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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

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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39:25

Jason Isbell: Portrait of the Musician as a Young Man

Factual America ·

2023/04/26

In 2019, four-time Grammy award winner Jason Isbell recorded his album Reunions. As he did so, he discussed his life and work with director Sam Jones. The result is Jason Isbell: Running With Our Eyes Closed, an unflinchingly honest account of a difficult childhood, Jason’s addiction to drink and drugs, the ups and downs of his marriage to fellow musician Amanda Shires, and how he has poured his life into his music. In this episode of Factual America, Sam joins Matthew Sherwood to discuss his film

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34:58

The Rise and Fall of America's Most Corrupt Police Squad

Factual America ·

2023/04/19

The Gun Trace Task Force (GTTF) was meant to help the Baltimore Police Department fight violent crime. Instead, its officers terrorised innocent civilians. In 2017, a criminal investigation resulted in the successful prosecution of the officers, and they were convicted of extortion, fraud, racketeering, and robbery. In I Got A Monster, director Kevin Abrams tells the story of what happened, and how a crusading defence attorney named Ivan Bates helped bring the corrupt police officers to justice. In

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39:20

Waco: The Tragedy that Still Haunts America

Factual America ·

2023/04/12

February, 1993. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) has received word that the Branch Davidians, a cult based near Waco, Texas, is stockpiling illegal weapons at their compound. The ATF attempts to storm the base but the cultists know they are coming and force them to retreat. A 51-day siege follows, and it only ends when the compound is consumed by fire. 82 are killed, including 28 children. In this episode of Factual America, Matthew Sherwood meets Tiller Russell, director and

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48:09

Charles Starkweather: The Murder Victim Who Lived

Factual America ·

2023/03/15

In the winter of 1957-58, 19 year old Charlie Starkweather went on a killing spree that would claim eleven victims before he and his accomplice, Caril Ann Fugate, were caught. At their trial, both were found guilty of murder. Charlie was executed while Caril was given a life sentence, later reduced. In The 12th Victim, Nicola Marsh explores what happened during the killing spree from Caril’s perspective. She shows how, contrary to what was said at the time, Caril was not Charlie’s girlfriend but his

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40:47

Investigating MH370: The Plane that Disappeared

Factual America ·

2023/03/08

The disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 represents one of the greatest mysteries in modern aviation history. On March 8th 2014 the plane left Kuala Lumpur on a scheduled flight to Beijing. Forty minutes later, the captain and Kuala Lumpur Air Traffic Control bade each other good night. That was the last communication between MH370 and the outside world. Less than two hours later, having been tracked by military radar, the aeroplane disappeared from sight somewhere over the Andaman Sea

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01:08:47

The Day Fatboy Slim Narrowly Avoided Disaster

Factual America ·

2023/03/01

Right Here, Right Now represents a beginning and an end. As director Jak Hutchcraft tells Matthew Sherwood, the film is his directorial debut. A concert, like the one that forms the film’s subject, however, will likely never be repeated in the UK again. The year is 2002. Superstar DJ Fatboy Slim (Norman Cook) has decided to put on a free concert at Brighton beach. The authorities expected “around 50,000 people to attend” explains Jak. On the day, however, 250,000 fans crowd onto the beach. The

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01:08:25

Oscar Nominations 2023: Three Tales from the Past and...

Factual America ·

2023/02/22

The Martha Mitchell Effect Martha Mitchell, wife of John Mitchell, Attorney General of the US under President Richard Nixon, was not afraid to speak ‘truth to power’. She was so influential that President Nixon would go on to say that without her, there would have been no Watergate scandal. Despite her important role, Mitchell has, in the years since Watergate, become a forgotten figure. Co-producer of The Martha Mitchell Effect, Judith Mizrachy states that this is a result of a successful

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39:56

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

Factual America ·

2023/02/15

Whether or not you give a f*ck, this is the film for you. If you don’t care about anyone or anything, The Subtle Art shows why you should. If you do care, The Subtle Art shows why you shouldn’t. It may have something to say, but The Subtle Art says nothing new. As director Nathan Price tells Matthew Sherwood, it uses ‘very old knowledge... Buddhism... stoicism... wisdom that's existed through the ages’ but it speaks in a ‘punky’ way that makes the film’s message fresh and relatable for people

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37:01

Moonage Daydream: David Bowie’s Impressionistic Life

Factual America ·

2023/02/08

David Bowie lived a life of extraordinary creativity and success. It was also a life of controversy, radical changes of direction, and an unceasing desire to push his art to the limits. He was a cultural icon and an artistic genius. How does someone make a film about such a figure? According to the director of Moonage Daydream, and this episode’s guest, Brett Morgen, you have to first know your limitations: you won’t be able to cover everything so look for the ‘through line of action’, the theme

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42:28

Dog Days: The Truth Behind Gunther’s Millions

Factual America ·

2023/02/01

Gunther’s Millions is about a dog who is living anything but a dog’s life. Gunther is a German Shepherd. He lives a life of luxury thanks to a trust fund. But did a Countess really bequeath her money to him? And what can be his interest in the homes of celebrities, pop bands, and perhaps even a sex cult? The answer, of course, is that – being a dog – he has no interest in any of these things at all. The humans who look after him, however, now that’s another matter. In this episode of Factual

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55:53

Pelosi in the House – a life of service in troubling...

Factual America ·

2023/01/25

In the course of her 36 year – and counting – political career, Nancy Pelosi has redefined what American women may achieve in politics. Two stints as House Speaker and twenty years as leader of the House Democrats have made her one of the most important female politicians of the early twenty-first century. With her every step of the way has been her daughter, Alexandra, whose new HBO/Sky documentary, Pelosi in the House, is the fruit of their relationship as well as over thirty years of work

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50:52

Phil Spector – Music Legend and Murderer

Factual America ·

2023/01/19

Phil Spector was a musical genius. His brilliance as a producer made him a legend. On February 3rd 2003 he shot Lana Clarkson dead. In 2009, he was convicted of murder, and died in prison on January 16th 2021. Spector is a four-part Showtime docu-series (available to watch on Sky Documentaries in the U.K.). In it, series co-directors Sheena M. Joyce and Don Argott examine not only Spector’s ‘life and legacy’ but also the person of Lana Clarkson. As they tell host, Matthew Sherwood, they want to

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32:37

How Bernie Madoff Became the Monster of Wall Street

Factual America ·

2023/01/11

No one knows when Bernie Madoff created the Ponzi scheme that would one day lose $64 billion and ruin many lives. Madoff said it started late on. In this episode of Factual America, Joe Berlinger, director and executive producer of Madoff: The Monster of Wall Street, tells host, Matthew Sherwood, that he thinks it was right at the start of Madoff’s career, after he lost $30,000 of investors’ money and, upon receiving a loan to pay it back, chose to lie about what had happened rather than admit the

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31:08

I am Vanessa Guillen

Factual America ·

2023/01/04

Christy Wegener, director and producer of I Am Vanessa Guillen, joins Matthew Sherwood to tell the story of Private First Class Vanessa Guillen. In 2020, after suffering from sexual harassment by a superior, Vanessa was murdered by a fellow soldier at Fort Hood army base outside Killeen, Texas. In the months that followed, her family refused to let either their grief or the weight of the military silence them, and started a campaign to win justice for their sister and daughter, and all victims of

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51:37

FIFA Uncovered

Factual America ·

2022/12/21

This week on Factual America, Matthew Sherwood is joined by Miles Coleman, writer and co-producer of Netflix docu-series, FIFA Uncovered. When the Fédération Internationale de Football Association – more popularly known as FIFA – was founded in 1904, its remit was simple: to oversee a competition between various footballing nations. Today, however, it is a multi-billion dollar organisation that operates almost as a nation state. FIFA Uncovered explores the governing body’s rise and the fall of

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44:27

Santa Camp

Factual America ·

2022/12/14

Every summer, a horde of professional Santas, Mrs. Clauses and elves descend on a campsite in the New Hampshire woods to learn the tricks of their trade. But this year is different. As Santas adapt to a modern world and embrace inclusivity, they are met with a lot of love but a lot of hate too. Filmmakers Nick Sweeney and Stacey Reiss join us to talk about how they got such an unprecedented insight into Santa Camp, what it was like filming hundreds of Santas, and the biggest challenges they

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39:44

Ghislaine Maxwell: Filthy Rich

Factual America ·

2022/12/06

Disgraced financier and convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein, was an infamous sexual predator, using his money and influence to hide is secret life preying on young girls. But he did not act alone. Ghislaine Maxwell, the British socialite and daughter of privilege was just as much a monster as Epstein, as revealed by the new Netflix documentary, Ghislaine Maxwell: Filthy Rich. Join Matthew Sherwood as he talks with Maiken Baird and Lisa Bryant, co-directors and executive producers, about the

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47:39

Pepsi, Where’s My Jet?

Factual America ·

2022/12/01

In 1996 a Pepsi giveaway competition inspired John Leonard, a young mountain guide from Seattle, to do everything he could to claim the top prize – a Harrier jet. Realising that it was physically impossible to drink enough cans of cola to earn the necessary 7,000,000 points, John hatched a plan that soon had him facing off against a team of corporate lawyers. A David versus Goliath story for the ages, Pepsi, Where’s My Jet? – a new docuseries from Netflix – celebrates the human spirit and

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01:13:41

The Letter

Factual America ·

2022/11/23

Nicolas Brown’s new documentary, The Letter, takes its name from Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’ 2015 letter on the care for ‘our common home’ – the earth. The film explores the journey of a group of people from different walks of life – some from the margins of society, others closer to the centre – as they make their way to the Vatican, for a meeting with the Pope. In this special episode of Factual America, Nicolas and host Matthew Sherwood discuss The Letter’s twin themes: the climate crisis and

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