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PODCAST

The Dangerous Art of the Documentary

Double Elvis Productions, Tiller Russell

Filmmaker Tiller Russell (Waco: American Apocalypse, Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer, Operation Odessa, The Last Narc, The Seven Five) exchanges the camera for a microphone, sitting down with other documentary filmmakers for riveting, in-depth conversations about their most successful, iconic or recent films.

tv & film film interviews

All Episodes

46:11

Jill Magid (The Proposal)

The Dangerous Art of the Documentary ·

2024/04/04

Artist-turned-filmmaker (and old friend of Tiller’s) Jill Magid joins the show to discuss her brilliant 2018 film “The Proposal”, which tracks her journey to recover the works of famed Mexican architect Luis Barragán from a Swiss bunker. Jill discusses with Tiller her artistic voyage from sculptor to filmmaker (3:40), her fascination with incorporating herself as a subject in her art (8:15), the project’s organic evolution from art proposal to feature film (15:00), learning the medium of filmmaking

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47:49

Thom Zimny (SLY | Netflix)

The Dangerous Art of the Documentary ·

2024/03/14

In his new film “Sly”, filmmaker Thom Zimny offers an intimate perspective of the great Sylvester Stallone by delving into his Hollywood successes, personal pitfalls, underdog story and its parallels with the characters he brought to life. In his conversation with Tiller, Thom discusses finding the rhythm of the film (5:45), the dream space of editing an archival-based film (9:10), letting the themes speak to him organically (15:00), the dramatic imagery of Sly moving homes (23:52), writing with

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49:22

Marilyn Agrelo (Mad Hot Ballroom)

The Dangerous Art of the Documentary ·

2024/03/01

This one is from the vault. If you haven't seen Mad Hot Ballroom from director Marilyn Agrelo, stop now and go check it out. It's a classic and a masterpiece. Centered around a ballroom dancing competition for fifth grade dance teams in New York City elementary schools, Agrelo captures a genuine and life-affirming transformation as a group of children evolve from reticent novices to confident contestants versed in the Latin styles of foxtrot, merengue and rumba. Agrelo shares with Tiller the

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39:10

Lisa Cortés & Diego Hurtado de Mendoza (The Space...

The Dangerous Art of the Documentary ·

2024/02/15

"The Space Race", a new film by directors Lisa Cortés and Diego Hurtado de Mendoza, profiles the pioneering Black pilots, scientists, and engineers who joined NASA to serve their country in space, even as their country failed to achieve equality for them back on Earth. From 1963, when the assassination of JFK thwarted Captain Ed Dwight’s quest to reach the moon, to 2020, when the echoes of the civil unrest sparked by the killing of George Floyd reached the International Space Station. In today’s

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55:24

Brett Morgen (Moonage Daydream | Max)

The Dangerous Art of the Documentary ·

2024/02/01

Season 3 kicks off with one of the great nonfiction filmmakers working today, Brett Morgen - the director, writer and editor of the film "Moonage Daydream", which explores David Bowie's creative, spiritual, and musical journey. In his discussion with Tiller, Brett shares how a speech impediment led him to make documentaries (2:45), determining the visual style for each film (6:25), the making of his 2002 film "The Kid Stays in the Picture" (9:10), the origin of "Moonage Daydream" (18:45), the

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41:10

Seth Porges (Class Action Park | Max)

The Dangerous Art of the Documentary ·

2023/12/08

Seth Porges and Chris Charles Scott’s darkly comedic hit film “Class Action Park” skirts the trappings of 1980s nostalgia and chronicles the unbelievable rise and fall of the most insane – and possibly the most dangerous – amusement park that ever existed. In his discussion with Tiller, Seth reflects on the universality of doing idiotic, dangerous things as kids (2:08), the vital tonal shift in the film from hilarity to death (6:40), creating the film on their own dime (19:05), the editorial process

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48:40

Steve James (Hoop Dreams, A Compassionate Spy)

The Dangerous Art of the Documentary ·

2023/11/23

Filmmaker Steve James burst onto the scene in 1994 with his iconic documentary, "Hoop Dreams", a film that is widely considered one of the great works of American nonfiction cinema. His latest film, "A Compassionate Spy", tells the incredible story of Manhattan Project scientist Ted Hall, who, fearing the post-war risk of a nuclear holocaust, shared classified nuclear secrets with the Soviets. In today's episode, Steve discusses with Tiller the lasting legacy of "Hoop Dreams" (2:30), why he's made

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42:26

Kathryn Ferguson (Nothing Compares | Paramount+)

The Dangerous Art of the Documentary ·

2023/11/14

Kathryn Ferguson’s 2022 film “Nothing Compares” follows the career of celebrated singer Sinéad O'Connor through her rise to fame and explores the ways her iconoclastic personality led to exile from the pop mainstream. In today’s episode, Kathryn shares with Tiller the origin for the film (2:00), her writing process (10:00), interweaving archival with audio-only interviews (14:00), creating a visual iconography through original cinematic photography (20:45), screening the film for Sinéad (33:05), and

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48:03

Rhys Thomas & Alex Buono (Documentary Now! | Netflix)

The Dangerous Art of the Documentary ·

2023/10/27

SNL directors and co-creators of the cult favorite Documentary Now! Rhys Thomas and Alex Buono join Tiller to discuss their mockumentary series starring Fred Armisen and Bill Hader, in which each episode is a masterful homage to a classic documentary film style. They reflect on their start at SNL (2:20), the blend of documentary and narrative storytelling (9:20), how much is improvised (13:50), the challenges of making totally unique episodes (20:30) how pressure lends itself to creativity (28:30),

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42:35

Alison Ellwood & Anoosh Tertzakian (San Francisco...

The Dangerous Art of the Documentary ·

2023/10/12

The two-part docuseries “San Francisco Sounds”, helmed by directing duo Alison Ellwood and Anoosh Tertzakian, celebrates the musical and artistic renaissance that exploded in the Bay Area from the mid-sixties into the mid-seventies. Featuring the music of Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin, the Grateful Dead, Steve Miller, and many more, it’s a glimpse into a time and place that changed the world of music, love, and culture forever. Anoosh and Alison talk with Tiller about transitioning from editing

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35:40

Kartiki Gonsalves (The Elephant Whisperers | Netflix)

The Dangerous Art of the Documentary ·

2023/09/29

Kartiki Gonsalves is the first Indian Film Director to have ever won an Academy Award in the history of India, which she received for her 2022 short film “The Elephant Whisperers”. Available on Netflix, this film follows a a couple in South India who devote their lives to caring for an orphaned baby elephant, forging a family like no other that tests the barrier between the human and the animal world. Kartiki shares with Tiller the experience of winning an Oscar (1:45), the origin of the film

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45:34

Chris Passig (Telemarketers | HBO)

The Dangerous Art of the Documentary ·

2023/09/07

Editor Chris Passig’s latest work, HBO’s “Telemarketers”, follows the 20-year journey of two telemarketers as they vow to expose the scam behind the American telemarketing industry. This three-part documentary takes you from an anarchic, seedy New Jersey call center filled with booze, drugs, and debauchery to the halls of the United States Senate as the world's unlikeliest journalists uncover a deep, nation-wide billion-dollar racket. Tiller speaks with Chris about how the series evolved from years

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38:55

Griffin Dunne (Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold...

The Dangerous Art of the Documentary ·

2023/08/24

Actor, writer, producer, director, and loving nephew. Griffin Dunne is the only man who could have directed "Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold", an intimate insight into the remarkable career and tragic struggles his aunt, literary icon Joan Didion. The 2017 film is a touching tribute which includes a trove of archival materials as well as an interview with Didion herself, one of her last appearances before her death in 2021. In this episode, Griffin shares with Tiller his reflections on the

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50:05

Simon Chinn (Searching for Sugar Man, Man on Wire)

The Dangerous Art of the Documentary ·

2023/08/10

The role of the Producer is complex, challenging, and ever-changing. Simon Chinn is a double Oscar-winning Producer who is responsible for some of the most successful feature documentaries of recent years, including “Man on Wire”, “Searching for Sugar Man”, and “LA92”. Simon shares with Tiller his thoughts on producing his first feature “Man on Wire” (1:48), pitching the film to director James Marsh and star Philippe Petit (10:00), the keys to building a prolific career as a documentary producer

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57:02

Jeff Tremaine (Jackass)

The Dangerous Art of the Documentary ·

2023/07/27

Jeff Tremaine is the king of “Jackass”. As director, writer, and producer, he shepherded the hilarious daredevil phenomenon not only onto TV screens in 2000, but into 8 feature films, including the spinoff “Bad Grandpa” and 2022’s “Jackass Forever”. Yet behind the pranks, stunts, and pure Jackass-ery, there is a mastery of documentary filmmaking. Perhaps better than anyone else, Jeff has embodied the phrase “a method to the madness”. In his discussion with Tiller, Jeff reflects on the skateboard

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33:15

Julie Cohen (Every Body | In Theaters)

The Dangerous Art of the Documentary ·

2023/07/06

Director Julie Cohen, best known for her Oscar nominated film “RBG”, crafts a moving and eye-opening exploration of intersexuality in her new theatrical release, “Every Body.” By focusing on the lives of three intersex individuals – actor and screenwriter River Gallo, political consultant Alicia Roth Weigel, and Ph.D. student Sean Saifa Wall – Cohen foregrounds the ways the medical establishment and popular culture have historically denied the complexity of intersexuality by insisting on the

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49:13

Lesley Chilcott (Arnold | Netflix)

The Dangerous Art of the Documentary ·

2023/06/22

Filmmaker Lesley Chilcott – perhaps best known for producing “An Inconvenient Truth” – recently directed Netflix's “Arnold”: a 3-part documentary series examining the life, work and deeper side of the cigar-chomping Governator action movie star…Arnold Schwarzenegger. In her conversation with Tiller, she discusses peeling back the complex layers of Arnold’s story (4:50), her interview process with Arnold (8:30), showing a new side of Arnold in the opening sequence (15:05), selecting the cast of

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42:03

Nick Rosen & Peter Mortimer (The Alpinist | Netflix)

The Dangerous Art of the Documentary ·

2023/06/09

Nick Rosen and Peter Mortimer make climbing films. It’s their world and expertise. And when they heard about Marc-Andre Leclerc, the Canadian free-spirited 23-year-old free soloist who was making some of the boldest ascents in history, they knew they had to track him down. Nomadic and publicity shy, he doesn't own a phone or car, and is reluctant to let a film crew in on his pure vision of climbing. Thus began the journey to create THE ALPINIST, a fascinating, beautiful, and thrillingly filmed

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43:16

Ondi Timoner (Last Flight Home)

The Dangerous Art of the Documentary ·

2023/05/27

Acclaimed director Ondi Timoner’s latest film “Last Flight Home” examines the last days of her father, Eli Timoner, and their family’s emotional turmoil as they grapple with his decision to end his own life. Through the film, Ondi journeys back through Eli's remarkable life to discover the true meaning of tragic loss and enduring love. In her discussion with Tiller, Ondi reflects on the decision to film her dad in hospice (2:24), the powerful personalities in her family (9:20), the right to die

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50:09

R.J. Cutler (Murf the Surf: Jewels, Jesus and Mayhem...

The Dangerous Art of the Documentary ·

2023/05/11

R.J. Cutler’s new four-part documentary series explores the high-stakes Miami criminal underworld through the eyes of the most daring jewel thief in American history turned alleged murderer, Jack Roland Murphy, aka “Murf the Surf.” Featuring exclusive access to Jack Roland Murphy himself prior to his death in 2020, the series addresses the blurred line between fact and fiction, faith and delusion, sanity and madness—raising the timely question of who we believe, and why. In their conversation, R.J

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86 results

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