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PODCAST

Factual America

Factual America examines America through the lens of documentary filmmaking. Guests include Academy Award, Emmy and Grammy-winning documentary filmmakers and producers, their subjects, as well as experts on the American experience. Find out more about the current and upcoming documentaries on Netflix, HBO, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Apple TV+, Sky Documentaries and other platforms directly from the creators. Whether we discuss true crime, music, burning social and political topics, history, or arts,

tv & film film interviews

All Episodes

41:05

The Downfall of Boeing

Factual America ·

2022/03/16

Once the pride of American technological know-how, Boeing took a wrong turn toward achieving the bottom line at all costs, even if it meant keeping pilots in the dark and putting passengers' lives at risk. In the end, two Boeing 737 MAX airliners crashed, killing 346 people. Boeing's PR campaign immediately went into action to disparage and cast aspersions on the flight crews and their countries. Luckily, the families and a few intrepid reporters and politicians would not take Boeing's word as

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53:10

Happiness is a Journey: The Unseen America

Factual America ·

2022/03/09

Ivete Lucas and Patrick Bresnan are award-winning filmmakers. Their documentary films have premiered at Sundance and won multiple awards including the Directors Fortnight best short film prize at Cannes. Patrick and Ivete's body of work focuses on the seldom seen and forgotten parts of American society. Their most recent short Happiness is a Journey, produced by the Guardian, captures a night in the life of Eddie “Bear” Lopez, who spends his Christmas Eve and early Christmas Day delivering

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58:04

Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road - Director's Take

Factual America ·

2022/03/02

Brian Wilson was the co-founder of the seminal 60s rock group The Beach Boys, as the leader and creative genius behind the band’s many hits. Brian Wilson has influenced generations of pop stars, including Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, Taylor Hawkins and other pop royalty. Award-winning documentary filmmaker Brent Wilson joins us for the second time to discuss his new film, Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road. The film follows Brian on a journey, both literally and figuratively, of Brian’s old

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40:11

Reframing Marilyn Monroe's Legacy

Factual America ·

2022/02/23

Marilyn Monroe almost requires no introduction. The iconic star of the silver screen still resonates with the viewing public even 60 years after her untimely death. But do we need to rethink her legacy or how she's been portrayed? Acclaimed documentary filmmaker Karen McGann certainly thinks so. Her new docu-series Reframed: Marilyn Monroe rethinks the legacy of one of the greatest icons of the 20th century's popular culture. Although in the media she was portrayed in a certain light, in reality

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49:40

Secrets of Playboy: Hugh Hefner's Dark Empire | A&E...

Factual America ·

2022/02/16

Secrets of Playboy (2021) documents the lived experiences of Playboy playmates, the Playboy Bunnies, and employees of the Playboy empire, and the abuse they went through at the hands of its founder Hugh Hefner. Award-winning filmmaker Alexandra Dean joins us to discuss the making of this 10-part series currently streaming on A&E, and what it was like to uncover the abuses that occurred at Playboy. She explains how Hugh Hefner broke women and was able to build up a persona of sexual liberation

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50:41

Writing with Fire: Oscar Nominee for Best Documentary

Factual America ·

2022/02/09

Writing with Fire (2021) is an inspiring story about India's only newspaper run by Dalit, low-caste women. Armed with smartphones and tenacity, chief reporter Meera Devi and her journalists break traditions as they break stories and tackle India's biggest issues. In the process, they are redefining what it means to be powerful socially. Writing with Fire is one of this year's Academy Award nominees for The Best Feature Documentary. The film has already won the Audience Award and Special Jury Award

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41:49

Neymar: The Perfect Chaos - The Director's Perspective

Factual America ·

2022/02/02

Neymar: The Perfect Chaos, currently streaming on Netflix, tells the story of the beloved but often criticised footballer Neymar, the highs and lows of his personal life, and his brilliant football career. Award-winning filmmaker David Charles Rodrigues joins us to discuss the film and reveals how he gained almost full access to Neymar’s life. During filming of this documentary, David found sides to Neymar that he found surprising. In the process, he managed to build a strong relationship with the

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43:21

Dear Rider: Snowboarding Legend Jake Burton

Factual America ·

2022/01/18

HBO's original documentary Dear Rider tells the inspirational story of Jake Burton Carpenter, who pioneered the sport of snowboarding. Fernando Villena, award-winning filmmaker and the director of Dear Rider, discusses Jake’s life as a snowboarding legend. The film shows how Jake took his favourite childhood toy and turned it into a global cultural phenomenon. Fernando not only talks about Jake's vision and passion for the sport he invented, but also how multiple diseases tragically ended his life

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45:56

Hell or High Seas: Adventure Therapy for U.S....

Factual America ·

2022/01/12

Hell or High Seas (2021) follows U.S. Navy veteran Taylor Grieger and writer Stephen O’Shea on their two-year adventure sailing around Cape Horn, in some of the world’s most treacherous waters. The purpose of this extreme journey was to raise awareness about PTSD and the challenges facing veterans as they return to civilian life. Taylor Grieger, director Glenn Holsten and producer Chayne Gregg join us to share the incredible story of how two high school buddies embarked on a journey to help veterans

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01:06:15

Chasing Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's Alleged Accomplice

Factual America ·

2021/12/20

Joining us is Vicky Ward, a New York Times bestselling author, investigative journalist and the host and co-producer of Chasing Ghislaine. In 2002 Vicky conducted one of the few interviews ever given by Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender. Vicky has now turned her sights on Epstein's former confidante, Ghislaine Maxwell. The British socialite is currently on trial for allegedly helping Epstein to prey on young girls. Subsequently, Vicky has turned her investigative

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36:36

The First Wave: The Human Face of COVID-19

Factual America ·

2021/12/15

The National Geographic documentary The First Wave captures the harrowing first four months of the Covid-19 pandemic as it played out in one of New York City’s hardest-hit hospital systems. Joining us is Matthew Heineman, an Academy Award-nominated and Emmy-winning filmmaker who directed and produced this film. The incredible footage he obtained and shaped into The First Wave represents a testimony to the strength of the human spirit and how people come together in the face of crisis. He shares

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32:19

Listening to Kenny G, All-Time Best-Selling...

Factual America ·

2021/12/07

Kenny G is the best-selling instrumentalist of all time, but why does he elicit such heartfelt, negative criticism from some listeners? Penny Lane’s new HBO documentary Listening to Kenny G shows the world-famous saxophonist speaking candidly about his musical background, his stringent work ethic, and his controversial standing in the jazz world. Penny joins us to discuss the making of the film and how she gained access to such a high-profile music star. She also reveals her original impressions of

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50:47

Mothers of the Revolution: The Women Who Ended the...

Factual America ·

2021/12/01

On September 5th 1981 a group of women came together to change the world. These women marched from Wales to Berkshire to protest nuclear weapons being kept at RAF Greenham Common, a British airbase. Feature-length documentary Mothers of the Revolution (2021) tells the true story of the Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp and how it helped to bring the Cold War to an end. Between 1981 and 2000, in one of the longest protests in history, thousands of women from around the world came together at

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30:18

Becoming Cousteau: Legendary Explorer and...

Factual America ·

2021/11/23

The National Geographic documentary Becoming Cousteau explores the life of legendary ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau, a man well ahead of his time in bringing climate change and environmental devastation to the world’s attention. Mridu Chandra, award-winning filmmaker and one of the producers of Becoming Cousteau, joins us to discuss Cousteau's remarkable life and passion for the environment. A scuba diving pioneer, Cousteau also was an accomplished filmmaker and three-time Oscar winner. Mridu

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46:28

Curse of the Chippendales: a True Crime Story...

Factual America ·

2021/11/16

The Discovery+ docuseries Curse of the Chippendales chronicles the dark side of the 1980s all-male striptease dance troupe. The muscular men of the Chippendales captured the hearts, minds, and dollars of the 1980s in their iconic cuffs and collars, but what started out as a first in women’s entertainment soon turned into a story of greed, jealousy and murder for hire. Executive producer Suzanne Lavery and writer and director Jesse Vile discuss what drew them to the Chippendales, how they created the

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50:11

Hawking: Can You Hear Me? The Remarkable Human Story...

Factual America ·

2021/11/10

Hawking: Can You Hear Me? is a Sky Original documentary that explores the remarkable human story of Stephen Hawking, through candid interviews with his family, friends, and colleagues. The film brings to life the man behind the persona of legendary theoretical physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking and in the process shows the impact fame and disability had on those closest to him. Joining Factual America to discuss the making of the film and the challenges they faced are director Oliver Twinch

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24:56

The Rescue: A Story of Bravery, Cave Diving & Generosity

Factual America ·

2021/11/02

The Rescue explores the story of the dramatic Tham Luang cave rescue in 2018, when twelve boys and their soccer coach were saved from deep inside a flooded cave in northern Thailand. But like all great documentaries, it is about so much more – bravery, cave diving, the human spirit and ultimately, generosity. The Rescue is the latest masterpiece by the Oscar-winning director Chai Vasrahelyi, which she co-directed and co-produced with her partner in film and life, Jimmy Chin. Chai joins us to

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53:22

Detainee 001: 'The American Taliban' John Walker Lindh

Factual America ·

2021/10/26

A young man from the San Francisco suburbs journeys to the Middle East and soon finds himself as the face of Islamist extremism in post-9/11 America. This is the story of John Walker Lindh, as explored in the recent Showtime hit documentary Detainee 001. Emmy-winning director Greg Barker joins us to discuss this unlikeliest of stories. The film shows how America grapples with justice in the fog of war, and how narratives were built and destroyed in the aftermath of 9/11. We discuss the

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44:57

The Space Station: The Wonderful Story of Human...

Factual America ·

2021/10/12

International Space Station and international co-operation in space has outlived presidents, regimes, current events, 9/11, and it has been carrying on for several decades now. It is fascinating how many people it takes to get someone into space. This is what inspired director and producer Clare Lewins in her new documentary The Wonderful: Stories From the Space Station. The Wonderful is a story about humanity, played out against the vast backdrop of the universe. It shows what it’s like to live and

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01:44:21

The Lone Star Plate and Factual America Season...

Factual America ·

2021/08/09

Factual America meets The Lone Star Plate for the second time. We are wrapping up Season 2 of Factual America, and our sister podcast The Lone Star Plate, which features interviews with famous Texans and explores compelling Texas stories, has just closed Season 3. Two fellow Texans, hosts Matthew Sherwood and Patrick Scott Armstrong, discuss the highlights of the last season, celebrating the most challenging year of our lives, and what episodes, guests and topics left a particular impression on

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191 results

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