NOTE: The $740,000 question is a podcast from Plain Talk producer Matt Fern.

After sending a letter to Governor Doug Burgum and receiving no response, a coalition of 27 filmmakers from across North Dakota hold a press conference outside the Attorney General’s office to demand transparency and accountability in how one filmmaker received $740,000 from the Department of Commerce. But despite the media attention and growing public scrutiny, state officials remain silent. The Governor never replies. The Attorney General passes the buck. And the ND Commerce insists nothing was done wrong.

In this episode, filmmaker Matt Fern walks through the aftermath of the press conference and the months of waiting for answers. We hear from the State Auditor, whose report confirms the process was flawed, with a grant application window open for just six business days. But while the timeline may have been unusual, the audit stops short of calling it illegal.

With no one taking responsibility, and no clear authority stepping in, Matt files a formal ethics complaint—only to discover how limited and untested the Ethics Commission process really is. Meanwhile, Canticle Productions begins building film sets, hiring crew, and raising more money for multiple films—without ever publicly addressing the controversy.

And it all leads to one big question: if no one in the state is willing to investigate, who will?