On Documentary

In this episode, I talk with directors Arun Bhattarai and Dorottya Zurbó about their new film “Agent of Happiness” that premiered earlier in the year at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. This film explores if and how happiness can be measured? The country of Bhutan invented Gross National Happiness to do just that, and Amber, the central protagonist in the film, is one of the agents who travels doo...

In this episode, I talk with directors Ayman El Amir and Nada Riyadh about their new film “The Brink of Dreams” that recently won the Golden Eye award at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. This documentary chronicles the lives of a group of young Egyptian girls from a very conservative small village in Egypt who formed an all-female acting troupe despite family rejection. Thank you for listening. Plea...

In this episode, I talk with artist and director Dan Covert, about his new documentary film “Geoff McFetridge: Drawing a Life” that recently premiered at SXSW, picking up an Audience Award, and is about to be released on VOD. "Drawing a Life" is a poetic and intimate portrait of an artist. In an era dominated by influencers and social media, Geoff McFetridge works to live with intention...

In this episode, I talk to filmmakers Xinyan Yu and Max Duncan about the challenges of production of their excellent new film "Made in Ethiopia", that just received its premiere at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival. "Made in Ethiopia" examines the growing industrialization taking place in present-day Ethiopia and China’s often misunderstood, growing impact in Africa. Filmed over f...

In this episode, I talk to accomplished composer Ryan Marth, who has created music for a variety of films. Ryan covers the nuts and bolts of his craft and offers advice for both new composers and for filmmakers on how to go about creating music for film.  Ryan's website: www.ryanmarth.com Ryan's Instagram: www.instagram.com/ryanmarthmusic Thank you for listening. Please subscribe to keep...

In this episode, I talk with filmmakers Arata Mori and Andreas Hartmann about their new documentary “Johatsu” that is currently on the festival circuit. Every year, thousands of people vanish without a trace in Japan. The film explorers the phenomena known as Johatsu, or “the evaporated,” about people who abandon their lives for various reasons, a troublesome relationship, mounting debts or threat...

In this episode, I talk with filmmaker Nellie Kluz on directing, producing, and editing her new documentary film "The Dells". The film explores Wisconsin Dells - the world capital of water parks - through the eyes of foreign students employed on summer work visas. This program, presented as an immersion into American culture, is also a way of profiting from cheap labour. "The Dells&...

In this first episode of season 3, I talk with renowned cinematographer Michael Marius Pessah, who has worked on a wide array of documentary and scripted projects, as well as music videos and commercials. For this episode, we focus on the art of documentary cinematography. Michael has worked on documentaries such as 'Scandalous' which was nominated for a 2021 Emmy, and 'Viva La Caus...

In this episode, I talk to Loretta van der Horst about the challenges of directing her new feature documentary "The Border Crossed Us", that recently premiered at IDFA. Loretta's Instagram: lorvanderhorst Loretta's websites: www.lorettavanderhorst.com www.thewaves.film www.newproducersacademy.nl Film website:  www.journeyman.tv/film/8572 And the producers website: www.tangerine...

In this episode, I talk to Julien Potart on what it took to build the sitnwatch streaming platform for documentaries, as well as his own films and his work as a programmer for the Paris Surf & Skateboard Film Festival.  Julien's Instagram: www.instagram.com/julienpotart Sitnwatch: www.sitnwatch.tv Paris Surf & Skateboard Film Festival: www.pssff.fr Thank you for listening. Please subs...

In this episode, I talk to Silje Evensmo Jacobsen about her excellent and moving new film “A New Kind of Wilderness” that just premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. The film follows wild-living British widower Nik Payne as he makes tough choices for his family following his wife's untimely death. Silje's production company website: www.a5film.no/aboutus  Thank you for listening....

In this episode, I talk with award-winning director and producer Lesley Chilcott on her experience working with Arnold Schwarzenegger for the Netflix series "Arnold". Lesley has also worked on "Waiting for Superman", "CodeGirl", "It Might Get Loud", and "An Inconvenient Truth" which won two Academy Awards. Lesley's website: www.lesleychilcott....

In this episode, I talk with cinematographer, colorist, and head of Venture Films Jake Pierrelee on the art of color grading for documentary. Jake's Instagram: www.instagram.com/jvke Jake's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOhajf8RvcGz3wMPekSkOpw Jake's course: www.jvke.us/tcb Thank you for listening. Please subscribe to keep up to date with new episodes. If you enjoy this...

In this episode, I talk with filmmakers Jesse Short Bull and Laura Tomaselli on the production and reception of their feature documentary "Lakota Nation vs. United States." Official website: www.lakotanationvsus.movie Laura Tomasellis website: www.lauratomaselli.com Thank you for listening. Please subscribe to keep up to date with new episodes. If you enjoy this podcast, please leave a r...

On this episode, I talk to Dan Olmsted who has worked on a vast array of both documentary and narrative films as a sound recordist, sound mixer, and sound designer, including "Crip Camp", "China’s Lost Daughters", "The Revolutionary Optimists", "The English Patient" and "Boogie Nights". Dan and I discuss the art of sound in documentary. Dan's...

In this episode, I talk with filmmaker Amy Nicholson about her new film "Happy Campers" that recently premiered at DOC NYC. Amy's website: www.filmsbyamy.com Happy Campers website: www.happycampers.film Thank you for listening. Please subscribe to keep up to date with new episodes. If you enjoy this podcast, please leave a review. “On Documentary” podcast page: www.adamjamessmithfil...

In this episode, I talk with filmmaker Yannesh Meijman about his new film "Hotel Mokum" that recently premiered at the International Documentary Festival in Amsterdam.  Yannesh's website: www.yanneshmeijman.nl Yannesh's Instagram: www.instagram.com/theodorusgoon Thank you for listening. Please subscribe to keep up to date with new episodes. If you enjoy this podcast, please lea...

In this first episode of season 2, I talk with Emmy award winning filmmaker Maro Chermayeff. As well as directing and producing many excellent documentary films - such as Half the Sky, Hostages, and Carrier - she is also the founding partner of the global production company Show of Force and Chair of the MFA in Social Documentary at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. I talk with Maro abou...

On this last episode of season one, I talk with professional documentary editor and filmmaker J. Christian Jensen. In 2015, after graduating from the documentary program at Stanford, Christian was nominated for an Academy Award for his film “White Earth." Since then, he has built a distinguished career as a documentary editor working on an array of films for various leading directors. In this...

In this episode, I talk with Natalia Winkelman, a film critic who writes for The New York Times, as well as The Boston Globe , Slate, The Daily Beast, and IndieWire. Natalia is also a podcast producer at Campside Media , where she produced “ The Plot Thickens: The Devil’s Candy ” for Turner Classic Movies, which was chosen as one of the best podcasts of the year by The New York Times ; “ Suspect ”...

In this episode, I talk with award-winning director Rachel Fleit, who recently released “Bama Rush” on HBO Max. The film follows several young women as they prepare to participate in the sorority rush at the University of Alabama and explores what it means to belong. We talk about the production of the film and the audience response Rachel received to the film, particularly from the sorority commu...

In this episode, I talk with Emilie Bujès, Artistic Director of  Visions du Réel, a leading documentary film festival held annually in Nyon, Switzerland. Emilie covers what it means to lead a documentary film festival, the approach to programming at Visions du Réel, her background in the contemporary art world, and some of the films she loves.  Visions du Réel website: www.visionsdureel.ch/en/  Vi...

In this episode, I talk with filmmaker Tijana Petrovic about her new film "A Field Guide to Coastal Fortifications" that premiered earlier this year at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. We also explore Tijana’s sources of inspiration, her work as a cinematographer, and her teaching.  Tijana's website: www.tijanapetrovic.net Thank you for listening. Please subscribe to keep...

In this episode, I talk to filmmaker Anna Moot-Levin. We explore Anna’s experience working on Charles Ferguson’s Oscar-winning "Inside Job" as an Associate Producer and her more recent co-directing and co-producing work in collaboration with Laura Green on "The Providers" and "Matter of Mind: My ALS" for PBS. Anna touches upon the importance of publicly funded media a...

In this episode, I talk to Peter Nicks, Emmy Award-winner, Academy Award-nominee, and Director of recently released documentaries "Anthem" (Hulu) and "Stephen Curry: Underrated" (Apple TV +). Peter details his experience directing "Anthem" and his past work on "The Waiting Room," "The Force," and "Homeroom" (the Oakland Trilogy), as well...