The Dangerous Art of the Documentary

Co-Directors Dan Geller and Dayna Goldfine reach into the vault to reflect back on their film “Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song”, a beautiful film that tracks how the song "Hallelujah" went from being rejected by Cohen's record label to becoming a beloved global anthem. Dan and Dayna discuss the challenges of constructing the biography of an artist’s soul (3:30), earning Leonard’s trust shortly before his death (14:30), why they insisted on making the film independently (25:00), their co-directing and collaboration method (34:30), and the importance of theatrical releases for documentaries (39:30).

Produced by: Jacob Miller

Executive Producer: Tiller Russell

Music by: James Carroll, Graham Tracey & Zydepunk

Distributed by: Jake Brennan & Brady Sadler, Double Elvis Productions

Friend of the show and Oscar winning director Orlando von Einsiedel returns to the podcast to discuss his latest masterpiece, “Cycle of Love”, an inspiring, epic true-life adventure about self-belief, destiny, the courage to risk everything for love, and the power of human connection. In his conversation with Tiller, Orlando reflects on undertaking this massive story (4:00), filming around the world (11:00), the universality of love in storytelling (24:15), directing his characters’ “performances” (29:00), and purest definition of directing (34:00).

Produced by: Jacob Miller

Executive Producer: Tiller Russell

Music by: James Carroll, Graham Tracey & Zydepunk

Distributed by: Jake Brennan & Brady Sadler, Double Elvis Productions

Director Maite Alberdi latest genre-bending film “A Child of My Own” blends narrative and nonfiction filmmaking to tell the wild true story of a woman who pretended to be pregnant and kidnapped a newborn baby from a hospital. Maite talks with Tiller about her creative inspirations (2:30), striking the complex tone of drama and outlandish humor (10:00), why she breaks the fourth wall in the film (17:30), her personal journey to empathize with the film’s main character (27:00), and the moment she knew she had to make this film (36:00).

Produced by: Jacob Miller

Executive Producer: Tiller Russell

Music by: James Carroll, Graham Tracey & Zydepunk

Distributed by: Jake Brennan & Brady Sadler, Double Elvis Productions

Director Sara Dosa’s latest film “Time and Water” follows Icelandic writer and poet Andri Magnason as he reflects on melting glaciers and his family's history. It premiered at Sundance to critical acclaim. Sara and Andri join Tiller on the show to discuss when Andri first captured Sara’s imagination (5:30), how glaciers hold memories (11:30), the role of myth in the climate crisis (25:00), their collaborative writing process (33:00), and what frightened Andri most while making this film (40:00).

Produced by: Jacob Miller

Executive Producer: Tiller Russell

Music by: James Carroll, Graham Tracey & Zydepunk

Distributed by: Jake Brennan & Brady Sadler, Double Elvis Productions

Director Joshua Seftel’s Oscar-winning short documentary “All The Empty Rooms” follows veteran CBS News correspondent Steve Hartman and photographer Lou Bopp as they embark on a seven-year-long project to document the empty bedrooms of children killed in school shootings. Joshua shares with Tiller the origin of the film (2:00), respecting the spaces while still filming (14:00), how little objects express who we are (23:00), the process of removal (28:30), and the gratification of winning an Oscar (35:30). 

Produced by: Jacob Miller

Executive Producer: Tiller Russell

Music by: James Carroll, Graham Tracey & Zydepunk

Distributed by: Jake Brennan & Brady Sadler, Double Elvis Productions

Director Isabel Castro’s latest Netflix documentary “Selena y Los Dinos”, featuring never-before-seen footage and intimate interviews, celebrates the life and legacy of iconic Mexican American singer Selena Quintanilla and her family band. Selena talks to Tiller about falling in love with the genre of music documentaries (2:00), how she relates to Selena’s story (8:00), Selena’s legacy (19:00), how she approaches journalistic integrity as a documentarian (28:00), and what she’s learned about fact vs an artist’s truth (33:00). 

Produced by: Jacob Miller

Executive Producer: Tiller Russell

Music by: James Carroll, Graham Tracey & Zydepunk

Distributed by: Jake Brennan & Brady Sadler, Double Elvis Productions

Director’s Felipe Bustos Sierra’s latest film, “Everybody to Kenmure Street”, which chronicles the resistance to an immigration raid in Glasgow in 2021, is a brilliant and personal evocation of his own identity as the son of an exiled journalist by the Chilean dictatorship. In his discussion with Tiller, Felipe shares how injustice is a common language (4:00), when he knew that he had to make this film (10:30), how the camera is a weapon of resistance (22:00), incorporating Emma Thompson into the film (33:00), and his full circle advice for a young filmmaker (40:30).

Produced by: Jacob Miller

Executive Producer: Tiller Russell

Music by: James Carroll, Graham Tracey & Zydepunk

Distributed by: Jake Brennan & Brady Sadler, Double Elvis Productions

Co-directors Lindsay Utz and Michelle Walshe’s documentary “Prime Minister”, which premiered at Sundance to critical acclaim, chronicles Jacinda Ardern’s unexpected journey as New Zealand’s 40th Prime Minister, offering an unfiltered window into her personal journey of family, motherhood, democracy and hardship. They share with Tiller where this film began (5:30), their most incredible archival discoveries (14:00), the future of the “follow doc” (20:30), and striking the dramatic tonal shifts of Jacinda’s life (29:00).

Produced by: Jacob Miller

Executive Producer: Tiller Russell

Music by: James Carroll, Graham Tracey & Zydepunk

Distributed by: Jake Brennan & Brady Sadler, Double Elvis Productions

In the charming, heartfelt documentary “The Last Journey”, Swedish TV personality Filip Hammar embarks on a cross-country road trip with his ailing father with the goal of rekindling his zest for life. In his discussion with Tiller, Filip shares how the film has made his 80-year-old father the most beloved man in Sweden (2:30), the similarity between himself and Johnny Knoxville (17:00), how humor accents sadness (26:30), taking inspiration from Errol Morris and Werner Herzog (34:00), and his father’s one-line review of the film (42:30).

Produced by: Jacob Miller

Executive Producer: Tiller Russell

Music by: James Carroll, Graham Tracey & Zydepunk

Distributed by: Jake Brennan & Brady Sadler, Double Elvis Productions

David Terry Fine’s Netflix documentary “Dirty Pop” tells the story of Lou Pearlman, the architect of the modern boy band era and the extraordinary web of lies, deceit, exploitation and greed that propped up his music empire. In his discussion with Tiller, David reflects on his journey from the edit chair to the director’s chair (2:00), the importance of pushing against creative gatekeepers (11:30), posthumously bringing the lead character to life (24:00), the ethics of utilizing A.I. tools in documentaries (32:00) and his experience rewatching the final film (42:00). 

Produced by: Jacob Miller

Executive Producer: Tiller Russell

Music by: James Carroll, Graham Tracey & Zydepunk

Distributed by: Jake Brennan & Brady Sadler, Double Elvis Productions