Talking Documentary Podcast
Observations and conversations on the art, craft and business of documentary filmmaking.
- Update frequency
- every 30 days
- Average duration
- 42 minutes
- Episodes
- 22
- Years Active
- 2021 - 2023
The Kramer brothers make government cool again
Given today’s combative political environment, why would anyone want to watch a film about government? Well, because Brandon and Lance Kramer made it. Brothers and filmmakers, the Kramers have carved…
David Holthouse's wild journey from journalist to filmmaker
Even as a young boy growing up in Alaska, David Holthouse was fascinated by newspapers, storytelling and life on the margins. His ability to blend into his surroundings led to a career as a self-styl…
Morgan Elliott finds backyard treasure in "Potty Town"
Morgan Elliott is a documentary filmmaker and long-time resident of New York’s “North Country.” Going back to his childhood, Elliott had heard the story of Potsdam’s famous toilet garden, a self-styl…
Phil Wall processes his grief in the making of "The Book Keepers"
The Book Keepers tells the story of Phil Wall’s mother, Carol, a gifted writer who dreamed of becoming a published author and who finally achieved her goal … just as her long battle with breast cance…
Zachary Levy unearths gold in "Strongman"
Some 20 years ago, New York filmmaker Zachary Levy went looking for a story that would become his first documentary feature film. He wound up finding the personality of a lifetime in Stanley Pleskun,…
Shaleece Haas tackles one of America's great social issues in "Real Boy"
Ten years ago, Shaleece Haas stumbled upon a musician whose lyrics captured her attention ... and then her imagination. Turns out the musician, Bennett Wallace, had a story to go along with his music…
Robert Greene returns to his roots to film pro wrestlers in "Fake It So Real"
Robert Greene is an award-winning filmmaker who directed the highly regarded Netflix documentary, "Procession." But at the dawn of the 2010s, Greene was only beginning to refine his voice and vision …
Drew Xanthopolous leans on his humanity to enter the world of "The Sensitives"
Drew Xanthopolous was a young, unestablished filmmaker when he came across a New York Times photo essay that would launch his career—as well as change the next five years of his life. The essay docum…
Elizabeth Lo captures the romance of urban dog life in "Stray"
In the United States, stray dogs are not allowed to live on the street. They are whisked away to live in concrete cells. The approach is very different in some cities in Europe and Asia, where stray …
Justin Schein faces an unthinkable dilemma in "Left on Purpose."
Joe Brandmeier hits the road to interview married couples in "I Do?"
Pamela Littky spends 10 years following kids voted "Most Likely to Succeed"
Jesse Alk explores Kolkata's mysterious native dogs in "Pariah Dog"
Dani Connor Wild discovers she's a filmmaker while locked down in northern Sweden
Michael Lucid goes back to school to tell the story of "Dirty Girls"
In 1996, Michael Lucid was a senior at the Crossroads school in Santa Monica, California. He noticed a social phenomenon that had the school buzzing and wanted to know more. So he grabbed a camcorder…
Pat Taggart unearths the story of a lifetime in "Billboard Boys"
In 1982, three young men from Allentown, Pa., climbed aboard a billboard in a competition to win an $18,000 mobile home. Times were tough, owning a home was an inaccessible dream, and the three compe…
Tommy Avallone stalks a legend in "The Bill Murray Stories"
The internet is awash in what are known as "Bill Murray stories." Murray crashing a bachelor party. Bill Murray joining a random kickball game. Bill Murray washing a stranger's dishes. Tommy Avallone…
Jeremy Workman tracks an obsessive pedestrian in "The World Before Your Feet"
When Jeremy Workman learned his friend, Matt Green, planned to walk every street in New York City, Workman did what any sensible filmmaker would do: he grabbed his camera and followed along. Three ye…
How Daniel Weinshenker became "The Story Whisperer"
Daniel Weinshenker is a poet and creative writer whose literary journey has led him to a new and unexpected artform—helping ordinary people document their lives through digital storytelling. The stor…
