Podcasts by Documentary of the Week
Every week, WNYC tells you about the best documentaries as they become available on screens of any size. Our hosts are Thom Powers and Raphaela Neihausen, co-founders of the Pure Nonfiction podcast and the DOC NYC festival, the largest non-fiction film festival in the U.S.
Further podcasts by WNYC Studios
Podcast on the topic Dokumentation
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Former South Bronx Gang Member is profiled in "La Madrina" from 2022-04-15T04:00
"La Madrina: The [Savage] Life of Lorine Padilla"profiles a member of the South Bron...
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"When We Were Bullies" Explores Complicity from 2022-04-08T04:00
Filmmaker Jay Rosenblatt reflects on a Brooklyn schoolyard incident from 1965 in the Oscar nominated short documentary,"When We Were Bul...
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Racing against time in "Sub Eleven Seconds" from 2022-03-25T04:00
"Sub Eleven Seconds"captures Sha'Carri Richardson, one of the fa...
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Inside "The Andy Warhol Diaries" from 2022-03-18T04:00
"The Andy Warhol Diaries"is a six-part series capturing the artist's personal life in his own words— using AI technology to recr...
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"Calendar Girl" profiles Ruth Finley from 2022-03-11T04:00
"Calendar Girl"profiles Ruth Finley who created the Fashion Calendar that was an indispensable resource for designers. ...
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"Dear Mr. Brody" explores a mysterious millionaire from 2022-03-04T04:00
"Dear Mr. Brody"takes us back to 1970 when a 21-year-old heir to a fortunein Scarsdale, New Yorkpromised to give...
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Remembering "The Automat" from 2022-02-25T04:00
"The Automat"tells a lively history of the restaurant chain Horn& Hardart through the memories of famous customers like Mel Brooks, Ruth Bader Ginsburg...
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"We Need to Talk About Cosby" explores a shattered legacy from 2022-02-18T04:00
"We Need to Talk About Cosby"grapples with the legacy of the once-beloved comedian who's been accused by over 60 women of rape and s...
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"Ronnie's" Explores a Legendary Jazz Club from 2022-02-11T04:00
"Ronnie's"tells the history of London's legendary jazz club and its co-founder, tenor saxophonist Ronnie Scott. Filmmaker Oliver Mu...
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"Maurice Hines: Bring Them Back" Profiles a Virtuoso Performer from 2022-02-04T04:00
"Maurice Hines: Bring Them Back"profiles the dancer who was a child performer with his younger brother Gregory before they took divergent paths. Filmm...
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Confronting History in "Lynching Postcards" from 2022-01-28T04:00
Christine Turner's short documentary"Lynching Postcards"examines the ...
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"Cheer" Returns for Season Two from 2022-01-21T04:00
The Netflix phenomenon"Cheer"returns for a second season, following the college cheerleading squad Navarro as they compete against rival Trin...
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Jeffery Robinson Reexamines Black History in "Who We Are" from 2022-01-14T04:00
Lawyer Jeffery Robinson delivers a version of history different from what's taught in schools in"Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America."Filmm...
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"American Insurrection" Explores the Legacy of January 6 from 2022-01-07T04:00
"American Insurrection"on PBS's Frontline investigates vigilante groups active in the storming of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. C...
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"Fauci" Examines the Fight Against Pandemics from 2021-12-31T04:00
"Fauci"profiles the doctor who's served as an adviser to seven American presidents as he grapples with the science and politics...
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Live Theater Returns in "Reopening Night" from 2021-12-24T04:00
"Reopening Night"captures the cast and crew of Shakespeare in the Park as they produce "Merry Wives" after the ...
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"Street Gang" Explores the Origins of Sesame Street from 2021-12-17T04:00
"Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street"looks at the origins of the groundbreaking children's television show. ...
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"Takeover" Revisits the Young Lords in Action from 2021-12-10T04:00
The half-hour documentary"Takeover"recounts how the radical Puerto Rican group the Young Lords took over a South Bronx hospital in 1970....
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The Documentary 'Listening to Kenny G' Explores Musical Taste from 2021-12-03T04:00
The documentary"Listening to Kenny G"profiles the saxophonist whose instrumental hits helped popularize the radio format o...
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New York City Confronts Covid-19 in "The First Wave" from 2021-11-19T04:00
"The First Wave"profiles hospital workers in Queens during the early months of Covid-19 and the street protests against police v...
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'Hold Your Fire' Reexamines a Hostage Siege from 2021-11-12T04:00
"Hold Your Fire,"premiering at the DOC NYC festival, looks at the longest hostage siege in NYPD history in 1973. Filmmaker Stefan Forbes...
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Lusia Harris in "Queen of Basketball" from 2021-11-05T04:00
"Queen of Basketball"profiles Lusia Harris who was a star basketball player in the 1970s. Filmmak...
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Inside "Attica" from 2021-10-29T04:00
"Attica"tells the story of the largest prison uprising in U.S. history that took place in upstate New York in 1971. Director Stanley Nels...
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"Becoming Cousteau" Profiles the Undersea Explorer from 2021-10-22T04:00
"Becoming Cousteau" is a complex portrait of the explorer who helped the world fall in love with oceans. Oscar-nominated dire...
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A History of "The Velvet Underground" from 2021-10-15T04:00
Filmmaker Todd Haynes tells the story of"The Velvet Underground"and the artistic milieu of 19...
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"The Rescue" Covers a Dangerous Mission from 2021-10-08T04:00
"The Rescue"profiles the cave diving hobbyists who came from around the world to help save a Thai boys soccer team trapped undergrou...
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"My Name is Pauli Murray" Profiles a Trailblazer from 2021-10-01T04:00
"My Name is Pauli Murray"profiles the multi-hyphenate activist, lawyer, poet and priest who had a non-binary gender identi...
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In "Homeroom," Students Find Their Voices from 2021-09-24T04:00
Renouncing Conversion Therapy In "Pray Away" from 2021-09-17T04:00
"Pray Away"profiles several former leaders of the movement that advocated to convert LGBTQ people to become straight. Filmmaker Kristine S...
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"The Capote Tapes" Profiles the Iconic Writer from 2021-09-10T04:00
"The Capote Tapes"draws upon conversations with Truman Capote's friends and admirers to document his complex personality. ...
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"In the Same Breath" Investigates Covid Misinformation from 2021-09-03T04:00
Award-winning filmmaker Nanfu Wang ("One Child Nation") investigates how the Chinese and the United States governments tried to shape public perceptions ofCOVID-19 in her film Listen
Domino Artistry in "Lily Topples the World" from 2021-08-27T04:00
"Lily Topples the World"follows a 20-year-old domino artist known asListen
In Search of "The Meaning of Hitler" from 2021-08-13T04:00
"The Meaning of Hitler"is a documentary essay enlisting writers such as Martin Amis and Francine Prose to make connections betw...
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Breaking News in "Whirlybird" from 2021-08-06T04:00
"Whirlybird"profiles transgender journalist Zoey Tur, who — along with her then-spouse, Marika Gerrard — pioneered helico...
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Who Can You Trust in “Enemies of the State”? from 2021-07-30T04:00
Billy Tipton is "No Ordinary Man" from 2021-07-23T04:00
"No Ordinary Man"examines the life of jazz musician Billy Tipton, who became an inspiration to the transgender community after his death in ...
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Creating a Dance with Bill T. Jones from 2021-07-16T04:00
"Can You Bring It: Bill T. Jones and D-Man in the Waters"follows a group of young dancers as they stage a new production of a work that debuted in...
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Dick Gregory Combined Comedy and Politics from 2021-07-09T04:00
"The One and Only Dick Gregory"profiles the comedian who took America to task over civil rights, the Vietnam war an...
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Questlove Looks Back on the "Summer of Soul" from 2021-07-02T04:00
"Summer of Soul (...or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)"taps into a rich musical archive that went unseen for 50 years...
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Kenny Scharf Brings Art to the Streets from 2021-06-25T04:00
"Kenny Scharf: When Worlds Collide"profiles the street artist who emerged in the 1980s alongside Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat. Directed b...
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Rita Moreno Confronts Her History from 2021-06-18T04:00
"Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It"profiles the trail-blazing artist whose wide-ranging work includes "West Side Story," "The Electri...
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Getting Through Covid with "Couples Therapy" from 2021-06-11T04:00
The Showtime series"Couples Therapy"follows three New York couples as they work through conflicts with the counseling of Dr. Orna Guralnik. It m...
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Exploring African-American Cuisine in "High on the Hog" from 2021-06-04T04:00
The Netflix series"High on the Hog"explores the wide-ranging influence of African-American food traditions. Host Stephen Satterfield talks to...
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A Migrant And An ICE Agent In "Five Years North" from 2021-05-28T04:00
"Five Years North"profiles two figures on the opposite sides of immigration struggles in New York City: an undocumented Guatemalan teena...
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Understanding Opioids in "The Crime of the Century" from 2021-05-14T04:00
The new documentary The Crime of the Century studies how Purdue Pharma and other companies fostered an opioid ep...
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'The Boy From Medellin' Focuses on J Balvin Under Pressure from 2021-05-07T16:00
“The Boy From Medellin” follows reggaeton superstar J Balvin as he prepares the bigges...
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Mother and Son Take a Bucket List Journey in 'Duty Free' from 2021-04-30T05:00
In “Duty Free,” filmmaker Sian-Pierre Regis takes his mom on a bucket list journey after she loses her job at age 75. Well-timed for Mother’s Da...
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Reimagining Criminal Justice in 'Philly DA' from 2021-04-23T05:00
The eight-part series “Philly D.A.” follows District Attorney Larry Krasner as he carries out a progressive agenda to red...
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Seeking Justice in 'Down a Dark Stairwell' from 2021-04-16T05:00
“Down a Dark Stairwell” examines how Black and Asian activists were galvanized in different ways over the 2014 New York poli...
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Profiling Oliver Sacks from 2021-04-09T05:00
“Oliver Sacks: His Own Life” profiles the neurologist and best-selling author of ...
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The Rise and Fall of WeWork from 2021-04-02T05:00
“WeWork: or the Making and Breaking of a $47 Billion Unicorn Listen
'Tina' Captures the Singer’s Power and Vulnerability from 2021-03-26T05:00
“Tina” draws upon rare archives and new interviews to profile Tina Turner with a fresh perspective on her iconic story. Oscar-winning f...
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Exploring the College Admissions Scandal in Operation Varsity Blues' from 2021-03-19T04:00
“Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal” tells the story of Rick Singer who helped rich parents use bribes to get thei...
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Remembering 'When We Were Kings' Director Leon Gast from 2021-03-12T05:00
Filmmaker Leon Gast died this week at age 84 leaving a rich legacy of work including his documentary “When We Were Kings...
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'Made You Look' Tells a Twisting Tale of Art Forgery from 2021-03-05T05:00
“Made You Look: A True Story About Fake Art” tells the story of the New York gallery that sold over 60 forgeries attributed to art supe...
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Why Are Evangelicals Focused on Israel? from 2021-02-26T05:00
The documentary “’Til Kingdom Come” explores why American Evangelicals are preoccupied with Israel. Filmmaker Maya Zinshtein travels from Jeru...
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A Kenyan Journalist Turns to Politics in 'Softie' from 2021-02-19T05:00
“Softie” follows Kenyan journalist Boniface Mwangi and his wife Njeri as their family faces death threats when he runs for Parlia...
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'Black Art' Explores a Hidden History from 2021-02-12T06:00
"Black Art: In the Absence of Light," directed by Sam Pollard, profiles a range of artists of different ge...
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Secretaries Rise Up in '9to5: The Story of a Movement' from 2021-02-05T05:00
“9to5: The Story of a Movement” tells the history of the women’s labor movement that inspired the Hollywood comedy and Dolly Parton’s song.
Oscar-winning filmmakers Juli...
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Steve Bannon Around the World from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
“The Brink” follows the divisive political strategist Steve Bannon after he’s ousted from the White House as he spends a year taking his nationalist agenda abroad. Filmmaker Alison Klayman (“Ai ...
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Exposing Rape Culture from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
The documentary “Roll Red Roll” investigates a rape case in Steubenville, Ohio, where high-school football players documented their crime on social media. Filmmaker Nancy Schwartzman chronicles ...
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Sketching Orson Welles from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
In “The Eyes of Orson Welles,” filmmaker Mark Cousins looks into the sketchbooks of the fecund creator who revolutionized radio, theater and film. Cousins, known for his monumental history “The ...
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Re-investigating the ‘Serial’ Case from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
HBO’s four-part series “The Case Against Adnan Syed” follows investigators as they re-open the Baltimore murder case made famous by the Serial podcast. Filmmaker Amy Berg uncovers new details an...
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Going to the Moon from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
The documentary “Apollo 11” brings a fresh perspective to the first voyage to the moon, with rare 70 mm archival footage and audio recordings from inside mission control. For the 50th year anniv...
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Wrestling Their Way to College from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
The documentary "Wrestle" is set at a failing high school in Huntsville, Alabama, where Coach Chris Scribner mentors students to get scholarships for wrestling. Filmmakers Suzannah Herbert and L...
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Money Grubbers Exposed from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
"Dirty Money" returns for a second season exposing corruption, crime and other violations of common decency, including an episode on Wells Fargo bank. Executive producer Alex Gibney leads a team...
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The Past And Future Of Bookselling from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
“The Booksellers” looks at the world of antiquarian booksellers and highlights a new generation that’s breaking the stereotype of the profession as white, male and slow to change. Filmmaker D.W....
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Imelda Marcos Today from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
“The Kingmaker” traces the fall and rise of Imelda Marcos, the disgraced First Lady of the Philippines, who’s on a quest to bring her family back to power in alliance with President Rodrigo Dute...
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Robbie Robertson Remembers from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
In the documentary “Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band,” filmmaker Daniel Roher explores the history of the legendary roots rock group from their formation and work with Bob Dylan...
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On the Streets with Bill Cunningham from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
“The Times of Bill Cunningham” profiles the legendary New York Times photographer who covered street fashion. Filmmaker Mark Bozek draws upon a rare interview with Cunningham spanning his whole ...
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McDonald’s Meets the Mafia from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
“McMillon$” is a 6-part documentary series that explores the FBI’s investigation into the McDonald’s Monopoly scam leading all the way to the New York Mafia. Filmmakers James Lee Hernandez and B...
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When Votes Don't Count from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
The documentary "Suppressed: The Fight to Vote" looks at how GOP lawmakers made it harder for Democrats to vote in Brian Kemp's narrow victory over Democrat Stacy Abrams to become Georgia's gove...
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Dancing from Vietnam to America from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
The short documentary "Walk, Run, Cha-Cha" looks at a Vietnamese couple, separated by the war, who reunite in America and recover their lost youth in dancing. Filmmaker Laura Nix uses the beauty...
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The Oligarch in Exile from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney traces the rise and fall of Russian oligarch-turned-dissident Mikhail Khodorkovsky. The film plays like a thriller with dramatic twists and unsolved murders, ...
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The Giraffe Lady from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
The documentary “The Woman Who Loves Giraffes” profiles Anne Innis Dagg, who was a pioneer at studying animals in the wild in the 1950s, preceding Jane Goodall in Africa. Filmmaker Alison Reid d...
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Israel’s Advocate for Palestinians from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
The documentary “Advocate” profiles Israeli lawyer Lea Tsemel, who defends Palestinians that many regard as terrorists. Filmmakers Rachel Leah Jones and Philippe Bellaiche trace her history over...
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It’s So Easy to Fall in Love with Linda Ronstad from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
“Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice” profiles the singer who made a success of multiple genres from rock and country to American standards and Mexican folk songs. Filmmakers Rob Epstein and J...
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The Soul of Big Bird from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
The documentary “I Am Big Bird: The Carroll Spinney Story" profiles the Sesame Street puppeteer who died on December 8 after embodying the Sesame Street characters Big Bird and Oscar the Ground ...
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The Ecstasy Of Dance from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
The new documentary "Cunningham" makes beautiful use of 3D photography to convey the artistry of the choreographer Merce Cunningham. He belonged to a postwar wave of avant garde, and the film re...
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A Mother Under Siege in Syria from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
Syrian filmmaker Waad al-Kateab chronicles four years of living in Aleppo during wartime in the documentary diary “For Sama” (titled after her daughter). The film, directed in collaboration with...
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Harlem’s Mecca of Music from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
The documentary “The Apollo” examines the history of Harlem’s famous theater and its efforts to stay vital in the 21st Century. Director Roger Ross Williams covers both the celebrity performers ...
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The Dark Side of Hot Yoga from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
"Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator” traces the rise and fall of the multi-millionaire hot yoga teacher Bikram Choudhury. Oscar-winning filmmaker Eva Orner documents the stories of former students who...
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One Woman's Take On TV News from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
“Recorder: The Marion Stokes Project” tells the story of a Philadelphia woman who recorded television non-stop accumulating 70,000 VHS tapes. Director Matt Wolf explores Stokes’ complex life. Sh...
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When Schemers Become Dreamers from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
"Narrowsburg" is a whimsical tale about a small town in the Catskills where an independent film stirred up Hollywood dreams and disappointments. The film plays like "The Music Man" with a dark s...
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Errol Morris vs Steve Bannon from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
In the documentary "American Dharma," the Oscar-winning filmmaker Errol Morris interviews political operative Steve Bannon about his journey from Harvard to Hollywood to Trump's White House. Mor...
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Talking Sex with Dr. Ruth from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
The documentary "Ask Dr. Ruth" profiles the sex therapist now in her 90s, from her life as German Jewish refugee to becoming a talk show celebrity. Filmmaker Ryan White examines how she turned m...
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Living Underground in Syria from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
The documentary “The Cave,” from the Oscar-nominated Syrian director Feras Fayyad (“Last Men in Aleppo”), looks at an underground hospital outside Damascus. At the center is the young female ped...
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The Gift of Johnny Cash from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
The documentary "The Gift: The Journey of Johnny Cash" traces the musician's career in his own words and through interviewers with his admirers from Emmylou Harris to Bruce Springsteen. Director...
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Diego Maradona, Larger Than Life from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
Oscar-winning filmmaker Asif Kapadia ("Amy) tells the larger-than-life story of World Cup football star "Diego Maradona." The film focuses on his tumultuous years in the 1980s, when his loyalty ...
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Who Has Your Data? from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
The documentary "The Great Hack" investigates how our personal data is collected, monetized and weaponized to sway elections. Filmmakers Karim Amer and Jehane Noujaim frame the story around the ...
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Close-up on Buzz Bissinger from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
The documentary "Buzz" profiles the Pulitzer Prize-winning author Buzz Bissinger ("Friday Night Lights") as he explores his own gender and sexuality while writing about Caitlyn Jenner. Filmmaker...
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Hollywood's Gender Problem from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
"This Changes Everything" profiles Geena Davis and other Hollywood women trying to fix gender discrimination on screen and behind the scenes. Filmmaker Tom Donahue and a majority female film cre...
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Celebrating Gospel Music from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
"Say Amen, Somebody" captures the early pioneers of gospel music, Willie Mae Smith and Thomas Dorsey, in a celebratory documentary that will move even non-believers. Director George Nierenberg m...
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How Miles Davis Birthed the Cool from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
The documentary "Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool" profiles the trumpet player who left an indelible mark on 20th century music. Director Stanley Nelson celebrates Davis' soaring artistic achievem...
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When China Opens a Factory in Ohio from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
The documentary "American Factory" covers the Chinese company Fuyao Glass that retools an abandoned GM Factory in Dayton, Ohio, raising hopes for local workers. Oscar-nominated filmmakers Steven...
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China's One Child Policy from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
In "One Child Nation," filmmakers Nanfu Wang and Jialing Zhang investigate the history of China's policy of restricting families to one child and its untold consequences. They interview people w...
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Remembering D.A. Pennebaker from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
D.A. Pennebaker died this month at the age of 94. He was a pioneer of the modern documentary with films like "Crisis," "Dont Look Back" and "Monterey Pop." The last four decades of his career we...
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Photographer Jay Maisel Has to Move from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
The documentary "Jay Myself" profiles acclaimed photographer Jay Maisel, who bought a six-story building in Manhattan, filled it with found objects for five decades and now has to move. Filmmake...
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What Made Mike Wallace Tick from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
"Mike Wallace is Here" profiles the "60 Minutes" star in an uniquely constructed film that relies on archives drawn from thousands of hours of his television interviews. Filmmaker Avi Belkin sim...
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What Happened to Brazil? from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
"The Edge of Democracy" explores recent political upheavals in Brazil that resulted in the popular former President Lula going to prison, his successor being impeached and the rise of a new Pres...
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Environmental Thriller from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
The documentary "Sea of Shadows" follows activists trying to save the rare totoaba fish from extinction, going up against poachers, smugglers and the mafia from Mexico to China. Filmmaker Richar...
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Leonard Cohen in Love from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
In "Marianne & Leonard: Words of Love," filmmaker Nick Broomfield profiles Marianne Ihlen, who was Leonard Cohen's lover and the subject of his songs "So Long, Marianne" and "Bird on a Wire....
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A Women's Sailing Crew Races Around the World from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
"Maiden" is a documentary adventure story chronicling the first all-women sailing team to compete in an around-the-world race, defying sexist naysayers. Filmmaker Alex Holmes interviews the key ...
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Toni Morrison Looks Back from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
The documentary “Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am” profiles the Nobel Prize winning author of “Song of Solomon,” “Beloved” and other novels. Filmmaker and photographer Timothy Greenfield-Sanders f...
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Up Close with Chelsea Manning from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
The documentary “XY Chelsea” profiles Chelsea Manning, alternately seen as a whistleblower or traitor, who spent seven years in prison — the longest any American ever has for leaking government ...
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Rescuing Modern Slaves from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
The documentary “Ghost Fleet” follows a modern anti-slavery crusader, Patima Tungpuchayakul, as she goes on a mission to remote islands to rescue escapees from illegal fishing boats. Filmmakers ...
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Beto’s Run for Senate from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
The documentary “Running with Beto” follows Texas Congressman Beto O’Rourke over a year as he becomes a national political figure with an unexpectedly strong challenge against incumbent Senator ...
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Warhol, Dylan, Ginsberg and...Barbara Rubin from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
The documentary “Barbara Rubin and the Exploding NY Underground” shines a light on the experimental filmmaker who moved in the circles of Bob Dylan, Andy Warhol and Allen Ginsberg. Filmmaker Chu...
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Christo’s Floating Piers from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
“Walking on Water” documents the visionary artist Christo as he undertakes his biggest project since the death of his partner Jeanne-Claude, creating a floating bridge on Italy’s Lake Iseo. Film...
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How to Start A Farm from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
The family friendly documentary “The Biggest Little Farm” follows John and Molly Chester as they trade city life to create a biodiverse farm with multiple species of plants and animals. We watch...
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From Waitress to Congress from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
The documentary “Knock Down the House” follows four working-class candidates running for Congress, including a young long shot from the Bronx named Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Director Rachel Lear...
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Where Music Is More Valuable than Real Estate from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
Carmine Street Guitars looks at the legendary Greenwich Village store where owner Rick Kelly makes guitars by hand out of salvaged wood. Filmmaker Ron Mann spent a week in the store, durin...
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Satanists for the First Amendment from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
“Hail Satan?” is a documentary comedy profiling a network of pagan worshippers and political provocateurs in the Satanic Temple. Director Penny Lane follows co-founder Lucian Greaves and his ban...
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Baseball on Drugs from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
The documentary “Screwball” looks at the colorful Miami characters involved in the baseball doping scandal that implicated Alex Rodriguez and other Major League Baseball players. Filmmaker Billy...
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Sex Work in Court from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
“Blowin’ Up” spends two years inside an innovative Queens court that focuses on prostitution and human trafficking. Filmmaker Stephanie Wang-Breal takes her title from slang that refers to leavi...
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'We Are the Brooklyn Saints' Focuses on Youth Football from 2021-01-29T05:00
The four-part series “We Are the Brooklyn Saints” looks at a grade school football team in East New York. Filmmaker Rudy Valdez profile...
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Breaking Barriers In 'How It Feels To Be Free' from 2021-01-22T05:00
“How It Feels to Be Free” profiles six Black women entertainers who broke barriers of racial discri...
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Uncovering a Bizarre Murder Plot in 'Assassins' from 2021-01-15T05:00
The documentary “Assassins” investigates the bizarre 2017 plot to murder Kim Jong-Nam, the half brother to North Korea’s Supreme Leader. Hi...
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Remembering Jamal Khashoggi In 'The Dissident' from 2021-01-08T05:00
“The Dissident” investigates the plan by Saudi Arabia's government to murder journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Oscar-winning director Bryan Fogel, who mad...
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David Attenborough Delivers An Urgent Message from 2021-01-01T05:00
In “David Attenborough: A Life on our Planet,” the acclaimed nature documentary maker combines stunning visuals of wildlife with a pass...
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August Wilson’s Legacy in 'Giving Voice' from 2020-12-25T06:00
"Giving Voice” celebrates the legacy of August Wilson by looking at a competition of high school students performing his monologues on a Broa...
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Seeking Resolution in '40 Years a Prisoner' from 2020-12-18T07:00
Essential Workers In 'Through The Night' from 2020-12-11T05:00
"Through the Night”pays tribute to working mothers by looking at a 24-hour child care facility run by Deloris “Nunu” Hogan and and her hu...
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'76 Days' Bears Witness to Wuhan from 2020-12-04T05:00
The documentary “76 Days” was filmed inside hospitals in Wuhan, China during the city's lockdown at the outbreak of Covid-19. A rare independent ...
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Werner Herzog Explores Meteors In 'Fireball' from 2020-11-27T05:00
“Fireball: Visitors from Darker Worlds”takes a global journey to study me...
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The Origins Of A Climate Activist In 'I Am Greta' from 2020-11-20T05:00
"I Am Greta” follows teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg over the year she rose from obscurity to becoming the voice of a generation. Swedish filmmaker Nathan Grossman had unique acces...
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'MLK/FBI' Explores A History Of Spying from 2020-11-13T07:00
“MLK/FBI” returns us to a time when J. Edgar Hoover led a campaign of surveillance and harassment against Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Remembering Robert Fisk in “This Is Not A Movie" from 2020-11-06T05:00
Journalist Robert Fisk, who died at 74 this week, is profiled in “This Is Not A Movie” covering his long career in the Middle East. Filmmaker Yung Chang follows Fisk on reporting trips to ...
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Frederick Wiseman Looks At Boston In 'City Hall' from 2020-10-30T05:00
Master documentarian Frederick Wiseman continues his 50-year project of observing institutions with a look at Boston in “City Hall.” At the center of the film is Mayor Marty Walsh as he takes on...
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'Time' Documents a Family With Father In Prison from 2020-10-23T05:00
The documentary “Time” focuses on Fox Rich, an ex-convict turned successful entrepreneur, as she raises her family a...
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'Totally Under Control' Analyzes the U.S. Response to Covid-19 from 2020-10-16T05:00
“Totally Under Control” takes a sobering look at why Covid-19 had a more devastating impact in the United States than in other countries. Oscar-w...
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In Search of 'The Latino Vote' from 2020-10-09T05:00
A Journalist's 'Kingdom Of Silence' from 2020-10-02T04:00
“Kingdom of Silence” explores the life of journalist Jamal Khashoggi who was murdered by Saudi operatives on O...
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Rewriting Film History With “Women Make Film” from 2020-09-25T04:00
“Women Make Film” is a 14-part documentary series narrated by Tilda Swinton and others that showcases the immense contribution of wom...
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To Catch A Thief In “Love Fraud” from 2020-09-18T04:00
In the Showtime series “Love Fraud,” filmmakers Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady conduct an investigation into a con man who has romanced...
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In The Documentary 'The Social Dilemma,' Social Media Is Out Of Control from 2020-09-11T04:00
In “The Social Dilemma” the harshest critique of social media comes from its former creators at Facebook, Twitter and other t...
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An Octogenarian Goes Undercover from 2020-09-04T09:13
The whimsical documentary “The Mole Agent” looks at an amateur spy in Chile who’s recruited to investigate a nursing home. Acclaimed filmmaker Maite Alberdi (“Tea Time”) combines humor and...
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Bringing Soul to Television from 2020-08-28T04:00
The documentary “Mr. Soul!” profiles Ellis Haizlip who hosted a ground-breaking television series about Black culture starting in 1968. He was the uncle of filmmaker Melissa Haizlip who co...
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A Landmark in Black Politics from 2020-08-21T04:00
In 1972, the pioneering filmmaker William Greaves captured the National Black Political Convention in Gary, Indiana for his documentary “Nationtime - Gary.” The work has gone unseen for de...
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The Next Generation of Political Leaders from 2020-08-14T13:49
The documentary “Boys State” follows more than a thousand teenage boys in Texas as they participate in a weeklong program of mock elections sponsored by the American Legion. F...
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Maria Ressa Speaks Truth to Power from 2020-08-07T04:00
The documentary “A Thousand Cuts” profiles the courageous journalist Maria Ressa, who leads The Rappler news website in the Philippines. Filmmaker Ramona Diaz follows Ressa and her team as...
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The ACLU Versus Trump from 2020-07-31T04:00
“The Fight” covers the American Civil Liberties Union lawyers as they battle the Trump administration all the way to the Supreme Court. The filmmaking trio behind Weiner - Eli Despres, ...
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They Still Got the Beat from 2020-07-24T04:00
The started out in the L.A. punk scene and catapulted into pop stardom. The documentary “The Go-Gos” examines the brief and brilliant history of the band behind MTV hits like “We Got the Beat” a...
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Transgender People on Screen from 2020-07-17T04:00
The documentary “Disclosure” examines how transgender people have been portrayed in film and television from harmful stereotypes to more positive representations. Mixing film clips with commenta...
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Race, Gender And Politics Today from 2020-07-10T04:00
The documentary “And She Could Be Next” is a two-part PBS documentary covering women of color across the U.S. who ran for political office in 2018. The filmmakers cover Rashida Tlaib, Lucy McBat...
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Celebrating John Lewis from 2020-07-03T04:00
The documentary “John Lewis: Good Trouble” examines the career of the civil rights crusader over six decades, from his non-violent protests in the 1960s to his career as Congressman from Georgia...
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To Be LGBTQ in Chechnya from 2020-06-26T04:00
The documentary “Welcome to Chechnya” follows the suspenseful rescue missions of activists helping members of the LGBTQ community escape from persecution in the Russian territory. Oscar-no...
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What’s So Funny About Fatherhood? from 2020-06-19T04:00
In “Dads,” filmmaker Bryce Dallas Howard pays loving tribute to a wide range of fathers including her own, Ron Howard. She gains candid and humo... Listen
Civil Rights for Artificial Intelligence from 2020-06-12T04:00
The documentary “Coded Bias,” playing online at the Human Rights Watch Film Festival, examines the prejudice built-in to computer code that’s mainly written by white men. Filmmaker Shalini Kanta...
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Behind The Scenes With Bruce Lee from 2020-06-05T04:00
“Be Water” explores the life of martial arts film star Bruce Lee, from Hollywood to Hong Kong. Filmmaker Bao Nguyen interviews Lee’s family and friends, including Kareem Abdul-Jabar, abo...
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#MeToo In The Hip Hop World from 2020-05-29T04:00
“On the Record” follows former music executive Drew Dixon as she weighs going public along with others in accusing Russell Simmons of rape. Oscar-nominated filmmakers Kirby Dick and Amy Zi...
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Art Theft with a Twist from 2020-05-22T04:00
The documentary “The Painter and the Thief” explores a strange relationship when an artist chooses to make a portrait of the gangster who stole her work. Filmmaker Benjamin Ree achieves a remark...
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A Proud History of Asian Americans from 2020-05-15T04:00
The five-hour PBS series “Asian Americans” traces the complex history of a multifaceted ethnic identity and experience. Series producer Renee Tajima-Peña collaborates w...
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Exploring Life in Biosphere 2 from 2020-05-08T04:00
“Spaceship Earth” tells the story of eight researchers who locked themselves into the self-contained ecosystem of Biosphere 2 in the Arizona desert for two years. Filmmaker Matt Wolf documents t...
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Economics Made Easy from 2020-05-01T04:00
“Capital in the Twenty-First Century” adapts the best-selling book by French economist Thomas Piketty into a lively documentary set to a pop soundtrack. Director Justin Pemberton enlists economi...
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My Parents, the Pornographers from 2020-04-24T04:00
“Circus of Books” looks at the iconic Los Angeles bookstore known for stocking gay pornography. The unlikely owners were the parents of filmmaker Rachel Mason. The film is a multi-layered explor...
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Innocence in Prison from 2020-04-17T04:00
The Netflix series “The Innocence Files” follows cases of wrongfully convicted prisoners whose cases are championed by The Innocence Project. Executive producers Liz Garbus, Alex Gibney and Roge...
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False Sense Of Security Over Elections from 2020-04-10T04:00
“Kill Chain: The Cyber War on America’s Elections” follows security expert Harri Hursti and others who reveal alarming vulnerabilities in U.S. electronic voting machines. Filmmakers Simon Ardizz...
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The Fight Against Gerrymandering from 2020-04-03T09:03:28
Gerrymandering might seem like an arcane political topic, but the documentary “Slay the Dragon” shows how citizen activists are fighting to bring greater democracy to the process of drawing Cong...
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How A Summer Camp Started a Movement from 2020-03-27T04:00
The documentary “Crip Camp” tells the history of Camp Jened in the Catskills, where young adults became activists in the civil rights movement for people with disabilities. Filmmaker Jim L...
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A Pandemic of Lies from 2020-03-20T04:00
"After Truth: Disinformation and the Cost of Fake News" studies the rise of lies in politics and their weaponization with social media. Filmmaker Andrew Rossi examines conspiracies...
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