POV

The director of an exceptionally moving documentary called Minding the Gap, Bing Liu, is up first on Episode 501. The film is opening in NYC on Friday, August 17th at the Metrograph Theater. Three young men bond together to escape volatile families in their Rust Belt hometown. As they face adult responsibilities, unexpected revelations threaten their decade-long friendship. Minding The Gap was made in conjunction with Kartemquin Films. It is being distributed by Hulu and will have its TV broadcast premiere later this year on POV.

The filmmakers behind the seminal and groundbreaking 1982 documentary The Atomic Cafe —Kevin Rafferty, Jayne Loader & Pierce Rafferty— are in the second segment. The film is currently screening at Film Forum in a new 4k restored digital print. This darkly humorous documentary consists of archival footage about nuclear warfare. Drawing largely on government propaganda and training films for American soldiers, the movie, presented in collage form, features clips from early in the Cold War era that are filled with alarming misinformation. Some segments address the alleged safety of nuclear radiation, “duck and cover” drills and other related topics, including instructions for living in a fallout shelter. The film, which is currently being distributed by Kino Lorber, will be opening wide over the coming days. This segment will be included on the forthcoming DVD as bonus content.

Music on this episode is from upcoming Filmwax guest singer-songwriter Mike Viola from his recent album The American Egypt.

Filmwax Radio is presented by Rooftop Films. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram. The podcast is also available on iTunes, Stitcher & Youtube.

Documentary filmmaker Kimberly Reed (Prodigal Sons) makes her first appearance  on the podcast. Her new film, Dark Money, is a political thriller which examines one of the greatest present threats to American democracy: the influence of untraceable corporate money on our elections and elected officials. The film takes viewers to Montana—a frontline in the fight to preserve fair elections nationwide—to follow an intrepid local journalist working to expose the real-life impacts of the US Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision. Through this gripping story, Dark Money uncovers the shocking and vital truth of how American elections are bought and sold. This Sundance award-winning documentary is directed/produced by Kimberly Reed and produced by Katy Chevigny (E-TEAM). The film will have a theatrical engagement in New York City at the IFC Center beginning Friday, July 13. Both Kimberly and subject John S. Adams will be at various Q&A’s. For screenings near you, check the full schedule.

Iyabo Boyd was last on the podcast in August of 2012 on Episode 51. Iyabo’s back and she’s about and she has a new short film she’s excited about. Check out the Kickstarter campaign for the project which is called Me Time — A Feminist Sex Comedy. In our conversation we discuss the project, a highly personal work, in greater detail as well as how to get a short distributed and exhibited.

Music on this episode is by the artist Olivia Chaney from her new album Shelter (Nonesuch Records, 2018). Tracks showcased here include IOU, Roman Holiday and Shelter.

Filmwax Radio is presented by Rooftop Films. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram. The podcast is also available on iTunes, Stitcher & Youtube.

Filmwax Radio Episode 427 brings back two friends to the podcast. The first, Ramona Diaz (Imelda, Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey), is back with a new documentary about the world’s busiest maternity ward called Motherland. The film also takes us into one of the world’s poorest and most populous countries: the Philippines. The film’s viewer, like an unseen outsider dropped unobtrusively into the hospital’s stream of activity, passes through hallways, enters rooms and listens in on conversations. At first, the surrounding people are strangers. But as the film continues, it’s absorbingly intimate, rendering the women at the heart of the story increasingly familiar. Motherland, which premiered at Sundance, is currently screening at Cinema Village in New York City and opens at the Laemmle Monica Center on September 22nd before going wider. A POV broadcast is also scheduled for later this fall.

Up next, Frederick Wiseman (Titicut Follies, High School) returns to discuss his latest documentary Ex Libris: The New York Public Library. With this film, Wiseman turns his incisive vision behind the scenes of one of the world’s greatest institutions of learning, capturing the vast programmatic scope of NYC’s library system. The NYPL is blessed with uniformly passionate staff and deeply devoted, appreciative bibliophiles and beneficiaries across its 92 branches. The film opens at Film Forum in New York City, on Wednesday, September 13th, for a 2-week run before opening widely. Also, there’s a couple of days left of the second installment of a complete retrospective of Wiseman’s films at Film Forum. There will be a third installment some time in 2018.

This episode of the podcast is sponsored by the Vermont College of Fine Arts film program. Visit vcfa.edu/film for further details.

Filmwax Radio is presented by Rooftop Films. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram. The podcast is also available on iTunes, Stitcher & Youtube.

In the first segment, documentary filmmaker Sharon Shattuck discusses her new film, From This Day Forward, which is about growing up with a father who self identifies as a woman. The film will have its broadcast premiere on POV on October 10th. In the second segment I am joined in the studio by the Leiser Brothers, Eric & Jeffrey; the two make films which include beautiful animation and are experimental in nature. We are also joined by Brooklyn native & film curator, Curtis John, who talks about his series at the Luminal Theater.This episode of the podcast is sponsored by Audible.com. Get a free download and trial membership by going to www.audibletrial.com/filmwaxradio. Also sponsoring this episode is the Vermont College of Fine Arts, MFA Film program. Visit vcfa.edu/film for more details.Filmwax Radio is part of the ShowBriz Studios podcast network and presented by Rooftop Films.

Guests on this episode include founder of UnionDocs, Christopher Allen; The Overnighters filmmaker Jesse Moss; and Seeds of Time filmmaker Sandy McLeod.

Filmmaker Dan Schechter (Supporting Characters) returns to discuss his new movie, Life of Crime, an adaptation of an Elmore Leonard novel and starring Jennifer Aniston, Isla Fischer & yassin bey (aka Mos Def).

Filmmaker/parents Michèle Stephenson and Joe Brewster are the guests. There new documentary, American Promise, opens in theaters on Friday, October 18th.

International filmmaker Claire Denis whose latest film, Bastards, just premiered at the New York Film Festival; and Angad Bhalla, the filmmaker of the documentary Herman’s House, are the guests.

As if you needed another reason to get excited about summer, POV has announced the documentary lineup for their 25th anniversary season on PBS. This year they’ll be showing another excellent selection of films, including a number of Rooftop Alums.

Matt Porterfield’s acclaimed and beautiful film Putty Hill played at our Kickstarter Film Festival last summer. Now it’s playing at Cinema Village in NYC. Go see it this weekend.