just premiered at the True/False documentary festival in Columbia, MO: Josef Gatti, director of Phenomena, and director Naveen Chaubal and producer Bryn Silverman of Pinball. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphon...

Oscar nominee Gianfranco Rosi joins the show to discuss his latest documentary feature, the lustrous Pompei: Below the Clouds, an immesion into Naples, the southern Italian city in the shadow of volcanic Mount Vesuvius.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We report from the European Film Market's DocSalon in Berlin, where several filmmakers discussed their work premiering in the Berlinale: Anna Fitch and Banker White, directors of YO (Love Is a Rebellious Bird), which won a Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Achievement, and Mark Cousins, director of the 16-chapter The Story of Documentary Film. Hosts John Ridley and Matt Carey also remember late...

Filmmakers Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni discuss their 8-year journey making the feature documentary Cutting Through Rocks, which has earned them their first Oscar nominations. The New York-based directors returned to their native Iran to tell the story of a remarkable woman in a rural northwestern part of the country who defied the intensely patriarchal culture to run for a seat on the local c...

Oscar winner Morgan Neville's new documentary Man on the Run offers an intimate look at Paul McCartney in the 10 years after he left the Beatles, as he tried to establish a new musical and personal identity after the dissolution of rock n' roll's most iconic band. The filmmaker explains how he approached interviewing Sir Paul to gain fresh insight into the least examined aspect of McCartney's care...

We're joined by the makers of two Oscar-nominated short documentaries: Joshua Seftel, director of All the Empty Rooms, and Geeta Gandbhir and Christalyn Hampton, directors of The Devil Is Busy (Gandbhir is separately nominated for directing the feature documentary The Perfect Neighbor). Hosts John Ridley and Matt Carey also get into whether the new Melania documentary should be considered a succes...

Doc Talk reports from  the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, speaking with the directors of Closure, American Doctor, Knife: The Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie, The Brittney Griner Story, and Jane Elliott Against the World. We also hear from Rushdie, author of The Satanic Verses, and WNBA star Griner about participating in their respective documentaries. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit mega...

Hosts John Ridley and Matt Carey react to the Oscar nominations — dominated in the Best Documentary Feature category by films that premiered at Sundance. We also report from the 2026 edition of Sundance, speaking with the makers of Ghost in the Machine (premiereing in the NEXT section) and Joybubbles (premiering in U.S. Documentary Competition). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm...

Sundance documentary programmers Basil Tsiokos and Sudeep Sharma share insights on the nonfiction film lineup for the 2026 festival, the final one to be held in Park City, Utah. They share their picks for must-see documentary features in competition, NEXT and other sections. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices