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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

00:31:28

Liver King: Netflix Director Reveals the Raw Truth

Factual America ·

2025/05/13

The Liver King built a supplement empire by devouring raw meat on social media. And he had the muscles to prove it. But how did the Liver King get so huge? Netflix director Joe Pearlman tells all. In this interview, we dig into the raw truth behind the man, the myth, and the meat-fueled machine that captivated millions.From viral fame and ancestral living to steroids, scandal, and supplement sales – this conversation goes beyond the beef.Timestamps: 00:00 - Trailer02:07 - Introduction 04:32 - An

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00:53:58

NETFLIX Director UNVEILS Vietnam War SECRETS!

Factual America ·

2025/05/10

Vietnam War secrets, untold stories, and hidden history - revealed by Netflix director Brian Knappenberger and renowned historian Lien-Hang Nguyen.As we approach the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, this interview uncovers new accounts from the war - from suppressed footage to shocking revelations about U.S. involvement and North Vietnam's internal strategy.A must-watch for anyone interested in war documentaries, declassified history, and the truth behind one of the most

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00:31:02

I Was Cursed by Satan: The True Story of a Real-Life Hex

Factual America ·

2025/05/03

In this chilling episode, filmmaker Liam Le Guillou takes us deep inside A Cursed Man - his harrowing real-life journey into the world of black magic and satanic rituals. What begins as a sceptical social experiment soon spirals into a terrifying descent, as Liam invites powerful practitioners to place real curses on him. Facing nightmares, unexplained anxiety, and even a blood pact with a Satan-worshipping shaman, he confronts the true cost of dabbling with the unknown. Liam opens up about the

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00:34:46

Twister: Caught in the Storm | Inside the Eye of a...

Factual America ·

2025/04/23

"One of the deadliest tornadoes in US history is headed directly for their high school graduation…” In this episode, filmmaker Alexandra Lacey takes us inside her powerful new Netflix documentary, Twister: Caught in the Storm, a raw and moving look at life in Joplin, Missouri, after a catastrophic natural disaster. Alexandra shares how the disaster reshaped a generation of young people and reflects on the resilience, identity, and community spirit that emerged in the storm’s aftermath. She

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28:11

R.J. Cutler on 'Martha': Capturing an Icon's Rise,...

Factual America ·

2024/11/12

In this episode, Matthew sits down with acclaimed filmmaker R.J. Cutler to discuss his latest Netflix documentary, 'Martha'. Cutler offers fascinating insights into the making of the film, which chronicles the life and career of Martha Stewart, the iconic businesswoman and lifestyle guru. Discover how Cutler gained unprecedented access to Stewart and her vast personal archives, and learn about the challenges he faced in capturing her complex story. The director shares his perspective on Stewart's

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30:08

Unsolved Mysteries: the original true-crime series

Factual America ·

2024/10/23

Unsolved murders, paranormal activity, and UFOs. Unsolved Mysteries, the iconic docu-series that was a staple of TV in the 80s and 90s is back on Netflix with Volume 5. Joining Matthew Sherwood on Factual America is multiple Emmy nominated filmmaker Terry Dunn Meurer, the co-creator and producer of Unsolved Mysteries. She shares the secrets of Unsolved Mysteries’ success and why we have such a fascination with true crime and the unexplained. The filmmaker also describes the different cases the new

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31:51

How not to rig an election: Stopping the Steal

Factual America ·

2024/10/13

Stopping the Steal gives an inside account of Donald Trump's challenge to the 2020 presidential election results and how an unsung group of Republican politicians, staffers, and election officials prevented the election from being stolen. Joining Matthew Sherwood on Factual America is Emmy and Bafta-winning director and producer Dan Reed. He discusses why he decided to interview pro-Trump Republicans about the election and the benefits he experienced being a British reporter. Dan explains what

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39:14

Paul Simon: Faith, Mortality & Music – with Alex Gibney

Factual America ·

2024/07/07

In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon surveys the studio as Paul records his new album Seven Psalms while reflecting on his six-decade career and wrestling with the issues of faith and mortality. Joining Matthew Sherwood on Factual America is Oscar-winning director Alex Gibney, who discusses the impact Paul Simon had on American culture and music, the inspiration behind Paul’s album Seven Psalms, and the challenges of making a documentary about a musical icon. Alex explains his own creative

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48:12

The 7M TikTok Dance Cult: Dancing for the Devil

Factual America ·

2024/06/20

Dancing For The Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult explores the experiences of a group of prominent TikTok dancers who are trapped in a cult masquerading as a management company. In the process the film uncovers disturbing truths about the agenda of Robert Shinn, the cult’s founder and pastor of the Shekinah Church. Joining Matthew Sherwood on Factual America are executive producers Jessica Acevedo and director Derek Doneen, who discuss the making of the film and the challenges of interviewing people who are

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34:42

Relationship Hack – Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal

Factual America ·

2024/05/15

In 2002 the Ashley Madison website went live. It was a dating agency with a difference for its targets were people already in relationships. Inevitably, Ashley Madison was roundly criticised. The company’s CEO, however, stated that affairs actually helped marriages. In 2015, hackers broke into the website and published the names, addresses, credit card information, and more of every user. Relationships were destroyed, and some of those named committed suicide. Directed by Toby Paton, Ashley Madison:

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01:00:30

Terrorism and Tragedy - An American Bombing: The Road...

Factual America ·

2024/04/24

It’s April 19th 1995, the 220th anniversary of the start of the American War of Independence, and two years since the violent end of the Waco, Texas siege. In Oklahoma City, a disaffected army veteran named Timothy McVeigh leaves a truck outside the Alfred P Murrah Federal Building. Inside the truck is a bomb. At 9am, McVeigh lights the two minute fuse. When the bomb explodes, it kills 168 people and wounds 680 more. In An American Bombing: The Road to April 19th, Marc Levin retraces McVeigh’s

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49:51

A Brief History of the Future: Making the World A...

Factual America ·

2024/04/18

Climate change, terrorism, social inequality and poverty, wars between nations, and injustice. Things do not look too good for the world today, and there seems to be little to no hope for the future. A Brief History of the Future, a new docu-series on PBS, challenges this pessimistic outlook. Directed by Andrew Morgan and presented by Ari Wallach, the series visits people from all over the world who are doing something – no matter how big or small – to make the world a better place, not just for

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49:11

Against All Enemies: US Veterans Fighting Their Own...

Factual America ·

2024/04/04

Why would US military veterans take up arms against the country they swore to protect? This is the question at the heart of Against All Enemies, a new documentary by Charlie Sadoff. In it, Charlie explores the role disaffected veterans played in the January 6th attack on the US Capitol. In order to better understand what happened on that day, he looks at the history of civil unrest involving veterans, from groups such as the Ku Klux Klan through to modern day extremist organisations like the Proud

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49:27

God Save Texas: Life in the Land of Oil and Gas

Factual America ·

2024/03/27

God Save Texas is a three-part docu-series inspired by Lawrence Wright’s book of the same name. In each episode, an acclaimed filmmaker explores the past, present, and future of the Lone Star State. Episode One is directed by Richard Linklater, Episode Three by Iliana Sosa. Episode Two is directed by Alex Stapleton, and she joins Matthew Sherwood to discuss what it was like returning to her hometown of Houston to explore the effect of Texas’ oil and gas industry on her family and local

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58:28

The NFL’s Greatest Dynasty: New England Patriots

Factual America ·

2024/03/14

Between 2001-19, head coach Bill Belichick created one of the most successful dynasties ever seen in American football. Under his leadership, the New England Patriots won a record equalling six Super Bowl titles. Guided by quarterback Tom Brady, the team also set a host of other NFL records, including most wins over a ten year period, longest regular season/play-off winning streak, and most consecutive divisional titles. But this era of nearly unprecedented success did not come without a cost, and

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42:29

Amityville: Origins of the Horror Story

Factual America ·

2024/03/05

On November 13th 1974, Ronald DeFeo shot his family dead in Amityville, New York. Not long after he was convicted of the killings, the Lutz family moved into the DeFeos’ former home. They did not stay long. After just 28 days, they fled, claiming to have been driven out by paranormal activity. The Lutz family’s experience formed the basis of The Amityville Horror. Released in 1979, it went on to spawn a seemingly endless number of sequels, prequels, and derivatives: over 40 to date. In his

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48:14

Investigating the Octopus Murders: An American...

Factual America ·

2024/02/28

The 1980s were a time of allegation and scandal in America. From the 1980 October Surprise, 1985-87 Iran-Contra Affair, and 1986-91 BCCI scandal, the decade seemed only to be going downhill. And in the midst of it all, the US Justice Department was accused of stealing PROMIS, a piece of software that could be used to create a programme that would allow the US government to spy on whomever used it. Danny Casolaro was a writer, poet, and investigative journalist. At the start of the 1990s, he began

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41:42

MMA’s Unbreakable Tatiana Suarez | Fighting for her...

Factual America ·

2024/02/14

Tatiana Suarez was born into poverty, endured a “tumultuous [and] traumatic childhood”, and at school chose to compete in a sport – wrestling – that led to her being relentlessly bullied. She overcame every obstacle that life and people put in front of her and became a champion. And not just once, but multiple times. Finally, the greatest prize of all, Olympic glory, lay within her grasp. And then, she broke her neck. And as that was being treated, doctors discovered that Tatiana had cancer. In The

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55:53

Challenging Zuckerberg’s Metanarrative

Factual America ·

2024/02/01

Who is Mark Zuckerberg? That is the question at the heart of Nick Green’s new Sky documentary, Zuckerberg: King of the Metaverse. We all know how Zuckerberg took Facebook from being a website accessible to just a few American college students in 2004 to one that is used by over a billion people worldwide in 2024. Along the way, he has acquired Instagram and WhatsApp making him one of the most wide reaching and influential men in the world today. But what are his thoughts? His views? What does he

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35:06

American Nightmare: Unravelling Crimes That Never Were

Factual America ·

2024/01/18

On the night of March 23rd 2015, Denise Huskins and Aaron Quinn were drugged and bound by a mystery assailant who had broken into their home. Denise was then kidnapped. When Aaron called the police the next day, they believed he had murdered her. Two days later, however, Denise – who had been sexually assaulted by her kidnapper - was freed. Now the police believed no crime had been committed at all, and that Aaron and Denise were hoaxers. The psychological thriller Gone Girl had been released just

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191 results

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