Actual Facts

We discuss ‘The House From …,’ a fun new documentary about iconic homes from movies and TV shows like ‘Home Alone,’ ‘Breaking Bad,’ ‘Friday,’ ‘The Outsiders,’ ‘Pee-wee’s Big Adventure’, ‘A Christmas Story,’ and many more. The film looks at the lives of the homeowners who navigate the unique challenges and joys of living in pop culture landmarks. We wrap up the episode with an interview with the film’s director, Tommy Avallone.

A...

We talk with Benjamin Ree about his documentary 'The Remarkable Life of Ibelin' (2024). The film tells the story of Mats Steen, a young man in Norway born with a severe form of muscular dystrophy that left him physically isolated for most of his life. Through the online multiplayer game 'World of Warcraft,' however, Mats found connection with a community of people around the world. Unbeknownst to his family, he had created a second...

Joining us is Nicholas Ma to discuss his documentary 'Leap of Faith' (2024), which follows twelve diverse Christian leaders from Grand Rapids, Michigan, as they gather for a series of retreats led by Michael Gulker, organizer of a project called the Colossian Forum. Over a year, these pastors—five women and seven men from various denominations and with differing beliefs and approaches—engage in deep conversations on divisive issues...

We speak with Nick August-Perna about his documentary 'Tell Them You Love Me' (2023). The film explores the complex and controversial case of Anna Stubblefield, a former Rutgers ethics professor who was convicted in 2015 for the sexual assault of Derrick Johnson, a nonverbal Black man with cerebral palsy. Stubblefield, a white woman, met Johnson while working to improve his communication skills using Facilitated Communication, a co...

Clair Titley joins to discuss her documentary 'The Contestant' (2023). The film tells the surreal story of Nasubi, an aspiring Japanese comedian who, in 1998 at the age of 22, was selected for a reality TV show produced by the team behind the popular series 'Denpa Shonen.' Stripped of his clothes and placed in a tiny apartment, Nasubi was tasked with surviving solely on magazine sweepstakes winnings until he amassed 1 million yen i...

We talk to filmmaker Elisa Levine about her documentary 'Sweetheart Deal.' The film tells the story of four women—Kristine, Krista, Tammy, and Sara—who navigate life on Seattle's infamous Aurora Avenue, a street packed with traffic, motels, and liquor stores, and known for being one of the city's main hubs for street-based sex work. 'Sweetheart Deal' explores the women’s complex relationships with each other, their families, and a ...

We speak with filmmaker Alice Gu about her 2020 documentary 'The Donut King.' The film tells the story of Ted Ngoy, a Cambodian refugee who escaped the Khmer Rouge and built a donut empire in California in the 1970s. Ted's success helped hundreds of fellow refugees start their own shops, transforming the West Coast's donut industry. But as Ted enjoyed the American Dream, personal struggles with gambling and infidelity led to a dram...

We talk with acclaimed filmmaker Ondi Timoner about her deeply personal 2022 documentary, 'Last Flight Home.' The film chronicles the last days of Ondi’s father, Eli Timoner, a visionary entrepreneur and philanthropist who founded a successful airline in the 1970s.

'Last Flight Home' captures the final weeks of 92-year-old Eli’s life after he decides to end it under California’s End of Life Option Act. The film offers a profound...

We’re joined by sister-and-brother filmmaking duo Rebecca and Pete Davis, whose new documentary, 'Join or Die,' examines the pivotal role that joining clubs and civic groups plays in shaping the future of our society.

Drawing on the work of renowned social scientist Robert Putnam, whose groundbreaking book 'Bowling Alone' exposed the alarming decline of community connections, 'Join or Die' offers profound insights into the curre...

MovieMaker Magazine's documentary podcast Actual Facts is back to talk docs! Eric and Jason discuss 'American Pain,' a film that tells the story of twin brothers and bodybuilders Chris and Jeff George, who operated a notorious network of pain clinics in Florida, raking in millions by prescribing and dispensing large quantities of opioids with reckless abandon. The film's director, Darren Foster, stops by to chat.

Hosts: Eric Ste...

Come on down! Director C.J. Wallis joins us to talk about his documentary 'Perfect Bid: The Contestant Who Knew Too Much,' which tells the story of Ted Slauson, a math assessment test writer and “The Price Is Right” fanatic. From an early age, Slauson studied the prices of the show’s prizes, and even wrote software to help him memorize them. He eventually gets caught up in a controversy when one contestant gets a price a little *to...

We speak with Bianca Stigter, director of 'Three Minutes: A Lengthening.' The documentary is a beautiful and devastating tribute to a Jewish community in Poland that was captured on film in 1938 and wiped out by the Nazi regime a year later. We also talk about Nathan Fielder's unique (and hard to describe) docuseries 'The Rehearsal' and discuss fascinating artifacts uncovered in record stores, flea markets, and neighbors' homes.

Welcome to Actual Facts, where we discuss documentary films and talk to the filmmakers behind them. In this first episode, we speak with Dayna Goldfine and Dan Geller, directors of 'Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song.'

Hosts: Eric Steuer and Jason Betrue

Theme music: Yalls (https://yalls.bandcamp.com)

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