Doc Talk: A Deadline and Nō Studios Podcast
by Deadline Hollywood
Hosted by Oscar-winning filmmaker John Ridley and Deadline’s Documentary Editor, Matt Carey, Doc Talk features weekly interviews with filmmakers, storytellers, and industry leaders about creating critical content with the power to move the genre forward – and possibly change the world.
Episodes
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Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival's Ken Jacobson
Ken Jacobson, head of the institute that puts on the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, joins us to discuss the 35th edition of the event in central Arkansas, the oldest nonfiction film festival in North America. We talk about the HSDFF lineup highlighted by 'NAZA' and more Oscar contenders,...
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'Nuisance Bear' Directors Gabriela Osio Vanden And Jack Weisman
Nuisance Bear, set in Churchill, Manitoba where polar bears regularly cross paths with locals and eco-tourists, has emerged as one of the most lauded films of the year. We speak with directors Gabriela Osio Vanden and Jack Weisman about how they upended nature film tropes, telling the story from...
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Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival-Deadline Round Table
Deadline partners with the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival in Arkansas to bring you HSDFF's inaugural round table, featuring four of the top documentaries in Academy Awards contention this year: American Doctor, represented by director Poh Si Teng; Closure, represented by director Michał...
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'One Upon A Time In Harlem's David Greaves And Liani Greaves
Once Upon a Time in Harlem, a documentary more than 50 years in the making, has emerged as a strong contender for Oscar recognition. Director David Greaves and producer Liani Greaves join us to discuss their film about an extraordinary 1972 reunion of surviving figures from the Harlem…
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Documentary Producer James Costa
Documentary producer and executive producer James Costa of Bird Street Productions has been central to many of the best nonfiction films of recent years. He joins the show to talk about his work as well as an annual endeavor: choosing the films for Deadline's For the Love of Docs fall series.…
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Field Report From Toronto And Camden Film Festivals
Doc Talk hits the road to report from the Toronto International Film Festival and the Camden International Film Festival in Maine. We bring you interviews with two-time Oscar winning director Barbara Kopple (Union Town), the director and protagonists of Black Sunflowers, the filmmaking team…
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Sam Green, Director Of 'The Oldest Person In The World'
Filmmaker Sam Green joins us to discuss his new documentary The Oldest Person in the World, the result of a 10-year exploration into fascination with the person who, at any given time, is deemed to be the oldest living individual on the planet. It's a leaping off point to consider questions of...
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'Black Zombie' Director Maya Annik Bedward
Filmmaker Maya Annik Bedward discusses her incisive documentary Black Zombie, an exploration of the popularity of zombie films and television series and how Hollywood appropriated Haitian religious traditions to create the horror subgenre. The film from Kino Lorber enjoys a 100 percent approval...
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'Remake' Director Ross McElwee
Award-winning filmmaker Ross McElwee discusses his deeply personal documentary Remake, the story of his relationship with his son, Adrian, who was a presence in many of the director's earlier films. Adrian possessed talent and an original way of thinking, but drug addiction would claim his life....
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'American Doctor' Director Poh Si Teng & Physicians
We are joined by the director and protagonists of Oscar-contending documentary American Doctor on a special edition of the Doc Talk podcast recorded live before an American Cinematheque audience in Los Angeles. Physicians Mark Perlmutter, Thaer Ahmad, and Feroze Sidhwa tell us what they saw in…
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Toronto Film Festival Doc Preview With Thom Powers
TIFF documentary programmer Thom Powers previews the Toronto Film Festival's nonfiction lineup as the 51st edition of the event approaches. There are films on Palestinian scholar and activist Edward Said, soccer star Megan Rapinoe, the plastic surgery boom in Iran — and Alex Gibney's highly...
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'Mr. Scorsese' Director Rebecca Miller
Rebecca Miller calls Martin Scorsese "the maestro," and who would disagree? She explores the life and work of the extraordinary filmmaker in her 5-part Apple TV documentary series Mr. Scorsese, which is nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction...
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'Mel Brooks' Directors Judd Apatow & Michael Bonfiglio
The documentary Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man! is up for six Primetime Emmy nominations — tied for the most of any nonfiction project this year. Filmmakers Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio tell us how they crafted their two-part doc on the legendary actor-director-writer-songwriter, who turned...
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'Ocean With David Attenborough'
The National Geographic documentary Ocean with David Attenborough has earned six Primetime Emmy nominations, tied for the most of any nonfiction project this year. One of them is for Outstanding Narrator for David Attenborough, the naturalist and author who turned 100 years old in May. We speak...
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‘Time And Water’ Director Sara Dosa
Oscar-nominated filmmaker Sara Dosa joins the show to discuss her new documentary, Time and Water, an exploration of the dramatic shift in Iceland’s landscape, where melting glaciers threaten to wash away not only the ice but family and cultural history. Dosa enters the terrain through the work…
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Celebrating Kartemquin Films 60th Anniversary With Gordon Quinn
We speak with filmmaker Gordon Quinn, cofounder of Kartemquin Films, on the 60th anniversary of the institution known for producing Hoops Dreams, Minding the Gap and countless other vital documentaries. We are also joined by Prof. Patricia Aufderheide, author of Kartemquin Films: Documentaries on...
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'Mary Oliver' Director Sasha Waters
Filmmaker Sasha Waters discusses her new documentary Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World, about the prize-winning poet who became a lecture circuit sensation late in life. Waters reveals how she got Stephen Colbert, Helena Bonham Carter, Steve Buscemi, as well as Hairspray director John...
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Mid-Year Oscar Preview
As we move deeper into the second half of the year, cohosts John Ridley and Matt Carey examine the documentaries that have emerged as early contenders for Oscar recognition. American Doctor, Closure, Nuisance Bear, Everybody to Kenmure Street, To Hold a Mountain — they're in the running. So are…
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'Public Access' Director David Shadrack Smith
Nudity, comedy, cutting edge music, precocious kids, wannabe stars: public access in New York in the 1970s and '80s had everything -- a freewheeling outgrowth of cable TV that allowed freedom of expression to flourish. Director David Shadrack Smith dials back to that time in his documentary…
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Leaders Of DC/DOX & Millennium Docs Against Gravity
Leaders of two thriving documentary film festivals join us: Sky Sitney and Jamie Shor of DC/DOX in the nation's capital, and Karol Piekarczyk, artistic director of Millennium Docs Against Gravity in Poland. They explore their successes and challenges and why festivals are enjoying a resurgence in...
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Martha Graham Dance Company Documentary
A documentary observing the work of the Martha Graham Dance Company is contending for Emmy recognition, even as the company founded by the legelndary choreographer celebrates the 100th anniversary of its founding. We're joined by filmmakers Cyndee Readdean and Peter Schnall to discuss all things...
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Rafael Nadal And 'Rafa' Director Zach Heinzerling
Tennis champ Rafael Nadal joins the show to discuss 'Rafa,' his 4-part Netflix documentary series that reveals the physical pain and psychological pressure he endured to become one of the sport's greatest of all time. Oscar-nominated director Zach Heinzerling shares insights on the intimate...
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Tribeca Festival Director Cara Cusumano
With the 25th Tribeca Festival about to kick off in New York City, we're joined by festival director Cara Cusumano for a preview of Tribeca's nonfiction lineup. Among the films slated to premiere are the latest from Oscar winner Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, docs about musician Sara Bareilles, late...
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'Everybody To Kenmure Street' Director
Director Felipe Bustos Sierra joins the show to discuss his award-winning documentary Everybody to Kenmure Street, a riveting account of a spontaneous protest that sprang up in Glasgow, Scotland after UK authorities attempted to stage an immigration raid. Emma Thompson serves as executive…
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'Dernsie: The Amazing Life Of Bruce Dern'
Oscar-nominated actor Bruce Dern and director Mike Mendez join us to discuss Dernsie: The Amazing Life of Bruce Dern, their documentary premiering Wednesday at the Cannes Film Festival. Dern is not only one of Hollywood's greatest actors, but one of its greatest raconteurs.
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'Sean Combs: The Reckoning'
Filmmaker Alexandria Stapleton discusses her Emmy-contending Netflix series, Sean Combs: The Reckoning, a forensic examination of the sexual misconduct allegations against the rapper, actor, and mogul that landed Combs in federal prison. It's produced by Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson.
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Emmy Contender 'John Candy: I Like Me'
Producer-director Colin Hanks and producer Ryan Reynolds join the show to share stories of making John Candy: I Like Me, their cinematic exploration of the beloved Canadian actor and SCTV sketch performer. Candy's two children plus many of his friends and famous collaborators — Tom Hanks, Steve...
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Impact Of Paramount-WBD Merger On Docs
The proposed merger of Paramount and Warner Bros Discovery would reshape the documentary landscape, putting HBO Documentary Films, CNN Films, HBO Max, Paramount+, MTV Documentary Films and more under one roof. As major stars and filmmakers write an open letter protesting the merger, we speak with...
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Makers Of 'Newport And The Great Folk Dream' And 'All Of The Above'
We report from the 18th Milwaukee Film Festival, speaking two makers of two documentaries in the festival lineup: All of the Above, and Newport and the Great Folk Dream. All of the Above focuses on a world religions class taught in a Chicago public high school, while Newport examines the iconic...
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American Cinematheque's This Is Not A Fiction Festival
Now entering its third year, the American Cinematheque's This Is Not a Fiction festival in Los Angeles has emerged as a major event for documentary lovers. We speak with AC film programmer Cindy Flores about this year's festival, running April 16-24. It will feature some of the greatest names in...
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Report From 2026 CPH:DOX
Doc Talk reports from CPH:DOX in Copenhagen. Artistic Director Niklas Engstrøm shares his highlights from the 2026 edition of the world-class festival and tells us how CPH:DOX keeps politicians at "arms length" to avoid outside interference in the program. And we visit with directors Hansen Lin…
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'My Undesirable Friends' Director Julia Loktev
Filmmaker Julia Loktev joins us to discuss her award-winning documentary My Undesirable Friends: Part I - Last Air in Moscow, which chronicles the last independent television news source in Russia. The journalists in the film, mostly young women, found themselves treated as enemies of the state…
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Juliette Binoche And Thessaloniki Doc Festival's Yorgos Krassakopoulos
Oscar winner Juliette Binoche speaks about her directorial debut, the documentary In-I In Motion that explores the creative process behind a unique dance and theater project she co-created with dancer-choreographer Akram Khan. The film screened at the Thessaloniki International Documentary…
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Oscar Takeways Plus Directors Of True/False Films 'Phenomena' And 'Pinball'
Hosts John Ridley and Matt Carey discuss why Mr. Nobody Against Putin prevailed as Best Documentary Feature in an upset at the Oscars. And we talk with makers of two films that just premiered at the True/False documentary festival in Columbia, MO: Josef Gatti, director of Phenomena, and director...
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'Pompei: Below The Clouds' Director Gianfranco Rosi
Oscar nominee Gianfranco Rosi joins the show to discuss his latest documentary feature, the lustrous Pompei: Below the Clouds, an immesion into Naples, the southern Italian city in the shadow of volcanic Mount Vesuvius.
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Berlinale Filmmakers Anna Fitch, Banker White, And Mark Cousins
We report from the European Film Market's DocSalon in Berlin, where several filmmakers discussed their work premiering in the Berlinale: Anna Fitch and Banker White, directors of YO (Love Is a Rebellious Bird), which won a Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Achievement, and Mark Cousins…
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Directors Of Oscar Nominee 'Cutting Through Rocks'
Filmmakers Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni discuss their 8-year journey making the feature documentary Cutting Through Rocks, which has earned them their first Oscar nominations. The New York-based directors returned to their native Iran to tell the story of a remarkable woman in a rural...
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'Man On The Run' Director Morgan Neville
Oscar winner Morgan Neville's new documentary Man on the Run offers an intimate look at Paul McCartney in the 10 years after he left the Beatles, as he tried to establish a new musical and personal identity after the dissolution of rock n' roll's most iconic band. The filmmaker explains how he...
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Oscar Nominees 'All The Empty Rooms' & 'The Devil Is Busy'
We're joined by the makers of two Oscar-nominated short documentaries: Joshua Seftel, director of All the Empty Rooms, and Geeta Gandbhir and Christalyn Hampton, directors of The Devil Is Busy (Gandbhir is separately nominated for directing the feature documentary The Perfect Neighbor). Hosts…
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Sundance Filmmakers Michał Marczak, Poh Si Teng, Alex Gibney & More
Doc Talk reports from the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, speaking with the directors of Closure, American Doctor, Knife: The Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie, The Brittney Griner Story, and Jane Elliott Against the World. We also hear from Rushdie, author of The Satanic Verses, and WNBA star…
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Oscar Nominations Reaction & Sundance Interviews
Hosts John Ridley and Matt Carey react to the Oscar nominations — dominated in the Best Documentary Feature category by films that premiered at Sundance. We also report from the 2026 edition of Sundance, speaking with the makers of Ghost in the Machine (premiereing in the NEXT section) and...
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Sundance Doc Programmers Basil Tsiokos & Sudeep Sharma
Sundance documentary programmers Basil Tsiokos and Sudeep Sharma share insights on the nonfiction film lineup for the 2026 festival, the final one to be held in Park City, Utah. They share their picks for must-see documentary features in competition, NEXT and other sections.
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Oscar-Shortlisted Filmmakers Andrew Jarecki, Charlotte Kaufman, David Borenstein, and Richard Ladkani
We're joined by several filmmakers hoping to earn an Oscar nomination for their documentary features: Andrew Jarecki and Charlotte Kaufman, directors of The Alabama Solution; David Borenstein, director of Mr. Nobody Against Putin, and Richard Ladkani, director of Yanuni. In the Yanuni segment,...
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Oscar-Shortlisted Documentaries
We explore three shortlisted documentaries: from Come See Me in the Good Light, director Ryan White joins us; director Amber Fares of Coexistence, My Ass! visits Doc Talk studios with the protagonist of her film, Israeli comedian Noam Shuster-Eliassi; and from the short documentary We Were the...
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Documentary Shortlists 98th Oscars
Hosts John Ridley and Matt Carey dissect the documentary shortlists for the 98th Academy Awards. There were major snubs (a NatGeo darling and a celebrity-oriented HBO doc) — and surprising inclusions (numerous films without U.S. distribution). Oscar winner Ridley (12 Years a Slave) gets into the...
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Filmmakers Victor Kossakovsky and Lynne Sachs
Filmmakers Victor Kossakofsky and Lynne Sachs join us for a conversation about their latest documentaries, which premiered at IDFA. Kossakovsky's Trillion unfolds in lustrous black and white, without dialogue. Sachs' film, Every Contact Leaves a Trace, begins with her going through a stack of 600...
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Winners Of The IDA Documentary Awards
We report from the 41st Annual IDA Documentary Awards in Los Angeles, speaking with newly-minted winners as they come off stage. Joining us are Tamara Kotevska (The Tale of Silyan); Petra Costa and Alessandra Orofino (Apocalypse in the Tropics); Brittany Shyne (Seeds); Alex Megaro (WTO/99), and...
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Trio Of Oscar-Contending Documentary Features
We speak with the filmmakers behind three of the top contenders in the Oscars' Best Documentary Feature category: The Tale of Silyan, directed by Tamara Kotevska; Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk, directed by Sepideh Farsi, and Cover-Up, directed by Laura Poitras and Mark Obenhaus. We caught…
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Report From IDFA With Festival Artistic Director Isabel Arrate Fernandez And Filmmaker Petra Costa
Doc Talk travels to Amsterdam for IDFA, the world's biggest docmentary festival. We speak with new Artistic Director Isabel Arrate Fernandez about assuming leadership of the festival after many years heading up the IDFA Bertha Fund. Arrate Fernandez discusses reaction to the festival's...
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Richard Gere And Oren Moverman On 'Wisdom Of Happiness'
Wisdom of Happiness executive producers Richard Gere and Oren Moverman join us for a conversation about their documentary focusing on the Dalai Lama's insights into finding happiness in a world that seems full of chaos and uncertainty. Gere tells us how a technique borrowed from filmmaker Errol...
About this show
Hosted by Oscar-winning filmmaker John Ridley and Deadline’s Documentary Editor, Matt Carey, Doc Talk features weekly interviews with filmmakers, storytellers, and industry leaders about creating critical content with the power to move the genre forward – and possibly change the world.
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