Top Docs: Award-Winning Documentary Filmmakers

In this poetical portrait that transcends the standard documentary treatment of war and refugees, filmmakers Gulistan and Elizabeth Mirzaei explore the dreams, frustrations and love experienced by Shaista and Benazir, a young Afghan couple living in a Kabul displacement camp. Ken sat down with Gulistan, Elizabeth, and producer Omar Mullick (“These Birds Walk”) to discuss their creative approach and learn more about the interior and exterior lives of these two remarkable people. Premiering on Netflix on January 24th, “Three Songs for Benazir” is one of 15 shorts named to the Oscar Shortlist.

With 99.4 million Instagram followers and counting, Billie Eilish, who just turned 20 years old, is already one of the most popular and critically acclaimed artists of our time. Throughout the world, her music inspires young people who flock to her concerts and know all the lyrics by heart. Renowned filmmaker R.J. Cutler’s definitive new Apple TV+ documentary “Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry” is an instant classic, earning its place on this year’s Oscar Shortlist.   Joining Mike and Ken from his L.A. home base, R.J. talked about the challenges and joys of creating an intimate documentary portrait of one of pop music’s hottest stars and her family. Why is it so important for R.J. to have final cut on his films, not just for his own sake, but for the benefit of his subjects as well? What was the powerful moment during Billie’s breakthrough Coachella performance that still gets to RJ? By focusing not just on Billie, but also on brother/songwriting partner Finneas and parents, Maggie and Patrick, how did this film end up being, as much as anything, about parenting? And for you fans of “The Office”, how did John Krasinksi indirectly inspire one of the film’s most beautiful moments? (And, yes, Justin Bieber fans, we’ve got you covered, too!) Our Top Docs guarantee: the world may be a little blurry, but this podcast episode is crystal clear. Follow on twitter @rjcutler @topdocspod Hidden Gem:  Dream Deceivers

Right now, “Khabar Lahariya” might not be as well-known as “The New York Times”, but, with 150 million YouTube views and growing, India’s only women-led news outlet has already established itself as an indispensable local watchdog and source of reporting in the country’s most populated state. Winner of the Audience Award at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, “Writing With Fire”, directed by first-time feature filmmakers Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh, is a fascinating and inspiring profile of Khabar Lahariya’s fearless women journalists as the media outlet makes the crucial transition from print to digital.   Talking to Mike and Ken from their home in Delhi, Rintu and Sushmit delved into the making of their film and offered a fascinating, big picture look at the political forces and changing media landscape that are rapidly transforming Indian society. As members of India’s Dalit (“untouchables”) caste, how have the women journalists of Khabar Lahariya overcome seemingly insurmountable odds to do their work under the most difficult, and often threatening, circumstances? What objections do they hear, even in their own homes, from husbands and parents who wish they would give up their work and restrict themselves to their traditional domestic roles? How has the rise of Prime Minister Modi tested the very fabric of India’s democracy? And how is this film the filmmakers’ own personal response to the changing times in their country? Recently named to the Oscar shortlist for Best Documentary Feature, “Writing With Fire” premieres on PBS’ Independent Lens on March 28th.   Follow “Writing with Fire” on instagram and FaceBook writingwithfire.film.  Also music box films. Follow on twitter @topdocspod   Hidden Gems: Supermen of Malegoan A Woman Captured

The 2022 Sundance Film Festival is almost here! From Jan. 20– 30, all eyes will be on the Sundance lineup and on what are sure to be some of the year’s most heralded documentaries. Top Docs caught up with Basil Tsiokos, Sundance Senior Programmer, Nonfiction, to preview this year’s doc features and to give us an inside look into how the programming process works.   Basil Tsiokos is Senior Programmer, Nonfiction, Sundance Film Festival. He was most recently with DOC NYC for nearly a decade, as well as with the Nantucket Film Festival as its Film Program Director. Basil was the longtime Artistic and Executive Director of NewFest: The NY LGBT Film Festival and serves on the feature nominating committees for the International Documentary Association Awards and Cinema Eye Honors. Since 2010, he has written daily about documentaries on what (not) to doc.   Follow on twitter Basil @1basil1 Sundance Film Festival @sundancefest Top Docs @topdocspod

Two schools, two neighborhoods, two vastly different worlds… one football program. When it became clear that Messmer High School and Shorewood High in Milwaukee would not have enough players to field their own teams, the two schools came together to form the Messwood football team. But playing together does not mean that the team’s young athletes aren’t immune from the systemic problems plaguing one of America’s most racially divided cities. Filmmakers Brad Lichtenstein (“When Claude Got Shot”, “As Goes Janesville”) and Emily Kuester (making her feature documentary debut) go deep inside the Messwood football program to craft an intimate portrait of the team’s players, parents, and coaches and explore broader themes of racial inequity, trauma, friendship, and love.   Ken sat down with Emily and Brad to discuss how the two Milwaukee-based filmmakers won the trust of Messwood’s dynamic Coach Davis and developed close ties to the players and their families. What was their response to Coach Davis’ position that race is a non-issue when it comes to his football team? How did Emily’s bond with one of the film’s main characters help this young man push through a difficult moment and yield one of the film’s most powerful moments? What was it like for Brad, a parent himself of Shorewood High students, to see things from a different perspective? In the fine tradition of “Hoop Dreams” and other classic sports films, “Messwood” opens a window into a wider world, one that extends well beyond the “Friday Night Lights”. Hidden Gem:  Gimme Shelter

Firouzeh Khosrovani’s “Radiograph of a Family” is among the rarest of documentaries. Like a perfectly composed classical symphony, the film’s form and content effortlessly complement each other. The result is a film that is both beautifully symmetrical and dynamically creative. Seamlessly moving between the personal and the political, Firouzeh employs the full range of storytelling tools--from re-enactments and staged dialogue, to family photographs and archival footage--to portray how the 1979 Iranian Revolution upended her parents’ marriage and caused a surprising role reversal in the fortunes of her mother and father.   Mike had the opportunity to talk in-depth with Firouzeh about her stunning film, winner of the top prize at the 2020 International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA). How did the Iranian Revolution disrupt the family dynamic and almost literally cut the family’s Tehran home in half? What was it like for Firouzeh to be caught between “two lifestyles, two ideologies and two realities”? Did her mother really marry a photograph? And, Firouzeh answers the biggest question of all: how can love endure when everything else seems to be coming apart?

Imagine being one of the two young songwriter/lyricists who are invited to an imposing Hollywood mansion to meet with movie legend Gloria Swanson. Greeting you in all her movie star glamour, Gloria pitches her idea for a Broadway musical based on her starring role in the brilliant movie “Sunset Boulevard”. Three months later, your musical BOULEVARD is ready for the big time. Unfortunately, that version of the musical never gets produced. But, in a delicious twist, the real-life story of the love triangle between Gloria and the two young songwriters (Dickson Hughes and Richard Stapley) ends up being a mirror image of the plot of “Sunset Boulevard”.   In Ken’s thoroughly entertaining Top Docs conversation with filmmaker Jeffrey Schwarz (“BOULEVARD! A Hollywood Story”), Jeffrey shares all the juicy details of unearthing the amazing story of these three unlikely collaborators. How much fun was it for Jeffrey to go on this creative journey about a movie classic he has seen “7,000 times”? Who were Dickson Hughes and Richard Shapley? How did their passionate but closeted relationship blossom into a professional partnership that led to Gloria’s door? In what ways was Richard’s acting career — and life — diminished by having to maintain a macho image that couldn’t account for who he really was? And will the “real” Gloria Swanson finally step forward out of the shadow of Norma Desmond? For all you “wonderful people out there in the dark,” we give you the Top Docs interview with Jeffrey Schwarz!   Follow on twitter: Jeffrey @SchwarzJeffrey Top Docs @topdocspod Hidden Gem:  Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey

Famous for its Beluga caviar and rich oil deposits, the Caspian Sea region is less well-known for the corruption that goes hand-in-hand with both of these highly desired commodities. Taking as his primary subject the post-Soviet regime of Azerbaijan and its strongman leader, Ilham Aliyev, journalist and filmmaker Benoît Bringer pulls back the curtain on the creative ways Aliyev uses to buy his country’s way into Europe’s club of democratic nations. Framed as a political thriller, “The Caviar Connection” makes the direct link between the Aliyev regime and officials in the stately Council of Europe, whose appetites for caviar — and good old-fashioned cash — make them prime targets for bribery.   Speaking to Ken from his Paris home, Benoît filled in the picture of this fascinating and under-the-radar story and explained how he was able to put all the complex puzzle pieces together in such a gripping, cinematic way. How do celebrities like Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Kanye West, Jennifer Lopez and Gérard Depardieu play a key role in legitimizing these regimes? (Hint: follow the money.) Why is it that the Council of Europe turned a blind eye to its own report on human rights violations in Azerbaijan? (Hint: follow the money.) Who is Khadija Ismayilova, and how did her reporting help expose the regime’s corruption and land her in jail? (Hint: she followed the money.) Listening to Benoît, you might be surprised to learn that the issues at stake extend far beyond the shores of the Caspian Sea, all the way to the heart of our very own democratic institutions. (Hint: follow the podcast!)   “The Caviar Connection” – Palm Springs International Film Festival Screenings: Sat. Jan. 8, 11:15 AM, Regal Cinemas Weds. Jan. 12, 8:00 PM, Camelot Theatres Sun. Jan. 16, 3:30 PM, Regal Cinemas   Top Docs and the Palm Springs International Film Festival Top Docs is thrilled to announce that we are partnering with the 33rd Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (January 6 – 17, 2022) as a media sponsor, with the goal of spotlighting documentary filmmakers whose work is screening at the upcoming Festival. In the coming weeks, please look out for our interviews with filmmakers featured in this year’s lineup, including Daniel Raim (“Fiddler’s Journey to the Big Screen”), Vivian Kleiman (“No Straight Lines: The Rise of Queer Comics”), Benoît Bringer (“The Caviar Connection”), Lisa Hurwitz (“The Automat”) … and more! Check out the complete Festival lineup and information about pass and ticket sales at: https://www.psfilmfest.org/film-festival-2022 Hidden Gem:  The First Wave

Alison Bechdel. Jennifer Camper. Howard Cruse. Rupert Kinnard. Mary Wings. From the 1970s to the 2000s and beyond, these five brilliant queer cartoonists broke the mold, paved the way, and told the truth one panel at a time. Each contributed to creating the world of queer comics and helped forge a vital community of LGBTQ artists that continues to thrive today. Effortlessly weaving together portraits of these five seminal cartoonists and filling in the essential historical backstory, documentary filmmaker Vivian Kleiman (“Color Adjustment”) uses a camera instead of a rapidograph pen, but the result is just as delightful and visually delicious as the work of the artists she profiles.   Mike and Ken had a blast talking to Vivian and discovering how her iterative creative process took the “no straight lines” ethos to heart. Why did Vivian insist that the film not be solely focused on Alison Bechdel even though this could have greased the funding wheels? Why was it so important to Vivian to reach an intergenerational audience, and how did this lead to a mid-course adjustment and a daring experiment? How did the filmmakers manage to capture the essence of these great artists at work? And what is it about spreadsheets that gets Vivian and Mike so excited? No need to fire up Excel, just download our latest Top Docs episode and discover the dazzling world of “No Straight Lines”.   “No Straight Lines: The Rise of Queer Comics” – Palm Springs International Film Festival Screenings: Sun. Jan. 9, 8:30 PM, Regal Cinemas Mon. Jan. 10, 9:00 AM, Mary Pickford is D’Place Sun. Jan 16, 2:00 PM, Palm Canyon Theatre   Top Docs and the Palm Springs International Film Festival Top Docs is thrilled to announce that we are partnering with the 33rd Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (January 6 – 17, 2022) as a media sponsor, with the goal of spotlighting documentary filmmakers whose work is screening at the upcoming Festival. In the coming weeks, please look out for our interviews with filmmakers featured in this year’s lineup, including Vivian Kleiman (“No Straight Lines: The Rise of Queer Comics”), Daniel Raim (“Fiddler’s Journey to the Big Screen”), Lisa Hurwitz (“The Automat”) … and more! Check out the complete Festival lineup and information about pass and ticket sales at: https://www.psfilmfest.org/film-festival-2022   Hidden Gem:  No Crying at My Table   Also Discussed in the Pod: Tongues Untied Fun Home Stuck Rubber Baby

Welcome to the Top Docs Holiday Special! IndieWire Editor-at-Large Anne Thompson joins Mike and Ken to break down the Best Feature Documentary Oscar shortlist released this week. Anne shares her insights about the 15 documentaries that made the cut and the ones that didn’t. What are the biggest surprises? Which films have the best chance to make it to the list of the five final nominees? And, drumroll, please… who does Anne predict to win it all? You’ll have to tune in to find out!   IndieWire Editor-at-Large Anne Thompson has been a contributor to the New York Times, Washington Post, The Observer, and Wired. She has served as film columnist at Variety, and deputy editor of Variety.com, where her daily blog, Thompson on Hollywood, launched in March 2007.   Follow on twitter: Anne @akstanwyck Us @topdocspod