Filmwax Radio is proud to welcome 3 female documentary filmmakers to the podcast for their first time.

First up is the filmmaker Wendy Lobel. “Anxiety Club” provides an intimate and humorous look at anxiety through the eyes and minds of some of the most brilliant comedians working today. Marc Maron, Tiffany Jenkins, Baron Vaughn, Aparna Nancherla, Mark Normand, Eva Victor and Joe List offer candid reflections on their relationship with anxiety through exclusive interviews, standup performances, sketch videos, therapy sessions, and everyday life. With rare access to private therapy sessions, the film follows comedian Tiffany Jenkins (a content creator with over 9 million followers) as she undergoes behavioral therapy, capturing the profound changes her treatment brings about. Others find support from alternative sources, such as world-renowned meditation expert Tara Brach, PhD, or the psychologist-in-residence at The Laugh Factory, or simply from mentors in the comedy community. All of the comedians in “Anxiety Club” have created standup or sketch material about their mental health that is not only funny but uniquely relatable and disarming to audiences. With comedy, vulnerability, and honesty, these comedians provide remarkable insight into anxiety – the most prevalent mental health disorder affecting an estimated 300 million people worldwide.

Then filmmakers Steph Ching and Ellen Martinez with their PBS documentary “Slumlord Millionaire“. Winner of the Audience Award at the 2024 DOC NYC Film Festival, “Slumlord Millionaire” explores the rapid gentrification of New York City neighborhoods and the housing crisis sweeping not only New York but the nation. Median rents nationwide are higher than ever, and in Manhattan, the average rent is now almost $5,000 per month. As rents increase, some landlords have become aggressive in getting long-term tenants to leave: ignoring repairs, turning off heat and gas, and doing nothing to eliminate mold and vermin infestations. The landlord’s goal is to make the apartment so uninhabitable that residents are forced out, allowing them to deregulate the apartment and turn it over to market rate for a high profit. These actions drive up costs in the already unaffordable housing market and displace families who make up the fabric of these neighborhoods, changing communities forever. “Slumlord Millionaire,”  premieres on the PBS series VOCES on Monday, July 28, 2025, 10:00-11:30 p.m. ET (check local listings) on PBS, PBS.org and the PBS app.