The Evolving Role of Documentary Film Festivals in a Streaming Era

Chuck Todd reacts to Donald Trump’s escalating conflict with the state of California and Governor Gavin Newsom over the ICE raids and protests. Chuck warns that if Trump makes good on his threats to arrest Newsom, he could make him a powerful martyr. He also weighs in Barack Obama’s lack of presence for the Democrats while they struggle with a leadership vacuum.

Then Chuck sits down with Jamie Shor and Sky Sitney, the co-founders of DC/DOX, Washington D.C.'s premier documentary film festival now in its third year. The duo discusses how they merged their individual visions to create a festival that perfectly captures the capital city's unique position as a hub for storytelling about politics, power, and social change. They explore how modern film festivals have evolved from simple showcases to essential curators in an era where the barrier to entry for documentary filmmaking has never been lower, yet the challenge of finding distribution and audience has never been greater.

The conversation highlights some of the festival's most compelling offerings, from the visceral war documentary "2000 Meters To Adiivka" to the humorous AI exploration "Deepfaking Sam Altman," and the shocking government surveillance tale "The Spies Among Us." Shor and Sitney discuss the delicate balance between activism and entertainment in documentary filmmaking, the importance of transparency around AI usage in film production, and how their curation reflects the current cultural moment. They also address the ongoing distribution crisis facing independent filmmakers and explain how festivals like DC/DOX provide crucial visibility for smaller creators who lack major studio backing, while partners like Netflix and National Geographic help amplify important voices in documentary storytelling.

Finally, he addresses listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment!

Timeline:

00:00 Introduction

02:30 Trump is in a showdown with the state of California

03:30 The “Newscum” nickname makes Trump look unserious

05:30 The first amendment doesn’t only apply to citizens

07:30 The Trump recession has begun

08:30 The Big Beautiful Bill fight is going poorly for Republicans

09:30 Trump wants to make California a political punching bag

10:15 Trumpworld wants to make Gavin Newsom the face of the Democratic party

11:30 If Trump arrests Newsom, Newsom could become a martyr

12:00 Should Barack Obama be filling the Democratic leadership vacuum?

13:30 DNC leadership seems to be paralyzed 

14:30 Obama is the only leader the entire coalition trusts

17:45 There’s not enough faith in the Democratic bench

18:45 Obama has stayed above the fray

19:20 Obama speaking out would raise the alarm amongst disengaged voters

20:30 Biden failed to make the country turn the page on Trump 

22:45 If Trump tries to seek a third term, so can Barack Obama

24:00 Jamie Shor & Sky Sitney join the Chuck ToddCast! 

25:45 What is DC/DOX and how has it evolved over three years? 

28:20 How did Jamie and Sky meld their visions into one? 

30:00 Why D.C. is the perfect host city for the festival. 

32:30 The barrier to entry for making documentaries is lower than ever 

34:30 Modern film festivals are a curator for films rather than just a showcase 

36:30 Most of the documentaries presented don't have major studio backing 

37:45 Netflix and NatGeo were early partners of DC/DOX 

40:15 Festivals provide visibility for smaller filmmakers 41:00 

Sky's favorite feature length films being featured at DC/DOX? 

42:30 "2000 Meters To Adiivka" is a visceral war documentary 

44:15 Jamie's favorite films being featured at DC/DOX? 

47:00 What is "Andy Kaufman Is Me" about? 

49:00 What is "Barbara Walters Tells Me Everything" about? 

51:00 "Deepfaking Sam Altman" is a great and funny exploration of AI

 53:00 "The Spies Among Us" is a shocking tale of government surveillance 

54:15 What are the best documentary shorts featured at DC/DOX? 

58:45 Activist documentaries still have to be entertaining to make change 

1:00:45 The films curated have to be reflective of the time 

1:02:45 Filmmakers must be transparent about their use of AI

1:06:15 AI ethics in filmmaking will continue to evolve 

1:07:15 What is the state of the industry for documentary filmmakers? 

1:10:00 Is there a distribution crisis in the film industry? 

1:12:00 Where do you go to buy tickets or get more info for DC/DOX?

01:14:40 Chuck's thoughts on interview with Jamie Short & Sky Sitney

 01:15:50 Ask Chuck

 01:16:05 Should the US consider Sunday voting & a Presidential Reform Act?

 01:24:10 National security book recommendations? 

01:29:10 Members seem clueless…who is actually writing the legislation in Congress?