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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

32:06

Inside Lady Bird Johnson’s White House: Recording a...

Factual America ·

2023/12/22

Lady Bird Johnson is best known today as the wife of Lyndon Baines Johnson, 36th President of the USA between 1963-69. However, there was much more to her life than simply the role of ‘First Lady’. In this episode of Factual America, Matthew Sherwood takes a deep dive into Lady Bird Johnson’s life with Dawn Porter, director of new documentary film, The Lady Bird Diaries. It’s 1963. Liz Carpenter, Lady Bird’s Press Secretary, suggests that she records her ‘thoughts and experiences’ on a tape

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26:34

Finding Hope amidst Hate in A Town Called Victoria

Factual America ·

2023/12/13

On January 28th 2017, a mosque in Victoria, Texas was burnt to the ground by an arsonist. In the aftermath, Victorians stood side-by-side with their Muslim neighbours. In A Town Called Victoria, Li Lu – who grew up in nearby Sugar Land, Texas – explores what happened next: to the town, its Islamic community, and to the arsonist, who was soon apprehended. Li joins Matthew Sherwood to discuss her series, its themes, which include white supremacy, patriotism and mental illness, as well as the limits of

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22:01

Stamping Out Racist Lies: America’s Truth

Factual America ·

2023/12/06

Racism is a blight upon the United States of America, and has been all through the country’s history. In Stamped from the Beginning, a documentary film featuring and based on the book of the same name by Dr. Ibram X Kendi, director Roger Ross Williams explores the history of racist ideas in the US. Using an innovative array of methods, including VFX, animation, and music, he explores how the Trans-Atlantic slave trade gave birth to racist ideas, and how racist myths regarding black hypersexuality

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37:08

How the Cabbage Patch Kids Conquered America

Factual America ·

2023/11/30

In 1983 America was overwhelmed by a disaster, the likes of which it had never seen before. Hysteria led to riots; mayhem became the norm. And the reason? Chubby, potato faced toys: the Cabbage Patch Kids. In this episode of Factual America, Matthew Sherwood meets Dan Goodman, co-executive producer of Billion Dollar Babies, a documentary about the rise and rise of the awkward looking but homely and utterly desirable Cabbage Patch Kids. They discuss the origin of the Cabbage Patch Kids’ success,

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35:33

Wisdom in the Shadows of Dementia

Factual America ·

2023/11/22

In 1999, Rose Tajiri, a second-generation Japanese-American, was diagnosed with dementia. She was 76. Over the following years, as her condition worsened, her daughter, filmmaker Rea Tajiri, became her caregiver. In Wisdom Gone Wild Rea documents the journey that she and her mother took together, a journey that sees them navigate both the now of life with dementia and the past as Rose recalls memories from her early years, including the time she spent in an internment camp during the Second World

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48:43

Carlos Santana: Discovering the Spirit of the Man.

Factual America ·

2023/11/15

Carlos is a documentary that takes the viewer from legendary guitarist Carlos Santana’s beginnings in Mexico to concerts across the world in a musical career that has lasted over fifty years. It goes off-stage as well, exploring his spiritual journey and life with his family, from mother and father, to siblings, and children. In this episode of Factual America, Matthew Sherwood meets Carlos’ director, Rudy Valdez, to discuss Santana’s storied life. Their conversation reveals Carlos as an innovative

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29:19

Sylvester Stallone: Portrait of a Son, Icon, and Man

Factual America ·

2023/11/08

To call Sylvester Stallone a film star is only the beginning of any conversation about him. Movies such as Rocky and Rambo have made him an American icon. But even that barely scrapes the surface of who he really is. In Sly, a new documentary film available to watch now on Netflix, director Thom Zimny takes a deep dive into Sylvester Stallone’s story. He starts with the actor we all know before introducing us to the man behind the persona: Stallone the writer, director, and even, painter. He goes

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26:37

Something Ghostly This Way Comes: The Enfield...

Factual America ·

2023/10/30

In The Enfield Poltergeist, Jerry Rothwell uses over 250 hours of audio recordings made by paranormal investigator Maurice Grosse to revisit the case of 284 Green Street in Enfield, North London. There, for a period of eighteen months starting in August 1977, the Hodgson family witnessed furniture move of its own accord, objects get thrown across rooms, and heard disembodied voices speak. Or did they? Some investigators were convinced, others were not. In The Enfield Poltergeist, Jerry builds a

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32:01

Are We Alone? UFO Encounters from around the World

Factual America ·

2023/10/04

Welcome to the first episode of the fifth season of Factual America! Joining host Matthew Sherwood is Yon Motskin, the director of Encounters, a new Netflix docu-series about four UFO/alien encounters from around the world. Encounters tells a story that is both epic and intimate in its range. It not only explores what occurred when a diverse range of witnesses – including school children, hoteliers, law enforcement officials, and rescue workers – came face-to-face with the seemingly impossible, but

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28:42

Wayne Shorter: Visionary, Innovator, Icon and Human...

Factual America ·

2023/08/23

Wayne Shorter has long been considered one of the greatest modern composers and musicians of American music. His career reads like a Who’s Who of the genre, starting with Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers, then the Miles Davis Quintet, followed by solo fame and the founding of fusion super group Weather Report. His collaborations extend beyond jazz greats such as Herbie Hancock and Ron Carter to include Carlos Santana, Joni Mitchel, Milton Nascimento and Steely Dan, just to name a few. In Wayne

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37:49

From the Tennis Court to New York: Exploring John...

Factual America ·

2023/08/09

John McEnroe’s volcanic temper on the tennis court is legendary. But there was always more to him than just the explosive outbursts. In McEnroe, a documentary now available to watch on Sky Documentaries and streaming service NOW, John McEnroe takes a night time journey through his home town of New York, reflecting on, discussing, and interrogating his life on and off the court. Joining Matthew Sherwood is the film’s director Barney Douglas. He shares how McEnroe has changed from his wilder, younger

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18:59

Mining Appalachia: Preserving the Story of King Coal

Factual America ·

2023/08/02

For 200 years, the people of central Appalachia in the US have lived off the industry of coal. Now, though, times are changing, and the coal industry is dying. One day, it will become no more than a memory. Director Elaine McMillion Sheldon describes King Coal as “part documentary, part fable”, and the film aims to not only tell the story of Appalachia and its coal, but also to preserve Appalachians’ memory of it. And that is not all. Through Lanie and Gabby, two young Appalachian girls, Elaine

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45:42

Transforming the Planet: Discussing the Human Footprint

Factual America ·

2023/07/29

Humanity is the master of the world. But how did we achieve this? And what do our actions say about us as a people? These are the questions at the heart of Human Footprint, a new PBS docu-series directed by Nate Dappen and Neil Losin. They join Matthew Sherwood to discuss the programme, which they describe as ‘a science show that explores human history and culture’. Human Footprint starts with an exploration of invasive species. Nate and Neil discuss our response to this problem, which we created

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01:06:16

Last Flight Home: The Death and Life of Eli Timoner

Factual America ·

2023/07/06

Eli Timoner lived a life founded on love. As a result, long after an accidental stroke forced him into retirement, he was celebrated by his former workers. And when he died aged 92, on 3rd March 2021, he did so, surrounded by his family. Last Flight Home, a documentary by Eli’s daughter Ondi, tells the story of his last days. But more than that, it relates how Eli chose the date of his passing, something he was able to do through California’s End of Life Option Act. In this moving and poignant

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52:47

Masterclass: Discussing Maestra with Maggie Contreras

Factual America ·

2023/06/28

Once upon a time, to be the conductor of an orchestra was to be a man. No longer. Female conductors, however, are still very much a rarity. The Paris based La Maestra Competition aims to break down the barriers that women still face in becoming conductors by giving them a space to showcase their skills. In Maestra, Maggie Contreras follows five women as they prepare to take part in the 2022 La Maestra Competition. Among them are Mélisse, a Parisian from Iowa, Zoe, a single mother who juggles her

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55:31

Arnold: Exploring Schwarzenegger‘s Three Lives

Factual America ·

2023/06/21

Arnold Schwarzenegger is one of the most recognisable figures in the world today. His meteoric rise to fame began in the 1960s and 70s when he won the coveted Mr Olympia and Mr Universe bodybuilding titles multiple times. In the 80s and 90s, Schwarzenegger starred in some of the most successful action films ever to be made, including The Terminator, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, and Predator. And in 2003, he won election as governor of California, a feat he would repeat in 2007. But life hasn’t always

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39:07

Early 2000s New York: the Last Romantic Age of...

Factual America ·

2023/05/31

It’s the 1990s, and in New York, guitar music is at its nadir. But as the new millennium approaches, new bands rise out of the ashes of the past. The Strokes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Interpol, and LCD Soundsystem, are just a few of those bringing a new, powerful sound to the Big Apple. In the middle of this renewal, however, another, wholly discordant, sound rings out over New York: that of terror on 9/11. And in the years that follow, more changes take place. Rents rise, ending the ability of upcoming

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38:14

Working: What We Do All Day featuring Barack Obama

Factual America ·

2023/05/25

Working: What We Do All Day is a docu-series that explores both what it means to work and the ways in which the meaning of work is changing. Presented by former US President Barack Obama, the docu-series focuses on people working in three different industries: technology, hospitality, and home care. Through him, we hear of their dreams, and their reality; their hopes, and their fears. Joining Matthew Sherwood to discuss Working: What We Do All Day is its director, Caroline Suh. Among other things,

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23:17

32 Sounds: Exploring the Most Mysterious and Profound...

Factual America ·

2023/05/10

It’s March 2020 and the pandemic has just begun. All of a sudden, director Sam Green has a lot of time on his hands. He uses it to read a book, which mentions Annea Lockwood, a composer, who has spent fifty years recording the sound of rivers. Intrigued, he contacts her. Their conversation leads Sam to contemplate sound. The result is 32 Sounds, a documentary that he describes as a ‘meditation’ upon a subject that is both ‘mysterious’ and ‘ephemeral’ but yet can still make a powerful impact on us

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48:52

Reimagine Wildfire: An Elemental Threat That We Can...

Factual America ·

2023/05/03

In 2018, the Californian town of Paradise was destroyed by a wildfire. How did it happen? Could anything have been done to limit or even stop the inferno? Global warming has made the risk of wildfires greater than ever before, and there are people who believe that we are doing all that we can to stop them. As Trip Jennings tells Matthew Sherwood, however, he was tired of hearing this message. And so, he spent five years researching wildfires. The result is Elemental, a documentary that reveals there

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191 results

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