Factual America

In this special episode three of the five nominees for this year's Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject) join us to discuss their films.  

When We Were Bullies, by the Award-winning director and writer Jay Rosenblatt, follows Jay as he tracks down his fifth-grade class and their teacher to examine their memories of and complicity in a bullying incident over 50 years ago.

We are next joined by award-winning director and producer Matthew Ogens. His short documentary Audible, produced by Netflix, follows football player Amaree McKenstry-Hall and his Maryland School for the Deaf teammates, as they attempt to defend their winning streak while coming to terms with the tragic loss of a close friend.

A two-time Oscar nominee, Ben Proudfoot discusses his short doc The Queen of Basketball, which tells the largely unknown story of Lusia Harris, the first and only woman to be officially drafted into the NBA.

“I love using the short documentary format to circumvent the traditional gatekeepers of what kind of stories get told.” - Ben Proudfoot

Once the pride of American technological know-how, Boeing took a wrong turn toward achieving the bottom line at all costs, even if it meant keeping pilots in the dark and putting passengers' lives at risk. In the end, two Boeing 737 MAX airliners crashed, killing 346 people.

Boeing's PR campaign immediately went into action to disparage and cast aspersions on the flight crews and their countries. Luckily, the families and a few intrepid reporters and politicians would not take Boeing's word as final.

The new Netflix documentary Downfall: The Case Against Boeing, directed and produced by award-winning filmmaker Rory Kennedy, explores the aftermath of the two tragedies and who should be held responsible for them. 

Watch the full interview at https://www.alamopictures.co.uk/podcast/the-downfall-of-boeing/ 

“If you went and killed one person you’d probably spend the rest of your life in prison, so why is a corporation protected, why are the people who run corporations protected?” - Rory Kennedy

Ivete Lucas and Patrick Bresnan are award-winning filmmakers. Their documentary films have premiered at Sundance and won multiple awards including the Directors Fortnight best short film prize at Cannes. Patrick and Ivete's body of work focuses on the seldom seen and forgotten parts of American society.

Their most recent short Happiness is a Journey, produced by the Guardian, captures a night in the life of Eddie “Bear” Lopez, who spends his Christmas Eve and early Christmas Day delivering newspapers around Austin, Texas. 

Ivete and Patrick join us to talk about their films, upcoming projects and how they find the inspiration and subjects for their films. 

Watch the full interview at https://www.alamopictures.co.uk/podcast/happiness-is-a-journey/

“It’s the process of creating beauty and music, and then thinking why that is missing from our collective consciousness of who we are as a country, or as people, that inspires to make films.” – Ivete Lucas

Brian Wilson was the co-founder of the seminal 60s rock group The Beach Boys, as the leader and creative genius behind the band’s many hits. Brian Wilson has influenced generations of pop stars, including Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, Taylor Hawkins and other pop royalty. 

Award-winning documentary filmmaker Brent Wilson joins us for the second time to discuss his new film, Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road. The film follows Brian on a journey, both literally and figuratively, of Brian’s old stomping grounds and memories which include over a half-century of battling mental illness.

Brent explains how he was able to bring a new angle to the rock legend that is Brian Wilson, all while exploring what it means to be human.

Watch the full interview at https://www.alamopictures.co.uk/podcast/brian-wilson-long-promised-road/

“Brian Wilson doesn't think in a linear fashion, so he's not going to start with the beginning of his life…and we ended up with 70 hours of footage in the car.” - Brent Wilson

Marilyn Monroe almost requires no introduction. The iconic star of the silver screen still resonates with the viewing public even 60 years after her untimely death. But do we need to rethink her legacy or how she's been portrayed?

Acclaimed documentary filmmaker Karen McGann certainly thinks so. Her new docu-series Reframed: Marilyn Monroe rethinks the legacy of one of the greatest icons of the 20th century's popular culture.

Although in the media she was portrayed in a certain light, in reality Marilyn may have been a feminist trailblazer well ahead of her time. In the CNN docu-series, Karen explored the strategic ways Marilyn pushed her career forward, the intelligence behind her persona, and the complex nature of her life.

Watch the full episode at https://factualamerica.com

“We think we know the story of Marilyn Monroe, we have a very fixed point of view of her, and this documentary is about looking at her story from a more feminist perspective.” - Karen McGann

Secrets of Playboy (2021) documents the lived experiences of Playboy playmates, the Playboy Bunnies, and employees of the Playboy empire, and the abuse they went through at the hands of its founder Hugh Hefner. 

Award-winning filmmaker Alexandra Dean joins us to discuss the making of this 10-part series currently streaming on A&E, and what it was like to uncover the abuses that occurred at Playboy.  

She explains how Hugh Hefner broke women and was able to build up a persona of sexual liberation while creating a culture of abuse. Through the series she also explores why it was so difficult for old playmates to talk about what had happened behind closed doors at the mansion.

“Hugh Hefner seemed to block that darker side of himself when he was outside of the bedroom. He completely inhabited the much more progressive person that people truly loved, but he had secrets which unleashed a lot of damage.” – Alexandra Dean

Writing with Fire (2021) is an inspiring story about India's only newspaper run by Dalit, low-caste women. Armed with smartphones and tenacity, chief reporter Meera Devi and her journalists break traditions as they break stories and tackle India's biggest issues. In the process, they are redefining what it means to be powerful socially. 

Writing with Fire is one of this year's Academy Award nominees for The Best Feature Documentary. The film has already won the Audience Award and Special Jury Award at Sundance Film Festival 2021, and a host of other awards at over a hundred film festivals around the world.

Award-winning co-director, co-producer, editor and cinematographer of Writing with Fire, Sushmit Ghosh, joins us to share the five-year journey of making this film in collaboration with his partner in film and life, Rintu Thomas. He reveals what drew him and Rintu to this story, how they chose the subjects, and how the film was received worldwide. 

Watch the full interview at: https://www.alamopictures.co.uk/podcast/writing-with-fire/

“It’s not just a story about a journalist who’s managing an institution that may or may not grow, it’s a story about a mother, a wife and a daughter, and the guilt that women have to bear in making choices on a day to day basis.” - Sushmit Ghosh

Neymar: The Perfect Chaos, currently streaming on Netflix, tells the story of the beloved but often criticised footballer Neymar, the highs and lows of his personal life, and his brilliant football career.

Award-winning filmmaker David Charles Rodrigues joins us to discuss the film and reveals how he gained almost full access to Neymar’s life.  

During filming of this documentary, David found sides to Neymar that he found surprising. In the process, he managed to build a strong relationship with the player.

We also touch on what it was like working with LeBron James, who serves as Executive Producer on the series, and his athlete empowerment brand Uninterrupted.  

Watch the full interview at https://www.alamopictures.co.uk/podcast/neymar-the-perfect-chaos/

“Neymar understood that he really needed to give me everything so that I could tell the best story possible.” - David Charles Rodrigues  

HBO's original documentary Dear Rider tells the inspirational story of Jake Burton Carpenter, who pioneered the sport of snowboarding. 

Fernando Villena, award-winning filmmaker and the director of Dear Rider, discusses Jake’s life as a snowboarding legend. The film shows how Jake took his favourite childhood toy and turned it into a global cultural phenomenon. 

Fernando not only talks about Jake's vision and passion for the sport he invented, but also how multiple diseases tragically ended his life prematurely. The legacy Jake left behind inspired millions including Woody Harrelson, who narrates the film. 

“His mind exploded and he thought, oh my god, I can actually surf on snow. And that became his obsession, that along with making a lot of money.” – Fernando Villena  

Watch the interview at https://factualamerica.com

Hell or High Seas (2021) follows U.S. Navy veteran Taylor Grieger and writer Stephen O’Shea on their two-year adventure sailing around Cape Horn, in some of the world’s most treacherous waters. The purpose of this extreme journey was to raise awareness about PTSD and the challenges facing veterans as they return to civilian life.

Taylor Grieger, director Glenn Holsten and producer Chayne Gregg join us to share the incredible story of how two high school buddies embarked on a journey to help veterans with PTSD—in the process helping Taylor to find healing himself. 

Taylor, Glenn and Chayne discuss how the adventure became a film and how Taylor and Stephen managed to get such amazing footage even with minimal filming experience, while facing up to the challenges of shooting in such dangerous conditions. We discuss Taylor's experience with PTSD, how it affects military veterans and what can be done to help PTSD sufferers recover. 

“There’s no performance here. It’s just their daily life together on this boat.” - Glenn Holsten

Watch the interview at https://www.alamopictures.co.uk/podcast/hell-or-high-seas/