Top Docs: Award-Winning Documentary Filmmakers

When Tig Notaro suggested to filmmaker Ryan White that he make a documentary about Tig’s friend, the poet Andrea Gibson, two words gave Ryan pause: “cancer” and “poetry.” He wondered who would fund (and watch) such a documentary. But, to Ryan’s great surprise, as evident in his deeply moving, funny and highly engaging documentary “Come See Me in the Good Light,” following Andrea and their wife, the writer Megan Falley, during some of the hardest moments of their lives ended up producing a film full of joy and humor, not to mention a final poetry performance worthy of a rock star.   Ryan joins Ken on the pod to discuss his initial foray to Andrea and Megan’s home in Colorado and the enveloping family atmosphere that lovingly entangled him and his crew throughout the making of this extraordinary documentary. For Ryan, who has directed approximately one documentary a year for the past 15 years, this was the one that ended up being his most personal and favorite project. When Andrea overcomes the ravaging effects of ovarian cancer long enough to perform a final show, the audience roars its approval and, in the spirit of one of Andrea’s remarkable poems, we are all left with goosebumps.   “Come See Me in the Good Light” has been named to this year’s Oscar shortlist in the Documentary Feature Film category. The film is available for streaming on Apple TV.   Follow: @white815 on Instagram and @ryanwhiteIV on twitter @topdocspod on Instagram and X   Hidden Gem: “Predators”    The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix.

There are power couples… and then there is Juma Xipaia and Hugo Loss. As illustrated in Richard Ladkani’s (“Sea of Shadows”) riveting, urgent, and Oscar-shortlisted documentary “Yanuni,” the two are fierce defenders of the Amazon rainforest engaged in a life-and-death struggle against illegal mining operations that threaten the existence of Brazil’s Indigenous territories.   Richard joins Ken on the pod to discuss how he was first introduced to Juma — who, in 2016, became the first female chief of the Xingu peoples — and their subsequent filmmaking collaboration that included many unpredictable twists and turns. Not least among the surprises was Juma’s transformation from protest leader to government official when newly elected Brazilian President Lula da Silva tapped her to lead an initiative to promote Indigenous rights. Meanwhile, Hugo is put in charge of a special operations unit whose dangerous missions involve identifying and destroying illegal mining operations in protected Indigenous areas. Together, Juma and Hugo’s love of the forest can only be matched by the birth of their daughter Yanuni, who is destined to carry their fight into the next generation.   Follow: @richardladkani on Instagram @topdocspod on Instagram and X    The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix.

Pavel “Pasha” Talankin may seem like just another primary school events coordinator, but when he is forced by Vladimir Putin’s new dictates to not only implement a pro-war curriculum but to record teachers delivering its absurd, self-contradictory nonsense, he decides to use his camera to document the effects of the war in Ukraine and the propaganda war at home on his community, and especially his students.    David Borenstein (“Dream Empire”, “Can’t Feel Nothing”), who along with Pasha co-directed the Oscar-shorlisted “Mr. Nobody Against Putin”, joins Mike to talk about how he came to work with Pasha through a casting call as well as the importance of tone in a movie filled both with humor as well as off-screen carnage.  And they speak too of one of the best villains in documentary film:  Pavel (no “Pasha” he!) Abdulmanov, the school history teacher who delivers Putin’s pablum with enthusiasm and who wishes he could’ve met the worst of the worst of Stalin’s henchmen, notably the infamous torturer, Lavrentiy Beria.   Hidden Gem: “The Mountains”   Follow: @davborenstein on Instagram @topdocspod on Instagram and X

It took 20 years of asking by an Oscar-winning filmmaker, but famed investigative reporter Seymour Hersh finally said, “Yes.” The result is "Cover-Up", a revelatory new documentary portrait of Hersh’s fascinating life and career by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Laura Poitras (“Citizenfour”) and Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Mark Obenhaus (“Steep”).   Joining Ken on the pod, Mark (who jointly directed the film with Laura) discusses the origins of his professional relationship with Hersh and why the stars finally aligned for Hersh to agree to the project. With a career going back to the 1960’s, Hersh virtually invented the idea of the modern investigative reporter. He sniffed out the facts of the horrific My Lai massacre by U.S. soldiers in Vietnam and exposed the top brass’ scandalous cover-up. Following My Lai, Hersh went on to expose cover-ups in Watergate that became front page news in the “New York Times.” Years later, during the Iraq War, Hersh’s reporting would again expose high-level cover-ups, revealing the graphic details of torture committed by the CIA and the U.S. Army at Abu Ghraib prison. “Cover-Up” also addresses Hersh’s shortcomings as well. Time and again, Hersh’s work and sources have exposed abuses of power at the highest level of the American government. It turns out that the full story was well worth waiting for.   Hidden Gem: “Seeds”   Follow: @mark_obenhaus on Instagram @topdocspod on Instagram and X    The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix.

Welcome once again to our Anne-ual Top Docs Holiday Special featuring the one-and-only Anne Thompson, Editor-at-Large at IndieWire! Anne joins Mike and Ken to tackle this year’s Best Feature Documentary Oscar Shortlist, released on December 16th. One day following the release of the list, Anne is already fired up and ready to go. How competitive is this year’s race? Who are the Favorites, Runners Up and Dark Horses? Which film will win it all? Park yourself in front of a roaring fire and pop in those earbuds. It’s Oscar time!   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: @akstanwyck on Instagram and twitter @topdocspod on Instagram and twitter   The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix.