Factual America

In this episode, we dive into the making of Nightmares of Nature, the hit Netflix nature documentary that turns the lens toward the eerie, emotional, and often terrifying side of the natural world. We speak with Charlotte Lathane to explore how the filmmaking team blended horror aesthetics with real wildlife stories, creating a show that challenges how we see the planet.

Timecodes: 

00:00 – Introduction to Nightmares of Nature

03:18 – Exploring the Concept of The Series

05:41 – The Art of Dramatised Nature Documentaries

09:08 – Behind the Scenes: Filming Challenges

14:06 – Creating a New Genre: Nature Meets Horror

20:36 – Audience Reception and Future Prospects

The Perfect Neighbor documentary tells the shocking true story of Ajike “AJ” Owens, a Black mother of four who was fatally shot by her neighbour Susan Lorincz in Florida. In this exclusive interview, director Geeta Gandbhir and Pamela Dias, Ajike’s mother, discuss how the film reconstructs the tragedy through police body-cam footage, 911 calls, and interrogation tapes. They unpack how a neighbourhood dispute spiraled into violence, exposing the failings of Florida’s Stand Your Ground law.

Director Geeta Gandbhir reveals why she took a “show-don’t-tell” approach, letting raw institutional footage speak for itself, while Pamela Dias shares her grief, courage, and fight for justice. Together they reflect on how The Perfect Neighbour turns personal loss into a broader story about gun violence, race, and accountability in America.

00:00 – Introduction to “The Perfect Neighbour”

05:22 – The Story Behind Adjika Owens

07:17 – Pamela's Reflection on Adjika

11:15 – The Incident: A Tragic Night

13:32 – Uncovering the History of Conflict

16:09 – The Role of Media and Community

17:35 – Motivations Behind the Tragedy

18:48 – Understanding Stand Your Ground Laws

26:43 – The Role of Police in Community Conflicts

30:34 – Impact on the Community After Tragedy

34:21 – Adjika's Legacy and Call to Action

This documentary with the Dalai Lama, Wisdom of Happiness, takes us inside His Holiness’s powerful message for a world in crisis. In this exclusive interview with director Barbara Miller, we explore how compassion, peace, and emotional resilience can guide us through climate change, conflict, and chaos — and why happiness might be humanity’s most radical act.

Explore the shocking truth behind the Afghanistan War in our deep dive into Bodyguard of Lies. We uncover decades of government deception and falsehoods, featuring never-before-seen insider testimonies that reveal how the public was misled. We speak with director Dan Krauss about making the documentary and exposing the cover-up behind one of the longest wars in U.S. history.

If you’re interested in uncovering hidden truths, understanding U.S. foreign policy failures, or learning what really happened in Afghanistan, this episode is for you.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Introduction

03:58 – The Story Behind the Documentary

06:39 – Misleading the Public

09:47 – Revealing Audio Tapes

11:28 – Early Doubts About the War

19:26 – Financial Stakes in the War

23:35 – Corruption and Cash Flow

29:25 – Missed Opportunities for Peace

32:21 – Voices of the Afghan People

36:16 – Remote Filming Challenges

40:08 –Final Lies of the War

45:18 –Hope for the Future

50:30 – What’s next and signing off

In this Letter From Britain episode of Factual America, our host Matthew reflects on the shocking assassination of Charlie Kirk and what it means for free speech, political extremism, and the state of democracy in America and beyond.

We examine the rise of political extremism, the media’s role in shaping the narrative, and how leaders from Bernie Sanders to Robert Redford have spoken out about the urgent need for civil discourse.

Timecodes:

00:00 – Intro

00:20 – The assassination of Charlie Kirk

01:30 – Political extremism & censorship

07:00 – Media narratives & public trust

14:00 – The passing of Robert Redford

16:00 – Reflections on hope & democracy

This interview was recorded before the news of Charlie Kirk’s murder, but its insights into political violence and radicalisation remain highly relevant.

Max Horder discusses the phenomenon of 'Luigi-ism', a term he coined to describe a troubling trend of left-wing violence and its cultural implications. He explains how Luigi Mangione became a cultural icon to the far left, reflecting a growing acceptance of violence in political discourse.

The discussion also contrasts left-wing and right-wing violence, exploring the psychological and sociological factors driving these behaviours. Horder emphasizes the role of social media in shaping perceptions and justifications for violence, and warns of increasing polarisation in American society, leading to greater conflict.

#PoliticalViolence

#RadicalActivism

#LuigiIsm

#VigilanteJustice

#PoliticalExtremism

Timestamps:

00:00 – Intro and Setup

00:52 – The Rise of Luigi-ism

08:50 –Understanding the Phenomenon of Luigiism

15:09 – Comparing Left-Wing and Right-Wing Violence

19:26 – The Nature of Left-Wing Violence

23:20 – Analysing the Numbers of Max's Survey

33:00 – The Role of Social Media in Political Violence

39:05 – "CEO down", "Luigi'd" and Other Concerning Memes

46:24 – Future Implications of Political Polarization

52:06 – More About Max Horder and The NCRI

Political cartoons, satire, and US presidents collide in the new documentary A Savage Art: The Life & Cartoons of Pat Oliphant. We interview Bill Banowsky on how one of the world’s most fearless cartoonists shaped politics and public opinion across five decades and ten presidencies. In this episode of Factual America, we look at the power of satire in American democracy, Oliphant’s lasting influence, and why his art remains so relevant today.

If you’re interested in political art, journalism, or the role of satire in democracy, this conversation is not to be missed.

#PoliticalCartoons

#Satire

#ASavageArt

#PoliticalDocumentary

#FactualAmerica

Timestamps:

00:00 – Introduction

04:33 – The Film: A Savage Art

12:32 – Pat Oliphant: The Influential Cartoonist

21:39 – The Evolution of Political Cartooning

34:20 – The Impact of Media Disruption

37:54 – The Journey of Documentary Filmmaking

44:19 – The Future of Theatres and Audience Experience

Netflix’s latest true crime documentary, Unknown Number: The High School Catfish, dives into one of the most disturbing high school “catfish” scandals ever exposed. In this episode, we go behind the scenes with director Skye Borgman to uncover how a teenager was lured into a devastating web of lies and manipulation by an online predator.

If you’re obsessed with Netflix true crime, catfishing scandals, or the dark side of social media, this is an unmissable conversation.

#TrueCrime #NetflixTrueCrime #CatfishStory #HighSchoolCatfish #ShockingTruth

Timestamps: 

00:00 Intro 

01:12 - Synopsis 

03:40 - Much more than just teasing among friends

05:53 - A small-town-witch-trial evolves

08:58 - The directors thoughts while filming

14:33 - The police step in

17:00 - The unknown number is revealed

19:13 - Understanding the perpetrator's perspective

26:55 - The art of great storytelling

31:35 - The culture of socialising through devices

34:37 - Long-term effects of cyber-bullying

37:03 - The victims looking back

38:45 - Future plans for Skye

The Dallas Cowboys, Netflix, America’s Team, the NFL, Jerry Jones, and the (un)making of a modern football dynasty – we dive into all these topics in this episode featuring Chapman and Maclain Way, the Emmy-winning filmmakers behind Netflix’s new sports docuseries America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys.

Known for Wild Wild Country, Kings of Tupelo and Untold, the Way brothers break down how the Cowboys became America’s most iconic, and controversial, team. From behind-the-scenes drama to media manipulation, this series isn’t just about football; it’s about power, ego, and the team that changed American pro sports and culture.

00:00 – Intro and Setup

01:16 – Documentary synopsis 

03:53 – The new guy in town

10:09 – A new era for the NFL

16:33 – How the project came together

19:00 – Never-before-seen footage of the Cowboys

21:47 – Jerry Jones – narrator of his own story

26:15 – Maclain, Chapman and the cast of their dreams

31:45 – Challenges of making the documentary

33:45 – A Spaghetti Western sports doc

38:40 – Striving for the next Super Bowl

40:50 – Wrapping up 

The Biggest Loser, Netflix, reality TV, weight loss, fitness culture, diet industry, TV scandal.

Fit for TV: The Reality of the Biggest Loser, a Netflix docuseries directed by Skye Borgman, exposes the dark side of one of television’s most controversial shows. We dive into the harsh truths behind the cameras, the toll on contestants’ lives, and how the series reshaped America’s ideas about weight and wellness.

If you want the real story behind the headlines, this episode is a must-watch. Fit for TV: The Reality of the Biggest Loser recently premiered on Netflix. Subscribe for more deep dives into the stories behind your favourite shows.

Timecodes:

00:00 – Introduction and Setup

01:22 – Synopsis of "Fit for TV: The Reality of the Biggest Loser"

05:47 – One of the most successful reality TV shows

06:57 – The controversy of massive weight loss

11:35 – Challenges and a fake reality

15:44 – What motivates the participants?

19:32 – The growth of the show

22:41 – Bizarre weight loss methods

26:37 – How healthily do Americans live today?

29:01 – Directing the documentary

35:06 – Future Projects

35:51 – Wrapping up

Storm Area 51 – viral meme, US military, internet conspiracy, aliens, UFOs, Nevada desert, Facebook event, true story. In 2019, a joke Facebook post about storming Area 51 went viral and triggered a full-scale media frenzy that put the US military on high alert. What started as an internet meme turned into a real-world phenomenon that captured the world’s attention.

In this episode, we speak with Jack MacInnes, director of the latest Trainwreck episode covering the Storm Area 51 event. He breaks down what really happened, how the story spiralled out of control, and why this strange moment in internet culture still matters. From alien hunters to military warnings, this is the bizarre true story behind one of the internet’s most unforgettable viral events.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Introduction

02:32 – Overview of Trainwreck: Storm Area 51

03:26 – The Origin of the Storm Area 51 Meme

08:10 – The Cultural Impact and Narrative of the Event

10:56 – The Role of Influencers and Media

14:19 – Understanding Memes and Their Evolution

16:11 – The Journey to Rural Nevada and Its Significance

18:27 – Exploring the Mystique of Area 51

20:16 – The Meme That Became a Movement

23:13 – The Seriousness of a Joke

25:50 – The Fallout of the Event

28:31 – The Reality of Attendance

29:44 – The Internet's Role in the Phenomenon

31:51 – The Aftermath and Reflections

34:41 – Future Endeavours and New Projects

This episode uncovers the explosive story behind P.I. Moms, an early 2000s reality TV show about everyday mothers working as private investigators. Through a tell-all documentary, we investigate the drug scandal that rocked the series and ultimately led to its downfall.

Join us as we reveal how the scandal sabotaged the show and impacted the lives and careers of its stars, including Carl Marino of Homicide Hunter fame. If you love true crime and reality TV exposés, this episode is a must-listen.

00:00 – Introduction and Setup

01:58 – Overview of P.I. Moms

06:23 – The Reality TV Landscape

09:23 – Unraveling of the Show

11:53 – Reality vs. Reality TV

13:18 – Reality TV: The Thin Line Between Truth and Fiction

14:35 – The Role of Key Players in the Story

16:38 – Behind the Scenes: The Making of a Reality Show

18:55 – The Complex Motivations Behind the Project

21:10 – The Unique Appeal of P.I. Moms

25:23 – The Impact on Participants and Filmmakers

29:00 – The Aftermath: Careers and Consequences

33:09 – Future Projects of Phil

As an American living in the UK, Matthew Sherwood unpacks what Independence Day really means from across the pond—and what it reveals about the growing divide between the US and UK. From political chaos to economic stagnation, he explores why the two nations feel increasingly out of sync.

The episode also dives into the rise of political disruptors like Nigel Farage and Elon Musk, before teasing what’s next for the podcast: bold new formats and fresh perspectives.

Timestamps

00:00 - Independence Day Reflections

03:37 - The Diverging Paths of the US and UK

07:49 - Political Landscape and Economic Realities

09:21 - New Formats and Future Directions

In 2009, the world stopped to watch a homemade UFO float across the Colorado skies – with a 6-year-old boy believed to be trapped inside. The “Balloon Boy” story gripped a nation…and then the shocking truth came out.In this episode, we speak with Gillian Pachter, director of the hit Netflix documentary Trainwreck: Balloon Boy, to uncover what really happened behind the scenes of one of the most bizarre media frenzies in modern history.

Shark conservationist Ocean Ramsey is world-famous for swimming with sharks to challenge fear and promote marine conservation.

In this episode, we speak with JP Stiles and Harrison Macks, directors of the Netflix documentary Shark Whisperer, about Ramsey’s mission to protect sharks, the power of viral ocean activism, and why these apex predators are so misunderstood.

Subscribe to Factual America: https://linktr.ee/FactualAmerica

Timestamps:

00:00 – Intro

01:13 – Film synopsis

02:40 – Who is Ocean Ramsey

05:17 – Sharks are not monsters

09:38 – Why shark attacks happen

12:02 – Media frenzy

16:16 – Ocean Ramsey's motivation

22:23 – The controversy

24:56 – Is it research, conservation or just a show?

28:33 – Involvement of James Reed

35:34 – Future projects

Poop Cruise. Disaster. Documentary. In this unmissable episode, we sit down with the director, James Ross, behind the new Trainwreck episode diving into the infamous 2013 Carnival cruise from hell.

With raw insight and behind-the-scenes revelations, we explore how an engine fire left 4,000 passengers stranded at sea with no power, no plumbing, and nowhere to go – transforming a dream vacation into a floating nightmare. Tune in for the wild backstory, unseen footage, and what really went down during the disaster dubbed "The Poop Cruise”.

Subscribe to Factual America: https://linktr.ee/FactualAmerica

Timestamps:

00:00 - Trainwerck - "The Poop Cruise"

02:34 - Introduction

05:56 - Overview of The Documentary

06:51 - The Cruise and Initial Incident

09:50 - Crisis Management

11:19 - Panic Hits the Crowds

14:41 - Communication Breakdown

16:50 - The Escalation of Chaos

19:10 - The Rescue Attempt and Final Chaos

22:19 - The Crew Amidst Chaos

24:27 - The Media Frenzy

28:37 - Documentary Filmmaking Challenges

32:58 - Finding the Right Stories and Characters

40:03 - Future Projects and the Evolution of Storytelling

Subscribe to Factual America: https://linktr.ee/FactualAmerica

Like us on Facebook: @factualamerica

Follow us on Twitter: @Factual_America

Connect with Matthew Sherwood:

Twitter: @sherwood1967

Facebook: @matthew.sherwood.14

LinkedIn: @matthewsherwood

Rob Ford, Toronto mayor, and scandal – we dive deep into the chaos of the new Netflix documentary Trainwreck: Mayor of Mayhem, with director Shianne Brown.

From political rise to crack-smoking infamy, this episode unpacks how a beloved yet controversial figure shook Canadian politics – and why his story still matters today.

Subscribe to Factual America: https://linktr.ee/FactualAmerica

Timestamps:

00:00 – Introduction

03:55 – Who Was Rob Ford?

09:55 – Scandals & Controversies

12:26 – The Downfall Begins

15:35 – The Power of Populism

19:32 – Media’s Role in the Ford Saga

22:30 – Rob Ford: The Man Behind the Headlines

26:12 – Rob Ford’s Divisive Legacy

29:16 – Telling Ford’s Story

32:40 – Reflections & What’s Next

Visit our Website: https://www.alamopictures.co.uk/

#MayorScandal

#NetflixDocumentary

#PoliticalScandal

#TorontoPolitics

#TrainwreckNetflix

#TrueCrimeDocs

One of the deadliest music festivals in recent history, the 2021 Astroworld tragedy left 10 dead and thousands traumatised. Now, a powerful new documentary uncovers what really happened – with first-hand accounts from survivors, paramedics, and festival staff.

In this episode, we go behind the scenes of the film with director Yemi Bamiro and executive producer Kari Lia, as they reveal how they navigated trauma, and uncovered systemic failures behind the disaster.

Subscribe to Factual America:https://linktr.ee/FactualAmerica

Timestamps:

00:00 - Trailer "Trainwreck: The Astroworld Tragedy"

01:12 - Introduction and synopsis

02:08 - A tragedy rooted in Houston

04:45 - Day of excitement ends in a disaster

11:53 - Most spectators didn't even realise it was happening

17:13 - Similarities and differences with other crowd crushes

19:12 - Misinformation leads to victim blaming

21:22 - The stories within the story

25:46 - Challenges during the production

36:40 - Future plans

**** FACTUAL AMERICA PODCAST **** 

Factual America uses documentary filmmaking to examine the American experience as well as universal topics that affect all Americans. Guests include leading documentary filmmakers, their subjects, as well as experts on the American experience. Our host Matthew Sherwood, was born and raised in Texas but has lived in the UK since 2001. He draws on decades of journalism experience, interviewing world leaders and helping audiences understand the key global trends shaping our lives.

Subscribe to Factual America:https://linktr.ee/FactualAmerica

Like us on Facebook: @factualamerica  

Follow us on Twitter: @Factual_America

Connect with Matthew Sherwood: 

Twitter: @sherwood1967  

Facebook: @matthew.sherwood.14  

LinkedIn:  @matthewsherwood  

****ABOUT ALAMO PICTURES **** 

Alamo Pictures is a London-based production company specialising in feature-documentaries, factual television and shorts about the US. Benefitting from an outsider’s keen eye and years of stateside experience, Alamo’s filmmakers explore topical, uniquely American stories from a sympathetic, European perspective.

The result is engaging cinema and television that defies stereotypes and helps audiences truly understand what makes America tick. 

Visit our Website:https://www.alamopictures.co.uk/

#Astroworld

#TravisScott

#DocumentaryFilm#TrueStory

#SurvivorStories

In this exclusive interview, we speak to Yotam Guendelman and Ari Pines, the directors of the latest Netflix true crime documentary, which uncovers the chilling details behind the 1982 Tylenol poisonings – a case that shook America. With cyanide-laced pills, and a suspect who was never charged, the Chicago Tylenol murders remain one of the most disturbing unsolved crimes in US history.

We explore the evidence, media panic and legacy of this case that undermined Americans’ trust in pharmaceutical companies and forever changed how we interact with over-the-counter drugs.If you're into true crime podcasts, unsolved mysteries, and deep dives with the filmmakers behind the headlines – this one's for you.

Timestamps:00:00 – Trailer "Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders"

03:04 – Introduction and synopsis

06:53 – Mass hysteria in the USA

09:24 – The prime suspect – James Lewis

13:32 – One-sided investigation

18:34 – The involvement of Johnson & Johnson

25:30 – Alternative theories

29:18 – How the project started

31:10 – The first (and last) Interview with James Lewis

38:33 – Future plans and outro

Subscribe to Factual America: https://linktr.ee/FactualAmerica

Like us on Facebook: @factualamerica

Follow us on Twitter: @Factual_America

Connect with Matthew Sherwood:

Twitter: @sherwood1967

Facebook: @matthew.sherwood.14

LinkedIn: @matthewsherwood

Watch the Full Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/VeeqNzI25zM

Osama bin Laden, CIA, and the manhunt that changed history. In this interview with award-winning directors Mor Loushy and Daniel Sivan of American Manhunt: Osama bin Laden, we uncover the untold truths behind one of the most intense and dangerous global manhunts.

Explore rare footage, insider interviews, and shocking revelations about the CIA’s pursuit of Osama bin Laden. How did the mission unfold? What went wrong? And what secrets are still hidden about the operation that led to the historic raid?

Subscribe to Factual America: https://linktr.ee/FactualAmerica

Timestamps: 00:00 - Trailer "American Manhunt: Osama bin Laden"

02:22 - Introduction and synopsis

04:28 - A who’s who of US government officials

07:20 - The women behind the manhunt

10:51 - A decade of hunting bin Laden

17:06 - Parallels between a film about 9/11 and October 7th

18:24 - How the series came together

20:08 - Crazy contributor stories

25:09 - The 25th anniversary of 9/11

27:44 - Future plans of Mor and Daniel – Outro

Watch the full episode on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHTDnhmQjf0

The Liver King built a supplement empire by devouring raw meat on social media. And he had the muscles to prove it. But how did the Liver King get so huge? Netflix director Joe Pearlman tells all. In this interview, we dig into the raw truth behind the man, the myth, and the meat-fueled machine that captivated millions.From viral fame and ancestral living to steroids, scandal, and supplement sales – this conversation goes beyond the beef.Timestamps: 00:00 - Trailer02:07 - Introduction 04:32 - An evangelist for the ancestral lifestyle07:58 - Not Brian Johnson but the Liver King13:11 - A man that knows to market himself15:31 - The lies that came long before the steroids17:47 - The reveal of the real Brian Johnson22:04 - Liver Queen: no regrets24:12 - How Joe got involved with the project25:10 - Living online 24/726:50 - America in the eyes of a British filmmaker30:01 - The "Wild West" that is social media31:18 - Joe Pearlman's future projects#LiverKing#NetflixDocumentary#FitnessScandal#RawMeat#SupplementEmpire
Watch Full Episode on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=404rzi6AyOc

Subscribe to Factual America: ⁠https://linktr.ee/FactualAmerica⁠

Subscribe to Factual America: ⁠https://linktr.ee/FactualAmerica⁠Like us on Facebook: @factualamerica Follow us on Twitter: @Factual_AmericaConnect with Matthew Sherwood: Twitter: @sherwood1967 Facebook: @matthew.sherwood.14 LinkedIn: @matthewsherwood

Vietnam War secrets, untold stories, and hidden history - revealed by Netflix director Brian Knappenberger and renowned historian Lien-Hang Nguyen.

As we approach the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, this interview uncovers new accounts from the war - from suppressed footage to shocking revelations about U.S. involvement and North Vietnam's internal strategy.

A must-watch for anyone interested in war documentaries, declassified history, and the truth behind one of the most controversial conflicts of the 20th century.

Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXnTT2OtHd0

In this chilling episode, filmmaker Liam Le Guillou takes us deep inside A Cursed Man - his harrowing real-life journey into the world of black magic and satanic rituals. What begins as a sceptical social experiment soon spirals into a terrifying descent, as Liam invites powerful practitioners to place real curses on him. Facing nightmares, unexplained anxiety, and even a blood pact with a Satan-worshipping shaman, he confronts the true cost of dabbling with the unknown. Liam opens up about the haunting effects on his life and family, the raw truths behind magic, and the uphill battles of independent filmmaking - from losing control to fighting for distribution. This is not just a story about curses - it’s about belief, fear, and the invisible forces that may be far more real than we think.Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhWoOMcAveA&t=23sSubscribe for more from Factual America: ⁠http://bit.ly/AlamoPictures⁠

"One of the deadliest tornadoes in US history is headed directly for their high school graduation…” In this episode, filmmaker Alexandra Lacey takes us inside her powerful new Netflix documentary, Twister: Caught in the Storm, a raw and moving look at life in Joplin, Missouri, after a catastrophic natural disaster.

Alexandra shares how the disaster reshaped a generation of young people and reflects on the resilience, identity, and community spirit that emerged in the storm’s aftermath. She opens up about the emotional weight of telling true stories, the creative risks she took behind the camera, and what it means to capture hope in the face of devastation. Blending her British-American lens, she offers unique insight into the fast-paced world of documentary filmmaking.

Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeUxy239Muk

Follow Alexandra Lacey on Instagram: @lacey_docs

In this episode, Matthew sits down with acclaimed filmmaker R.J. Cutler to discuss his latest Netflix documentary, 'Martha'. Cutler offers fascinating insights into the making of the film, which chronicles the life and career of Martha Stewart, the iconic businesswoman and lifestyle guru.

Discover how Cutler gained unprecedented access to Stewart and her vast personal archives, and learn about the challenges he faced in capturing her complex story. The director shares his perspective on Stewart's visionary approach to business, her resilience in the face of adversity, and her impact on American culture.

Cutler also addresses Stewart's public critique of the documentary, offering a balanced and thoughtful response. This episode provides a deep dive into the filmmaking process, the art of storytelling, and the nuances of portraying a living legend.

Whether you're a fan of Martha Stewart, interested in documentary filmmaking, or curious about American cultural icons, this episode offers unique insights and behind-the-scenes details you won't want to miss.

Watch the episode at https://www.factualamerica.com

Unsolved murders, paranormal activity, and UFOs. Unsolved Mysteries, the iconic docu-series that was a staple of TV in the 80s and 90s is back on Netflix with Volume 5.

Joining Matthew Sherwood on Factual America is multiple Emmy nominated filmmaker Terry Dunn Meurer, the co-creator and producer of Unsolved Mysteries. She shares the secrets of Unsolved Mysteries’ success and why we have such a fascination with true crime and the unexplained.

The filmmaker also describes the different cases the new series investigates, how many cases on Unsolved Mysteries have been solved, and what it’s like working with law enforcement.

Watch the episode at https://factualamerica.com

“Nobody knows what these body parts are used for or who is doing this, it’s the most unexplainable case I’ve ever seen.” – Terry Dunn Meurer

“Our focus is let’s solve this. Our job isn’t to judge law enforcement, our job is to help law enforcement solve these cases.” – Terry Dunn Meurer

Stopping the Steal gives an inside account of Donald Trump's challenge to the 2020 presidential election results and how an unsung group of Republican politicians, staffers, and election officials prevented the election from being stolen.

Joining Matthew Sherwood on Factual America is Emmy and Bafta-winning director and producer Dan Reed. He discusses why he decided to interview pro-Trump Republicans about the election and the benefits he experienced being a British reporter.

Dan explains what caused the January 6th riots and why previous Trump loyalists spoke out against him. He also reveals Trump's true thoughts about the election results. 

Watch the episode at https://factualamerica.com

“They’re all loyal conservative pro-Trump Republicans and these are the people who give the inside story of the attempt to steal the 2020 election.” – Dan Reed

“What many people don’t realise is January 6th is the end. It’s like switching on the TV and seeing the last 2 minutes of the film but the movie started a long time before that.” – Dan Reed

In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon surveys the studio as Paul records his new album Seven Psalms while reflecting on his six-decade career and wrestling with the issues of faith and mortality.

Joining Matthew Sherwood on Factual America is Oscar-winning director Alex Gibney, who discusses the impact Paul Simon had on American culture and music, the inspiration behind Paul’s album Seven Psalms, and the challenges of making a documentary about a musical icon.

Alex explains his own creative process, the lessons he’s learned from a career in film, and his upcoming film on Elon Musk. We learn what he looks for when choosing to get involved in a project and the skills you need to be a successful documentary filmmaker.

Watch the episode at https://factualamerica.com

“He’s one of the greatest songwriters ever in terms of rock music. He’s always been driven to the sounds at the limit of what he can hear, intriguing sounds that are completely different to his tradition or experience.” – Alex Gibney

“I started out making documentaries that I thought I knew what was important early on and I discovered that was a terrible way to make films, because if you weren’t exploring and open to the things in front of you that you didn't expect then you were making a boring film. So you have to be open to the idea that things are going to explode.” – Alex Gibney

“It’s a magical part of the movie because it’s rare in a set that an audience loves a song so much that they make you play it again right away.” – Alex Gibney

Dancing For The Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult explores the experiences of a group of prominent TikTok dancers who are trapped in a cult masquerading as a management company. In the process the film uncovers disturbing truths about the agenda of Robert Shinn, the cult’s founder and pastor of the Shekinah Church.

Joining Matthew Sherwood on Factual America are executive producers Jessica Acevedo and director Derek Doneen, who discuss the making of the film and the challenges of interviewing people who are still in the depths of an abusive and traumatic environment.

The filmmakers explain how it takes a long time to recover from leaving a cult, how to build trust with the people you are documenting, and how the cult responded to the wave of criticism and bad publicity. In the end their film reveals so much about the lure of fame, the importance of faith and the bond of family. 

Watch the episode at https://factualamerica.com

“Nobody sets out to join a cult. Cult leaders don't come at you full blast with their manipulations on display, it’s little by little slowly inching you in over time so you’re not realising what’s happening.” – Derek Doneen

“Financial abuse and control happened there. It wasn’t until they started sharing some of those experiences that they realised that it was happening to them too and unravelled what they thought was a faith-based positive environment and showed it was really quite sinister.” – Jessica Acevedo

“The assumption is that people are fine and okay, but continue to dig deeper, ask the questions, have patience and meet people where they’re at because you never really know what someone’s going through. What you see on social media can be one thing but it’s worth asking how they’re doing.” – Jessica Acevedo

In 2002 the Ashley Madison website went live. It was a dating agency with a difference for its targets were people already in relationships. Inevitably, Ashley Madison was roundly criticised. The company’s CEO, however, stated that affairs actually helped marriages.

In 2015, hackers broke into the website and published the names, addresses, credit card information, and more of every user. Relationships were destroyed, and some of those named committed suicide.

Directed by Toby Paton, Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal is a three-part Netflix docu-series that tells the story of the website’s rise and fall. It goes behind the scenes of what happened through interviews with both people who worked for and who used Ashley Madison, and with people whose partner’s infidelity was exposed by the hack. 

Toby is Matthew Sherwood’s guest in this episode of Factual America. Among the topics they discuss are how the controversy over Ashley Madison has become forgotten, what it was like working at the company, and what the identity of the still unknown hackers might be.

What drives a person to cheat on their partner? This question is key to Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal. And Toby goes in depth as he explores what he learnt in the making of the docu-series. The answers that he found are more nuanced, and more empathic than you might have expected. It isn’t just about cheating.

Watch the episode at https://factualamerica.com

“Whenever you make a film or a series, no matter how closely you followed it in the news, when you actually start talking to the real people, who have lived through it... the whole thing takes on a depth and a richness that goes far beyond what you ever would have gathered from the news.” – Toby Paton

It’s April 19th 1995, the 220th anniversary of the start of the American War of Independence, and two years since the violent end of the Waco, Texas siege. In Oklahoma City, a disaffected army veteran named Timothy McVeigh leaves a truck outside the Alfred P Murrah Federal Building. Inside the truck is a bomb. At 9am, McVeigh lights the two minute fuse. When the bomb explodes, it kills 168 people and wounds 680 more. 

In An American Bombing: The Road to April 19th, Marc Levin retraces McVeigh’s footsteps, showing how he went from being a war hero to a terrorist. Rather than look at McVeigh in isolation, however, Marc places his actions in the context of the evolution of political violence in the US. It is an evolution that continues to the present day.

In this episode of Factual America, Marc and Daphne discuss the making of the film. They look at how the bombing has become an almost forgotten moment in American history; the economic and military as well as historical background to the outrage; whether McVeigh acted alone; and how views that in the 90s were regarded as being extreme have now entered the mainstream.

As we head towards the 2024 US presidential election on November 5th, An American Bombing: The Road to April 19th reflects upon the dangerous journey of American democracy and the high price Americans have had to pay for their freedoms.

Watch the episode at https://factualamerica.com

“He may be dead but the ghost of McVeigh lives, and there are lots of people out there that subscribe to some of his thinking.” – Marc Levin

Climate change, terrorism, social inequality and poverty, wars between nations, and injustice. Things do not look too good for the world today, and there seems to be little to no hope for the future.

A Brief History of the Future, a new docu-series on PBS, challenges this pessimistic outlook. Directed by Andrew Morgan and presented by Ari Wallach, the series visits people from all over the world who are doing something – no matter how big or small – to make the world a better place, not just for their today, but also for everyone’s tomorrow.

Andrew is Matthew Sherwood’s guest on this episode of Factual America. Together, they explore: why humans are given to pessimism – ironically, the reason is not a negative one; the idea that what we regard today as possible was once thought to be impossible; and how creativity can come out of what Andrew calls ‘this season of chaos and complexity’.

Andrew talks about A Brief History of the Future from an intensely personal perspective: he came to the series suffering from burnout after making other documentaries about problems facing the world. Conversely, his view of the future is both epic and dynamic: the future is a verb; we do it, make it, every day. Discover how on Factual America.

Watch the episode at https://factualamerica.com

“We have a bias towards negativity, but we also have this extraordinary capacity for creativity and imagination, and just goodness.“ – Andrew Morgan 

Why would US military veterans take up arms against the country they swore to protect? This is the question at the heart of Against All Enemies, a new documentary by Charlie Sadoff. In it, Charlie explores the role disaffected veterans played in the January 6th attack on the US Capitol. 

In order to better understand what happened on that day, he looks at the history of civil unrest involving veterans, from groups such as the Ku Klux Klan through to modern day extremist organisations like the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers. His journey takes him not only inside these groups but to the top as he meets their leaders.

In conversation with Matthew Sherwood, Charlie discusses the answers he found to the question of why veterans join extremist groups, and what the aims of those groups are, as well as some of the people involved in them, including former National Security Advisor, Michael Flynn. He also considers whether there could be another January 6th attack, and if so, where.

If the picture for veterans looks bleak, Charlie does offer hope. There are groups that help vets transition back to civilian life. But, as he tells Matthew, more needs to be done. Go behind the scenes of the threats and dangers facing America’s veterans in Against All Enemies with Matthew Sherwood and Charlie Sadoff on Factual America.

Watch the episode at https://factualamerica.com

“Jason Crow was a congressman... barricaded inside the floor of the chamber of the House... he asked this question, How did I a veteran end up on one side of this door, and other veterans who swore the same oath I did end up on the other side of this door? That to me was a very provocative question. And the fact that it was coming from him made it all the more powerful.” – Charlie Sadoff

God Save Texas is a three-part docu-series inspired by Lawrence Wright’s book of the same name. In each episode, an acclaimed filmmaker explores the past, present, and future of the Lone Star State. 

Episode One is directed by Richard Linklater, Episode Three by Iliana Sosa. Episode Two is directed by Alex Stapleton, and she joins Matthew Sherwood to discuss what it was like returning to her hometown of Houston to explore the effect of Texas’ oil and gas industry on her family and local communities. 

That effect has been vast, for though the energy industry has brought a lot of prosperity to Texas, the cost it has charged has been equally high. Nevertheless, Alex explains that she has hope in the future. That hope rests firmly on the local communities. And it is so strong that Alex has now returned to live in Houston permanently.

Among the other topics that Alex and Matthew discuss are mythbusting, the industrial world that lies below Houston, how Lawrence Wright’s book helped Alex to articulate her mixed feelings towards Texas, and the absence and erasure of Alex’s community in Texas’ history.

The main thesis of God Save Texas is that what starts in the Lone Star State will in time be experienced by the rest of the US. The series, therefore, can be seen as being both an epic and intimate drama. Go behind the scenes of Alex’s part in it on Factual America.

Watch the episode at https://factualamerica.com

“I think that the biggest lesson that I got out of making this film is that community is so important. And it's what makes Texas so unique... Texas has always had this wild wild west identity, but we find community, we build communities...the people of this state are pretty incredible.” – Alex Stapleton

Between 2001-19, head coach Bill Belichick created one of the most successful dynasties ever seen in American football. Under his leadership, the New England Patriots won a record equalling six Super Bowl titles. Guided by quarterback Tom Brady, the team also set a host of other NFL records, including most wins over a ten year period, longest regular season/play-off winning streak, and most consecutive divisional titles.

But this era of nearly unprecedented success did not come without a cost, and the franchise was rocked by a number of controversies. Chief among them were the Spygate and Deflategate scandals. Through it all, however, the team kept winning. Could no-one stop the Patriots? As it happened, only the Patriots themselves could, and that is exactly what happened.

In The Dynasty: New England Patriots, a ten-part docu-series now showing on Apple TV+, director Matthew Hamachek explores the rise and fall of the Belichick-Brady Patriot dynasty. How did it achieve greatness? This question is at the heart of the docu-series and opens Matt’s discussion with Matthew Sherwood. They discuss are what it was like interviewing Brady and the famously reserved Belichick, particularly when it came to asking them questions they would rather not answer. Other topics include the comparison to be drawn between the Patriots and Oscar winner Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight, and how you make a compelling documentary about a team whose success made them incredibly unpopular.

The Dynasty: New England Patriots is the fruit of 35,000 hours of archive footage and over 70 interviews with Patriot players and coaches from Bill Belichick and Tom Brady onwards. In this podcast, discover the ruthlessness, maniacal nature, and utter determination to succeed that made and maybe marred the New England Patriots’ dynasty.

Watch the episode at https://factualamerica.com

“... everything about this story surprised me... you hear about the cheating scandals... you get the caricature of what these people are supposed to be, and then as you dig deeper and deeper and deeper, you realise that behind all the headlines, there's just so much more, and these people are so complex and nuanced.” – Matt Hamachek

On November 13th 1974, Ronald DeFeo shot his family dead in Amityville, New York. Not long after he was convicted of the killings, the Lutz family moved into the DeFeos’ former home. They did not stay long. After just 28 days, they fled, claiming to have been driven out by paranormal activity.

The Lutz family’s experience formed the basis of The Amityville Horror. Released in 1979, it went on to spawn a seemingly endless number of sequels, prequels, and derivatives: over 40 to date.

In his docu-series, Amityville: An Origin Story, director Jack Riccobono explores what happened to both the DeFeo and Lutz families. Matthew Sherwood discovers in conversation with Jack that what took place did not happen in isolation. As Jack says, the 1970s was a dark time in America. There was fear in the air, abuse behind closed doors, an increase in drug addiction, and strange new belief systems sprouting up.

Jack takes Matthew through the mystery of the silent rifle used in the murders, and the question of why the Lutz family moved into the DeFeo home: did they do it for commercial gain? Was it a hoax? He and Matthew look at the question marks over George Lutz’s character as well as George’s role in the perpetuation of the Amityville story: he never stopped pushing it.

Greed, family dysfunction, sensationalism, the truth vs media misrepresentation. The origin of the Amityville horror is much closer to us than we realise.

Watch the episode at https://factualamerica.com

“I was drawn to this possibility of sort of this cross-genre exploration, and I really felt like there was something unique about this series...you had this true crime component, but then you also had this paranormal story, and then you had this sort of larger cultural landscape that we could explore.” – Jack Riccobono

The 1980s were a time of allegation and scandal in America. From the 1980 October Surprise, 1985-87 Iran-Contra Affair, and 1986-91 BCCI scandal, the decade seemed only to be going downhill. And in the midst of it all, the US Justice Department was accused of stealing PROMIS, a piece of software that could be used to create a programme that would allow the US government to spy on whomever used it.

Danny Casolaro was a writer, poet, and investigative journalist. At the start of the 1990s, he began exploring what had happened to PROMIS, and it led him to see the theft of this software as being at the heart of America’s other major scandals. Before he could finish his investigation, however, Danny was found dead in a hotel bathtub, with both his wrists slashed.

Did he kill himself, as the police believed, or was he murdered?

That is the question at the heart of American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders, a new docu-series on Netflix, directed by Zachary Treitz. He and co-executive producer Christian Hansen are Matthew Sherwood’s guests in this episode of Factual America. Together, they discuss what they found as they retraced Danny Casolaro’s footsteps in the last days of his life and what it was like for Zachary watching Christian disappear down a conspiracy rabbit hole before he himself followed him. 

In the process Zachary and Christian uncover a murky web of scandal at the heart of American government. Or do they? Which of the incredible stories of Michael Riconosciuto, one of Danny’s major sources, and others can ultimately be believed? The filmmakers race around the country to interview subjects and get to the root of the story – all with the support and patience given to them by Netflix in the making of the series.

American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders takes a deep dive into the darkest corners of American business and politics. Make sense of it with Zachary and Christian in conversation with Matthew Sherwood.

Watch the episode at https://factualamerica.com

“Once you dip your toes into [this story] it's almost like a tar... some sort of magic ooze that kind of gets into you, as soon as you touch it. It's like what they say about the abyss... you stare into it and it stares back. This is that story. You touch it and it touches you and it kind of consumes you.” – Zachary Treitz

Tatiana Suarez was born into poverty, endured a “tumultuous [and] traumatic childhood”, and at school chose to compete in a sport – wrestling – that led to her being relentlessly bullied. She overcame every obstacle that life and people put in front of her and became a champion. And not just once, but multiple times. Finally, the greatest prize of all, Olympic glory, lay within her grasp.

And then, she broke her neck.

And as that was being treated, doctors discovered that Tatiana had cancer.

In The Unbreakable Tatiana Suarez, Cassius Corrigan tells the story of how Tatiana overcame these seemingly insurmountable setbacks to achieve even greater success than before: with her neck injury meaning that Tatiana could no longer wrestle, she became instead a Mixed Martial Arts fighter. And with the absolute determination and drive to succeed that has characterised her life’s journey so far, she has beaten the hardest opponents, and won the toughest competitions.

In this episode of Factual America, Matthew Sherwood discusses with Cassius Tatiana’s incredible life. We meet Tatiana the wrestling pioneer for both girls and Latinas, Tatiana the inheritor of a strong mindedness that will not brook denial, and Tatiana who remains the great “What If” of wrestling and MMA despite her achievements. Cassius also explores Tatiana’s family background and extraordinary work ethic. It has made her an icon of one of the most dangerous sports in the world.

Watch the episode at https://factualamerica.com

“... look at what Tatiana is risking every day... this is one of the greatest stories I've ever encountered in sport. I was willing to do whatever it took to bring it to life.” – Cassius Corrigan

Who is Mark Zuckerberg? That is the question at the heart of Nick Green’s new Sky documentary, Zuckerberg: King of the Metaverse. 

We all know how Zuckerberg took Facebook from being a website accessible to just a few American college students in 2004 to one that is used by over a billion people worldwide in 2024. Along the way, he has acquired Instagram and WhatsApp making him one of the most wide reaching and influential men in the world today.

But what are his thoughts? His views? What does he believe in? As Nick Green tells Matthew Sherwood, uncovering the man behind the avatar and update was hard. Unlike his social media rival, Elon Musk, Zuckerberg speaks only guardedly.

The importance of his position, however, makes it worth taking time to unravel Zuckerberg’s life. As Matthew notes, he has gone from being a hero, to villain, and is now a survivor. For Nick Green, he has been a disrupter, someone willing to “move fast, [and] break things” in the pursuit of money. In doing so, Zuckerberg has had to navigate serious legal challenges and also the attention of American politicians, all of which, he has overcome. 

In this year of important elections, a film about the man who could influence them by his actions or inaction could not be more timely. Especially since, as Nick points out, we can only hope that Zuckerberg is up to the challenge of what lies ahead. 

Watch the episode at https://factualamerica.com

On Facebook’s algorithm:

“Curating what people see and curating what they are exposed to from a business perspective is extraordinary. But... it’s just caused the most horrendous problems.” – Nick Green

On the night of March 23rd 2015, Denise Huskins and Aaron Quinn were drugged and bound by a mystery assailant who had broken into their home. Denise was then kidnapped. When Aaron called the police the next day, they believed he had murdered her. Two days later, however, Denise – who had been sexually assaulted by her kidnapper - was freed. Now the police believed no crime had been committed at all, and that Aaron and Denise were hoaxers. The psychological thriller Gone Girl had been released just six months before.

In American Nightmare, co-directors Bernadette Higgins and Felicity Morris explore both what happened and, as host Matthew Sherwood puts it, ‘the consequences of our cultural rush to judgement and the damage done when law enforcement and the media decide the truth can’t possibly be true’.

The result is a three-part series that twists and turns and upends your expectations with every passing minute. In American Nightmare, light becomes dark, and dark turns into light.

On this episode of Factual America, Bernadette and Felicity guide Matthew through Denise and Aaron’s story as well as the making of their series. Among the topics they discuss are how the unfair treatment of women who are victims of sexual crime motivated them to make American Nightmare, the true crime documentary that inspired and shaped the series, the extensive research that went into the making of it, and how American Nightmare offers the opportunity to get viewers to ask questions of themselves and others about how they treat other people.

They discuss the betrayal of trust, self-doubt, and even out-of-body experiences that Denise and Aaron went through. Perhaps most surprising of all, however, is the point of connection that they find between American Nightmare and Pamela: A Love Story, the 2023 documentary about Pamela Anderson. 

Watch the episode at https://factualamerica.com

“This happened, and it happens a lot, and if it can happen to Denise and Aaron, it can happen to anyone.” – Bernadette Higgins

Lady Bird Johnson is best known today as the wife of Lyndon Baines Johnson, 36th President of the USA between 1963-69. However, there was much more to her life than simply the role of ‘First Lady’.

In this episode of Factual America, Matthew Sherwood takes a deep dive into Lady Bird Johnson’s life with Dawn Porter, director of new documentary film, The Lady Bird Diaries. 

It’s 1963. Liz Carpenter, Lady Bird’s Press Secretary, suggests that she records her ‘thoughts and experiences’ on a tape recorder. Lady Bird agrees and borrows one from Carpenter’s son. She never looks back. Over the next six years she will record 123 hours-worth of material about her day-to-day life.

As Dawn tells Matthew, Lady Bird’s entries are ‘detailed and meticulous’: she had a degree in journalism and was a very good note taker. She was also, Dawn says, very disciplined, observant, and conscious of her place in history.

This consciousness made Lady Bird an invaluable counsellor for her husband. So much so that in an age where there was no line of presidential succession, Lady Bird was even referred to as ‘Mrs Vice President’.

The Lady Bird Diaries describe Lady Bird as ‘one of the most influential and least understood First Ladies in [American] history’. Matthew and Dawn discuss the detail of why that is so. They also explore her abilities as a strategist, how Lady Bird changed the way the White House works, and her political and public independence even from her husband.

The picture they draw is of a woman who was more than equal to the challenge of the difficult age in which she lived, and which she so carefully recorded. For a fuller picture of Lady Bird, the Johnson White House and 60s America, this episode is a must listen.

Watch the episode at https://factualamerica.com

“She both did and didn’t accept the limit on her authority that society was giving her. She didn’t demand credit for her contributions but didn’t stop making them... her priority was getting things done.” – Dawn Porter

On January 28th 2017, a mosque in Victoria, Texas was burnt to the ground by an arsonist. In the aftermath, Victorians stood side-by-side with their Muslim neighbours. In A Town Called Victoria, Li Lu – who grew up in nearby Sugar Land, Texas – explores what happened next: to the town, its Islamic community, and to the arsonist, who was soon apprehended.

Li joins Matthew Sherwood to discuss her series, its themes, which include white supremacy, patriotism and mental illness, as well as the limits of healing. Li looks back at her own upbringing, and shares how she discovered the arson attack had happened and its effect on her. She also discusses the role played in the making of the film by her DP, Halyna Hutchins, who was tragically killed on the set of Rust in 2021.

Victoria’s story is a bittersweet one. For while there is solidarity and shared prayer, understanding and a determination to repair damage done, the arson attack also exposes deep and profound divisions: racial, political, and economic. And what’s more, this is not a story relevant to Texas alone. As Li puts it, Victoria is a ‘microcosm’ of every American community.

A Town Called Victoria needed to be a sensitively made film. It could not have found a better and more informed director than Li Lu. Enter the heart of Texas and America with Li and Matthew Sherwood.

Watch the episode at https://factualamerica.com

“In terms of really reaching people, be brave and have a conversation that’s hard with someone that could use a conversation to be had with.” – Li Lu

Racism is a blight upon the United States of America, and has been all through the country’s history. 

In Stamped from the Beginning, a documentary film featuring and based on the book of the same name by Dr. Ibram X Kendi, director Roger Ross Williams explores the history of racist ideas in the US.

Using an innovative array of methods, including VFX, animation, and music, he explores how the Trans-Atlantic slave trade gave birth to racist ideas, and how racist myths regarding black hypersexuality and criminality still impact society today.

Roger and Ibram join Matthew Sherwood to discuss their film, its themes, and the role of black women, both in terms of studying racism and as the interviewees of Stamped from the Beginning. Roger also notes the reason why he uses pop culture to tell the story of racist ideas in the US. It isn’t despite the fact that it has been used over the years to perpetuate racist ideas but because of it.

Roger admits that making the documentary was hard. Fortunately, he liked the challenge! The result is a film that, as Matthew says, is both stimulating and uplifting. Racism may be a big part of the US’s story, but it is not the last word.

Watch the episode at https://factualamerica.com

“We hope that people – through the film – can begin the process of unlearning any racist ideas about black people that they have internalised...and that they would also begin to learn anti-racist ideas of racial equality.” – Ibram X Kendi

In 1983 America was overwhelmed by a disaster, the likes of which it had never seen before. Hysteria led to riots; mayhem became the norm. And the reason? Chubby, potato faced toys: the Cabbage Patch Kids.

In this episode of Factual America, Matthew Sherwood meets Dan Goodman, co-executive producer of Billion Dollar Babies, a documentary about the rise and rise of the awkward looking but homely and utterly desirable Cabbage Patch Kids. 

They discuss the origin of the Cabbage Patch Kids’ success, which can be traced back to the Post-Depression era but also owes a great deal to the improving economy of the early ‘80s and the increasing availability of credit. 

But none of that would have mattered had the Cabbage Patch Kids not had that certain something that made them so special. Despite being mass produced, improved manufacturing techniques gave each doll a seemingly unique appearance. Each one could be ‘adopted’. And, most simply, they looked cute: cute enough to go through hell and high water at the local shopping mall for.

Dan shares how he managed to get the man behind the dolls’ success, Xavier Roberts, onto the doc, while he and Matthew also discuss the roles played in the film by legendary news anchor Connie Chung, and actor Neil Patrick Harris.

The Cabbage Patch Kids represent 80s excess at its best or worst, depending on your point-of-view. Step back in time to enjoy the good, the bad, and the immensely cute of it all with Matthew and Dan!

Watch the episode at https://factualamerica.com

“You think about these Cabbage Patch Kid riots... and it’s not like we looked at that and thought, ‘Boy, that was a terrible idea!’... Instead, we go the opposite direction... and that’s where we got to this Black Friday mentality.” – Dan Goodman

In 1999, Rose Tajiri, a second-generation Japanese-American, was diagnosed with dementia. She was 76. Over the following years, as her condition worsened, her daughter, filmmaker Rea Tajiri, became her caregiver. 

In Wisdom Gone Wild Rea documents the journey that she and her mother took together, a journey that sees them navigate both the now of life with dementia and the past as Rose recalls memories from her early years, including the time she spent in an internment camp during the Second World War.

The result is, as Matthew Sherwood describes it, a film that is ‘tender, bittersweet, [and] poignant’. Rea calls the film a ‘cinematic poem’, which follows the lines of her mother’s thought process, her ‘dream logic’. 

As Rea makes clear, caring for her mother brought highs and lows, sometimes in unexpected places; Rose’s condition brought danger, but also the opportunity to explore, to find meaning. Most of all, it brought wisdom, not just in one area, but several: beauty, beauty in art, and in spiritual matters among others.

Rea discusses her family’s accepting response to her filming her and her mother’s journey, the influence of her late father – a professional photographer – on this project, and offers advice born of her own experience to anyone who might be in the same situation: surrender, connect, enjoy. Living with dementia can be hard, but also meaningful, and even profound.

Watch the episode at https://factualamerica.com

“It was important to me to centre the film around how [my mother] communicated. I wanted to maybe have the viewer adjust a little bit of how they experience dementia.” – Rea Tajiri

Miles Davis was among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music.

An iconic trumpeter and composer, Miles changed the genre of jazz more times than anyone before him or anyone since. He invented what we today call cool jazz, hard bop, and jazz fusion. His album Kind of Blue is one of the greatest pieces of art of the 20th century. 

Award-winning director and producer, Stanley Nelson, joins us to discuss his documentary Miles Davis: Birth of The Cool. We learn about the music innovator's life journey, and the challenges that Stanley faced bringing Miles's story to the big screen. 

Available to watch on PBS, Netflix, and Amazon Prime, the film tells the story of Miles’s genius. His career encapsulated everything from playing with Charlie Parker and Dizzie Gillespie to influencing generations of musicians. Miles was also a trend-setter and fashion icon, who way too often succumbed to his destructive drug addictions.

“Miles was an icon to the African-American community; he became a black man that demanded excellence in his music and his life.” - Stanley Nelson

Saturday Night Live, The Blues Brothers, and the National Lampoon — John Belushi was an iconic figure of the 1970s comedy scene. But he was more than just a comic genius. 

At one moment, Belushi had the number one show on television, the number one film at the box office, and the number one record on the charts. Just three years later he died from a heroin overdose aged just 33. How did such a talented figure come to such a tragic end?

The award-winning director, producer, and writer, R.J. Cutler, helps us find out as we talk about his new film Belushi (2020). He uses previously-recorded phone interviews combined with archival footage to help us relive the extraordinary life of the beloved actor and comedian. 

R.J. explains how he obtained access to the interviews, love letters and home movies needed to make the film, and why it has been so hard to accurately depict Belushi’s life until now.

Belushi is available to watch now on Sky On Demand and NOW TV.

“We talk about the joy, and the brilliance, and the magic, but we also talk about darker things.” - R.J. Cutler

For years Martin Luther King Jr, the leader and hero of the civil rights movement, faced constant surveillance and harassment by the US government.

Helping us to learn more about this dark chapter in America's history is award-winning director, editor and producer, Sam Pollard, whose latest film MLK/FBI premieres on January 15th 2021, ahead of Martin Luther King Jr Day on January 18th.

As a filmmaker with a career spanning more than three decades, Sam Pollard has won three Emmys and along with Spike Lee received an Oscar nomination for Four Little Girls (1997) . He is a teacher at the Tisch School of the Arts in New York, and a member at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

MLK/FBI is not a biopic. It is a complex and nuanced story with a clear protagonist, Dr Martin Luther King Jr, and the antagonist, J Edgar Hoover, who served as the Director of the FBI for almost four decades. Each man had his fatal flaws and each man had his own view of what America should be.

"I’m someone who would do a survey film about anything and anybody. I want to be able to dig in as an anthropologist and archaeologist, to look at the pros and cons, and nuances of human beings and different institutions." – Sam Pollard

Abraham Lincoln may have been America's greatest leader. The 16th president ended slavery and led the nation out of one of its darkest periods. 

However, Lincoln's life and legacy were cut short that fateful night in 1865, when the actor John Wilkes Booth entered Ford's Theatre and killed the president with an assassin's bullet.  

Today, only 130 photographs of President Lincoln are known to have survived. But is it possible that another image exists, secretly taken after he was shot, and kept hidden for over 150 years?

We find out as we meet director Jason Cohen and executive producer Dr Whitny Braun, the filmmakers behind the new documentary The Lost Lincoln.

Jason and Whitny take us on their journey to authenticate a newly discovered photo of Abraham Lincoln, one supposedly taken right after he died. In the process, we learn about this great American whose legacy still resonates with us today.

“Here’s this great man who means so much to us, and he was ultimately human. What do all humans experience? We ultimately experience death, and it's a tribute to the fallibility of humanity.” - Dr. Whitny Braun

We live under the spell of big data. We give the big tech firms access to our personal data and they shape our lives without us even knowing it. This includes how we choose our leaders.  

Award-winning directors and producers Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer join us to discuss their film The Great Hack, released by Netflix last year. The Great Hack observes the actors in the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica data scandal surrounding the 2016 US presidential election. 

Jehane and Karim discuss how data has become a commodity, more valuable than oil, making big tech firms the richest companies of all time. In the process, we now all live public lives in a post-truth world. 

Would world-changing events like Brexit and the election of Donald Trump in 2016 have been possible without big tech and big data? The Great Hack lets you be the judge. 

“There’s 5,000 data points on me, but who owns that information?” - Jehane Noujaim

Raise Hell: The Life & Times of Molly Ivins is a documentary that chronicles the career of the acclaimed Texas columnist and journalist. Molly was nominated multiple times for the Pulitzer Prize for her commentary, and her Texas twang became an unlikely voice of liberal America. 

Now 13 years after Molly’s untimely death, award-winning director and producer, Janice Engel, brings Molly’s acerbic wit and no-holds-barred approach to journalism to the big screen. 

Janice shares with us how she went from not knowing who Molly was to making a film about her. She also talks about the sometimes tragic private side to Molly's larger-than-life public persona.

Even in death, Molly remains as unique now as she did when she was unveiling the hypocrisy of the political establishment. And she sure can still make us laugh.

“Everybody needs a dose of Molly Ivins. Firstly, how many documentaries make you laugh? And secondly, she has something to teach us all.” - Janice Engel

“Everybody needs a dose of Molly Ivins. Firstly, how many documentaries make you laugh? And secondly, she has something to teach us all.” - Janice Engel

Today we're talking about Horton Foote (1916-2009), the award-winning playwright and screenwriter. In the recently released documentary Horton Foote: The Road to Home, the celebrated screenwriter Anne Rapp helps us to learn more about this unsung Texas and American legend.

Foote was born and raised in Wharton, Texas, and he went on to become a Pulitzer Prize winning playwright, the winner of two Academy Awards for screenwriting, an Emmy Award for television writing, and was a recipient of the National Medal of Arts among numerous other theatrical and literary prizes. His best known works are the Oscar-winning screenplays for To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) and Tender Mercies (1983). 

Ann Rapp met Foote on the set of Tender Mercies, where she worked as a screenplay supervisor. She developed a life-long friendship with this unsung gentleman playwright.

With this documentary, she wants to share with everybody her inside look into Foote's humanity, integrity and empathy that played into his work during his whole life.

“To be a good writer, you don’t have to be educated, you don’t even need to speak good grammar. If you are an observer and a listener, and you find a voice to reflect that, then you can write. Horton was the best listener I've ever known.” - Anne Rapp

Chuck Berry (1926-2017) was the original King of Rock and Roll. That is according to Jon Brewer, and being referred to as 'God of rock docs,' he should know.

Jon discusses Chuck Berry and the making of his documentary about the American icon. The film tells the story of Chuck’s life through the lens of his relatives and friends, and also uses dramatic reenactments of certain situations Chuck Berry lived through. 

Jon goes on to share a host of amazing stories drawn from his 50 years in the music business. He worked with the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Rolling Stones, he was David Bowie's manager at one point, he produced some of Gerry Rafferty's songs, and he spent significant time with B.B. King. And that's just to name a few.

As Jon has more documentary projects under way, Factual America will be following his work and bring him back for more exciting stories about iconic musicians.

“Chuck Berry was the original king of rock and roll. He was a poet, he invented many words, and he created the teenage audience.” - Jon Brewer

On a daily basis, we are inundated with more bad news about the environmental catastrophe caused by climate change, unfolding in front of our very eyes.

But is it too late? Can anything really be done? It's enough to make us give up. Many of us have. But a simple solution may be literally underneath our feet, according to the Netflix documentary Kiss the Ground from award-winning filmmakers Josh and Rebecca Tickell.

Kiss the Ground reveals that by regenerating the world's soils, we can completely and rapidly stabilise the Earth's climate, restore lost ecosystems and create abundant food supplies. Is it really that simple?

An inspiring, solution-based approach, focusing on regenerative agriculture, this film is a must-watch for anyone interested in how we can reverse climate change.

“There’s so much joy to put your hands in the dirt, feel the dirt, and literally kiss the ground.” - Rebecca Tickell

On August 11th 2014, the world was shocked to find out that Robin Williams had died by suicide. For someone who brought so much humour to the world, it was a tragic, traumatic end. But no one knew how much more there was to the story.

Left to speculate on Robin’s motives, the media circus spun out of control, leaving the public in the dark about a complicated and obscured truth.

Robin, bright, funny, quick witted, had lost a battle against an unknown enemy, the nearly impossible to diagnose brain disease – Lewy Body Dementia.

Filmmaker Tylor Norwood brings this story to the screen for the first time in his documentary Robin’s Wish.

Robin Williams was larger than life, but Robin was a wonderful human being who was behind all that incredible work, and Robin was better than Robin Williams. – Tylor Norwood

Today is a special US presidential election edition of Factual America. Americans are heading to the polls. Will they re-elect Donald Trump? Or will they opt for a change and vote for Joe Biden? We can’t say either way with any certainty.

What we can say is that America is a polarised society. And whatever the result, the politics of division are here to stay, so it seems. That division and polarisation are captured brilliantly in Boys State, the Sundance Jury Prize Winner from filmmakers Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss.

The documentary shows what would happen if you put a thousand teenage boys together and put them in charge of the political landscape of America. 

Despite the hand-me-down politics of their parents and grandparents, can a bunch of Texas teenage boys provide hope and point the way ahead?

We found out when we caught up recently with Amanda and Jesse from their home in California.

“It’s a little bit like the Stanford Prison Experiment, but for the Government.” – Jesse Moss

The singing career of Linda Ronstadt spanned five decades. A versatile and talented artist, she has won ten Grammys, three American Music Awards, two Academy of Country Music Awards and an Emmy. Along the way, she recorded the biggest selling foreign language album of all time.

Now retired from singing, Linda continues to give back to the community, as captured by award-winning director and producer James Keach in Linda and the Mockingbirds.

James joins us to share a side of Linda Ronstadt that few have seen. His music-filled, road trip-style film captures the essence of Mexican-American culture and the immigrant experience.

The film provides a beautiful look into the coming together of two cultures. It also portrays the hardships far too many immigrant children must go through.

“With the internet, social media, and the amount of interactions we have, we realise there are so many different human experiences to ours that we’re curious about.” – James Keach

Sir David Attenborough is a broadcast legend. And probably no individual has seen more of the Earth’s wilderness in his illustrious nearly 70-year career. That makes him the perfect witness to the devastating changes afflicting our planet.

In David Attenborough: A Life On Our Planet (2020), which premiered on Netflix, co-director Keith Scholey of Silverback Films and producer Colin Butfield of the World Wildlife Fund bring us Sir David’s witness statement. In the process, they also provide us with simple solutions to saving our planet before it is too late.

“The things that are happening to this world are unnecessary. Not getting out of the problem is unnecessary. So make sure that your voice is heard, so that we solve it.” – Keith Scholey

America is a land of natural beauty and natural resources. Unfortunately, these too often come into conflict. Never was this more true when it comes to America’s 640 million acres of public lands.

Filmmakers David Byars and Jeremy Rubingh document the fight to protect America’s public lands for future generations in their film Public Trust which recently premiered on YouTube with tremendous success.

The executive producers of the film are Patagonia’s founder Yvon Chouinard and famous actor and founder of the Sundance Film Festival Robert Redford.

Factual America caught up with David  Byars from his home in Ojai, California, and Jeremy Rubingh aboard his sailboat in the Puget Sound.

“Public lands is this huge democratic American idea that you don’t really see really in many other countries around the world. It’s an opportunity for unity and healing, and for everybody to come together and protect something good for future generations.” – Jeremy Rubingh

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away on September 18, 2020. She had a long and illustrious career as an advocate for gender equality, a jurist and most famously as an Associate Justice on the United States Supreme Court.

Joining us to pay tribute to this true American icon is Julie Cohen, together with Betsy West, the co-director and co-producer of RBG.

RBG is a documentary that beautifully captures the life and legacy of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The film itself premiered in 2018 at the Sundance Film Festival, was nominated for an Academy Award, and is one of the top  grossing documentaries of all time.

We caught up with Julie from her home in Brooklyn as we revisit her work on RBG and her memories of this powerful woman.

“Justice Ginsburg was a very intimidating woman. Tiny, though she might had been, and with her quiet little voice, she just had this whole force and this penetrating stare – everything about her was quite intimidating.” – Julie Cohen

Action Park in Vernon, New Jersey was straight out of a Gen X teenager’s dream. The R-rated version of a John Hughes film, or as Jason Bailey at the New York Times puts it, “a rule-free stew of dangerous rides, teen guests, teen employees, raging hormones, 80s-style machismo, and booze”.

But for all the nostalgia, the place comes with bad memories for those whose loved ones were seriously injured, and in some cases killed by the reckless actions of Gene Mulvihill, the fallen Wall Street mogul who owned and ran the park.

Seth Porges and Chris Charles Scott, the co-directors of Class Action Park streamed on HBO Max, brilliantly capture both the time and place – Northern New Jersey in the 1980s and 1990s – that will never be repeated. And many would say thank God for that.

“The laughter of Action Park isn’t a designed joke; it’s not a comedy routine. It’s the laughter of a brain having no other way to process what it’s hearing. Laughter is something that happens when you can’t cry, you can’t scream, you can’t do anything else, all you can do is laugh. ” – Seth Porges

When we think of Texas, we think of wide open spaces, ranches, rugged individualism, the Wild West, and invariably cowboys. But where do women fit into this mix?

In their film Good Ol Girl, Sarah Brennan Kolb and Kyle Kelley put this question into the context of present-day Texas. The film tells the stories of three young modern-day Texan cowgirls, and explores the role of women in cowboy culture.

Women are increasingly taking a larger role in the traditionally male dominated industry of ranching. As we found out, Texas is going to have to change if the legacy of the past is to be handed down to the next generation.

“I’ve always hoped that women would see themselves as heroes, and men would understand that women can be heroes.” – Sarah Brennan Kolb

America is famous for its sports franchises and rabid fans. However, there is one group of Americans for whom sports raise painful memories. These are the Native Americans.

At least some people are trying to put an end to racial stereotyping in US sports. And they have already succeeded in changing the name of the Washington Football Team.

Aviva Kempner is the award-winning director of successful docs like “The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg”. Kevin Blackistone is an award-winning national sports columnist. Together they are working on bringing Imagining the Indian to the screen.

We caught up recently with Aviva and Kevin at their homes in Washington DC.

“I’ve come to be opposed to all these names. The Not Your Mascot slogan is so true. People are not property of others, certainly when it is a culture that is being appropriated. We’re supposed to be past that.” – Kevin Blackistone

Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time. He may also be America’s first black cultural icon, blazing a trail for other African American athletes like LeBron James.

Besides his performance on the court, Jordan rocketed to fame on the back of a clever and innovative marketing campaign to sell sneakers, and a shrewd business model that made him a billionaire.

However, has success come with a price? Well, Nike and Jordan have made billions of dollars. They have also created a shoe culture that see some misguided youth literally killing each other to get their hands on the latest pair of Air Jordans.

Yemi Bamiro and Will Thorne capture all of this in their recently released documentary One Man and His Shoes. We recently caught up with Yemi and Will from their homes in London and Berlin.

In our final episode of Season One, we’re joined by John Lewis, aka Badass Vegan. John’s upcoming documentary, They’re Trying to Kill Us, touches on so many of the issues that we’ve looked at this year on the podcast – factory farming, race and Big Pharma, just to name a few – but this time through the unique lens of hip hop.

They’re Trying to Kill Us explores the connections between diet, poverty and systemic racism. As well as looking at veganism, we discuss Big Pharma and the link between mind and body. 

John’s life is literally the material for a great movie, as we found out recently when we joined John from his home in Wilmington, North Carolina.

“I don’t think we can wait for the governments and the rich to make a change. We have to make the change ourselves.” – John Lewis

The history of jazz dance is the history of America.

That history is not well documented, however, especially when it comes to the leading role played by African Americans.

In Uprooted: The Journey of Jazz Dance, filmmakers Khadifa Wong and Zak Nemorin trace jazz dance back to its roots in Africa, and follow its evolution up to the present.

Along the way Khadifa and Zack address difficult subjects such as appropriation, racism and sexism within this quintessential American art form, and in the process shine a light on this chapter in America’s history.

But in the end, their film is a celebration of this most human of art forms, where as they say, “what all people have in common is rhythm and a basic human need to get down”. “

Whether it was jazz, whether it’s hip hop, there are cultures that step out of oppression, and out of wanting to speak out, and jazz dance was just an iteration of that.” – Khadifa Wong

For those of us who grew up in the 1980s and 90s, the arcade was a home away from home. And most likely we were playing a video game that was the creative genius of a scrappy group of renegade designers in Chicago.

In his film Insert Coin (2020), director Josh Tsui captures what it was like for the fellows at Midway Games to revolutionize the video game industry. And along the way, Josh perfectly captures 1990s pop culture.

Insert Coin is an interesting take on the arcade gaming world, showing us its business side and how games were designed to be addictive and suck in quarters. 

“Once you make a game you can’t get that out of your system. It’s one of the most fulfilling and frustrating creative mediums out there and it’s intoxicating. ” – Josh Tsui

What is it about old abandoned buildings that can be so compelling and alluring? We find out today as we welcome filmmakers Jake Williams and John Shaw to the podcast. Their film Closed For Storm is about a theme park left for ruin in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina 15 years ago.

Closed For Storm shows Six Flags New Orleans in its glory days and current state of abject dereliction.

Along the way, the film also captures the broken dreams and fleeting aspirations of a community still looking for hope.

We find Jake and John in the eye of a different kind of storm in the summer of 2020, as they join us from their homes in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

They tell us how they got legal access to the property, and why so many of us share a fascination with abandoned buildings.

We also talk about how the virus has affected the film industry and what the release of the documentary will look like as film festivals shut down worldwide…

“When Katrina was happening nobody’s minds were on how the theme park was doing. But once the helicopter images came out of the park underwater, it was staggering. They took whatever was valuable, left and abandoned the property.” – Jake Williams

The US is a nation of immigrants. And there’s no better example of this than Hamtramck, Michigan, America’s first Muslim-majority city.

No bigger than two square miles, Hamtramck is home to a myriad of nationalities and ethnic groups. Over 30 different languages can be heard on its streets.

Using a city government election as a backdrop, producers and directors Justin Feltman and Razi Jafri eloquently capture the dynamism stemming from successive waves of immigration.

Is America a melting pot or a mosaic? Or does it matter what we call it? We find out as we catch up with Justin and Razi from their homes in Washington, DC, and Hamtramck, Michigan.

They tell us how they managed to gain such unprecedented access, and formed such close relationships with their subjects.

Hamtramck, USA is a deep dive into multiculturalism and what the future landscape of America could look like.

“Our nation is changing. Our demographics are changing very quickly and there’s a lot to be learnt from places like Hamtramck” – Razi Jafri

In 1976, Sylvester Stallone was a struggling actor with a big dream and the courage of his convictions. That dream became Rocky, one of the most iconic films of all time.

Using home movies shot mostly by the director John Avildsen, director and producer Derek Wayne Johnson perfectly captures the moment when Sylvester Stallone became a superstar.

40 Years of Rocky: The Birth of a Classic, as it is known in the USA and Canada, or Becoming Rocky: The Birth of a Classic, as it is known everywhere else, reminds us that while Sylvester Stallone is known for a lot of things, consummate filmmaker should be first among them.

We caught up recently with Derek from East Texas. Not only does he give us insights on what it is like to work closely with Sylvester Stallone, but we learn how he too has chased his own dreams to success in Hollywood.

“I think he’s a genius and I stand by that. Because this is a guy who is not only a wonderful actor, but also wonderful writer who writes from the heart, which is very rare.” – Derek Wayne Johnson

In the late 1950s, doo-wop music took America by storm. And its legacy lasts to this day in the music of such recording artists as Bruno Mars and Meghan Trainor. 

Award-winning director and producer Brent Wilson is shining a light on this genre of pop music. Using original interviews with doo-wop recording artists, and those they influenced, Brent’s documentary Streetlight Harmonies perfectly captures the zeitgeist of the 50s and early 60s. 

Doo-wop originated with African-American teenagers on the street corners of urban America – places like New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Detroit. With the rise of vocal harmony singing, teenagers started recording music for themselves for the first time in history. 

However, these teenagers had to face up to racism, predatory producers and the pressures of being in the spotlight. Looking back on their lives, they reveal a love and passion for their music that inspires us to this day.

“I wanted it to feel fresh, I wanted it to feel present. My goal was it would be seen by people who don’t like doo-wop music.”  – Brent Wilson

In the 1970s Camp Jened was not just any old summer camp in the Catskills. Hippy values, the Grateful Dead and pot smoking shaped this utopia for teens with disabilities.  

Before long, a generation of summer campers with disabilities became a social movement that soon changed the world.

We welcome Jim LeBrecht and Nicole Newnham, co-directors of the Netflix documentary Crip Camp, to the podcast. Jim and Nicole share their experiences making a documentary about one of the most compelling, previously untold stories of our time.

In the process, we find out what it is like to work with executive producers Barack and Michelle Obama. Jim and Nicole also discuss the next items on the agenda for disability rights.

“I had no mental model for imagining disability communities, and I didn’t have any mental model for thinking about wild, horny teenagers listening to Bob Dylan at a summer camp. It was just joyous.” – Nicole Newnham

Stewart Brand has been at the forefront of multiple societal trends since the 1960s, and now he’s trying to bring back the woolly mammoth and other species from extinction. 

Is this folly or is he once again ahead of the curve? 

Stewart might just be one of the most influential people that none of us have heard of. 

He traveled around with the novelist Ken Kesey and his Merry Pranksters. Afterwards, he kick-started the modern environmental movement, by pressuring NASA to release a satellite image of the earth. 

Stewart’s Whole Earth Catalog inspired a whole generation, including Steve Jobs. As if that was not enough, Stewart went on to mentor the early pioneers of Silicon Valley.

We talk to the directors of We Are As Gods, David Alvarado and Jason Sussberg, about Stewart’s life and the different inspirational movements he has been involved with. 

Since the coronavirus has delayed the releasing of the documentary, we also discuss how the pandemic has affected the film industry as a whole. And we learn what it is like to have your premier at SXSW cancelled at the last minute. 

“We are as gods and we might as well get good at it.” – Stewart Brand

Baywatch was a 1990s phenomenon well ahead of its time, going ‘viral’ long before there was something called social media. 

Director and producer Matt Felker is an acclaimed observer of pop culture and social media trends. As a result, Matt is making a documentary that takes a serious look at Baywatch – a show that still resonates with a global audience 20 years later. 

Recently, Factual America caught up with Matt, producer Nicole Eggert, who played Summer Quinn on the show, and Jeremy Jackson, who played Hobie Buchannon.

Besides sharing their experiences and memories of Baywatch, they explain how the Covid-19 pandemic is affecting their day-to-day lives and their ability to complete production on the documentary. 

Moreover, all three examine why Baywatch became the most watched TV show in the world. In addition, Nicole and Jeremy share with complete candour what it was like being child actors and the ‘family’ they have built around Baywatch.

“I’ve been in the trailer when packages of cocaine and alcohol arrived. I’ve seen the predators around the kids. Baywatch wasn’t like that, it was very different to a lot of sets I’ve been on in my life.” – Nicole Eggert

Natalie Wood was an iconic American actress, featuring in many influential Hollywood movies in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. Her life was tragically cut short when she drowned at the age of 43. 

Today we talk with Laurent Bouzereau, the director and producer of the recently released HBO documentary Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind (2020). The film explores Natalie’s life and career through the unique perspective of her daughter, Natasha Gregson Wagner, and others who knew her best.

Had she lived, Natalie Wood would have undoubtedly become one of the most influential Hollywood figures of our time. 

The impact she left on the industry she loved so much is nothing short of remarkable. She was an incredible woman, glamorous and relatable, who was ahead of her time, and tragically died far too young. 

“If you don’t like Natalie Wood, you don’t like cinema. If you don’t know Natalie Wood, you don’t know cinema.” – Laurent Bouzereau

The Hart Family had the perfect American life. At least, that is what their social media accounts showed the world. But the reality was very different. 

A Thread of Deceit: The Hart Family Tragedy documents a family’s spiral into abuse and despair. Ultimately, Jennifer and Sarah Hart decided to drive their family SUV off a cliff, killing them and their six adopted children. 

How could this happen? The Harts’ social media accounts were full of beautiful images – playing in the garden with the kids, trips out on a frozen lake or cozy nights by the fire. And everyone thought they were living the perfect American life. 

As the film reveals, however, Jen and Sarah Hart carefully curated their family’s online personas. As a result, they were able to hide a life of mental illness and abuse. That life eventually led to the tragic loss of their six innocent children. 

We caught up recently with the filmmakers, producer Rachel Morgan and executive producer Chuck Lewis. As they point out, A Thread of Deceit: The Hart Family Tragedy provides us with valuable lessons about social media, our society and the American adoption system.

Rachel and Chuck note that our society’s addiction to social media is damaging our mental health.

“This story needed to be told. There were a lot of people speculating, a lot of very strong feelings.” – Chuck Lewis

Cowboys are as American as hot dogs and apple pie. But what is life like for the modern-day American cowboy?

Filmed on eight of the nation’s largest cattle ranches across ten states in the American West, Cowboys: A Documentary Portrait (2019) provides an intimate look at life in the modern world for this most American of icons. 

A cowboy’s life has always been one of solitude and hard work. This is still the case. 

Even as they adapt to modernity, the modern-day cowpoke provides us with lessons in how to cope with isolation. But with cell phones and the internet becoming commonplace on the range, some long for the “good old days”.

The filmmakers behind this ode to the modern-day cowboy join Factual America to tell their compelling story. How did the filmmakers create such an intimate portrait? How did they gain ranchers’ trust while capturing the magnificence of the American West?

Director Bud Force is a former rodeo cowboy. His co-director, John Langmore, is a former working cowboy who spent five years photographing life on “big outfit” ranches.

Bud and John are joined on the podcast by Feli Funke, creative producer and author of Gathering Remnants – a Tribute to The Working Cowboy (2020), Emmy award-winning editor Lucas J. Harger and Ian McLeod of Cleod9 Music.

So join us, as we enter into the life of the modern cowboy…

“We’ve created this career out of trying to create cinematic footage in difficult conditions in the field. Whether it’s cowboying, ice climbing, or shooting scuba diving, you have to operate light and fast.” – Bud Force

Narrated by Samuel L Jackson, I Am Not Your Negro (2016) uses James Baldwin’s unfinished manuscript to tell the horrific history of racism in America. Following the lives of three slain civil rights leaders, Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King Jr, Baldwin’s words still resonate today. 

Since the beginning, race has defined America and racism permeates its politics to this day. To discuss the issue, Dr Richard Johnson, lecturer in US politics and international relations at Lancaster University, joins the podcast.

Richard’s work examines the US’s increasingly racially polarised politics. He draws parallels between contemporary America and the end of the post-Civil War Reconstruction. Richard believes we are living in the twilight of the ‘second reconstruction’ – an era that began with the civil rights movement. Are there signs that a ‘third reconstruction’ is dawning?

Despite the election of Barack Obama in 2008 – the US’s first black president – the 2010s were a decade of increasing racial polarisation. But with white, working class voters searching for an anti-establishment voice, could there be a glimmer of hope?

“There are racial dimensions to all issues.” – Dr. Richard Johnson

Warning: This Drug May Kill You (2017) by broadcast journalist Perri Peltz is a heart-wrenching account of opioid addiction in the US. Before the coronavirus, a different epidemic plagued America. Medical researchers will hopefully develop a vaccine for Covid-19 in the near future. But more than 2 million Americans remain addicted to opioids. Is there any hope in sight? 

Norman Stone, award-winning director, producer and screenwriter, joins Factual America to discuss Peltz’s film. Norman has researched the opioid epidemic in America. Norman’s latest film, The Final Fix (2020), offers a glimmer of hope to the addicted.

Warning: This Drug May Kill You shows how opioid addiction affects people from all walks of life. Americans who would never seek illicit drugs find themselves hooked on prescription painkillers. Many move on to heroin.

The opioid epidemic costs the US economy many billions of dollars annually and destroys many lives. However, Norman says the problem is big pharma, which doles out trillions of dollars to the US medical establishment. 

Inspired by Peltz’s film, Norman’s The Final Fix shows that there might be a relatively simple cure to opioid addiction – Neuroelectric Therapy (NET). But the authorities refuse to give NET a clinical trial. 

“While they made billions upon billions of dollars out of this, they killed hundreds of  thousands, with cold calculated precision.” – Norman Stone

In America religion and politics are inextricably linked, despite what the US Constitution might say. Using The Most Hated Family in America (2007) by Louis Theroux and its sequel, America’s Most Hated Family in Crisis (2011), Factual America explores the history of religion in US politics.

Not only does religion polarise American society, but it also played a big role in determining the winner of the 2016 US presidential election. Will the same be true in 2020?

Emma Long, Senior Lecturer in American Studies at the University of East Anglia, joins the podcast to discuss the ways religion looms large in US politics. To help illustrate her points, Emma utilises Theroux’s films, which focus on the controversial Westboro Baptist Church.

While nothing short of shocking, Theroux’s documentaries shine a bright light on belief in America and quintessentially American views of free speech. The films show firsthand Westboro’s protests at the funerals of American military service personnel.

Are there limits to what can be considered offensive? Or is anything fair game when it comes to free speech and 1st Amendment rights?

Explaining how religion continues to affect American politics to this day, Emma enlightens us with her research and expertise…

“The US apparently has a separation of church and state, and yet every time you look at American politics religion is there.” – Emma Long

How many of us think about where the meat on our tables comes from? Well, we all should!

That’s the message of Eating Animals (2017), produced and narrated by Natalie Portman and based on the best-selling book on factory farming by Jonathan Safran Froer.

The film shines a light on corporate farming. Besides being inherently cruel to animals, it has destroyed entire ways of life and is devastating our environment. Now factory farming is threatening to kill us all by fostering a pandemic. However, those who blow the whistle face the wrath of this trillion-dollar industry. 

In this episode we are joined by Phil Brooke, Research and Education Manager at Compassion in World Farming, who discusses how his organisation is fighting to change the way we think about raising livestock.

Along the way, Phil and host Matthew Sherwood talk about what is being done to stop factory farming. And as the current pandemic shows us, at the very least we need to change the way we view our food and how we source it.

“The more animals we keep, the worse we keep them, the more at risk we are of more of these diseases.” – Phil Brooke

In some parts of the world the US is infamous for its continued use of the death penalty.

Using the BBC’s Life and Death Row – The Mass Execution as a backdrop, Dr Vivien Miller discusses the history of capital punishment in America. In doing so, she reveals how the death penalty divides the US along several different fault lines: race, gender, religion and region.

The first episode in a four-part series, Life and Death Row – The Mass Execution is a riveting and heartbreaking account of recent events that unfolded in Arkansas as drugs used in legal injections were soon to become unavailable.  The state planned to execute eight men in ten days, leading to a heated debate about the complicated legal, moral, and social factors that are involved in these kinds of decisions.

With lives on the line, and issues of racism arising, this is what some would call a ‘21st-century injustice’…

“It’s much more likely that a black defendant with a white victim will end up with an execution.” – Dr Vivien Miller

An Inconvenient Truth (2006) won two Academy Awards, and turned former Vice President of the United States Al Gore into an international celebrity.

More importantly, it brought climate change and global warming to the forefront of our collective consciousness.

Drawing on his own research, our guest Dr James Lyons shows how director Davis Guggenheim uses performance to dramatically animate risk in the film.

In doing so, does he change the focus, away from climate change? Do the camera lights instead shine more brightly on the former senator from Tennessee, rather than the existential threat facing our planet? 

Factual America caught up with director and producer Adithya Sambamurthy, who is heading to the US to cover the 2020 American election for The Guardian newspaper. We discuss the upcoming elections and take a look back at President Donald Trump’s rise to power. 

In 2016 and 2018 Adi spent weeks on the campaign trail filming and producing Anywhere but Washington. He shares his experiences criss-crossing America, where he was able to meet with Trump supporters and observe first hand the changing American political landscape.

We also look at how Trump has been so successful in certain areas that should be considered Democrat territory. Why do these communities reject Democrats and feel more hopeful and optimistic under Trump?

While there is a long way to go until the election in November, Trump has emerged from impeachment looking stronger. His campaign team and strategy have improved immensely since 2016. Conversely, he remains a highly polarizing figure despite his popularity in many parts of America.

Which Democrat will emerge from Super Tuesday the front runner? Do they even stand a chance against President Trump?

We also look at similarities and differences between the US and UK on the political front, in light of Brexit and the rise of Boris Johnson as prime minister.   

“A lot of what we’ve seen has been Donald Trump’s attempts to run against Washington; he gets to claim outsider status even as he becomes the establishment.” – Adithya Sambamurthi

Soyalism (2018) explores how factory farming has become a giant global business concentrated in the hands of a few Western and Chinese companies.

Across the globe, people are eating more and more meat. Demand has increased sevenfold since 1960 with 70 billion animals currently being killed per year. That number is set to reach 120 billion by 2050.

To meet this demand, corporate giants have taken over farming, creating massive ‘factories’ for the housing and feeding of livestock and waste disposal.

Using buzz words like ‘vertical integraton’, Western and Chinese corporations now dominate supply chains and wield great power. At the same time, more and more land is being dedicated to growing the grains and soya needed to support the world’s burgeoning demand for meat.

In the process, factory farming has put thousands of small producers out of business and permanently transformed entire landscapes.

Factual America caught up with Soyalism’s director Enrico Parenti and producer Susana Trojano at the Global Health Film Festival. Their journey started with a question about how to feed the world’s fast-expanding population. They soon uncovered a tale that starts in America, winds through Brazil and China and finally takes them all the way to Mozambique.

We also talk about what it’s like being a European filmmaker working in the United States, and some of the difficulties Enrico and Susana encountered there. 

“It’s even hard to find where the investors inside a company come from.” – Enrico Parenti

America’s love affair with guns is one of its defining attributes, and the number of mass shootings hit an all-time high in 2019. While politicians vow to tackle the problem, a powerful gun lobby stands in the way.

To help us understand why the US struggles with gun violence on such a massive scale, Dr Peter Squires, an expert on the subject, joins the show. He is a sociologist and professor of criminology and public policy at the University of Brighton, who has worked with many different police forces, and is respected globally for his research into firearms and crime.

Peter screens British director Marc Silver’s acclaimed 3 ½ Minutes, 10 Bullets (2015) in his classes. This film focuses on the 2012 shooting of Jordan Russell Davis and the trial, media coverage and public reaction following the event. This particular shooting raised a lot of questions about gun legislation in America, particularly the ‘stand your ground’ law in Florida, while Marc Silver’s observational documentary lets the audience draw its own conclusions.

With Peter’s in-depth knowledge of gun crime, we examine the case and talk about why gun violence is so much more prevalent in America compared with other countries, even those with high rates of gun ownership. We also investigate why America got into this situation and more importantly what steps can be taken to minimize gun violence in the future.

Like Peter’s students, we too can watch Marc Silver’s film and make up our own mind about what is really behind the culture of fear afflicting so many Americans.

“People can become a dark celebrity very quickly by a horrific act against society.” – Peter Squires

Dr Stella Bruzzi, author of the acclaimed New Documentary, demonstrates how the film about Bob Dylan is a shining example of the direct cinema style pioneered by Pennebaker and in the process shows us why people like Michael Moore have called him the “grandfather of modern American documentary filmmaking.”

“It’s a scientific truism, that the minute you look at something or intervene you change it, and it doesn’t mean to say it’s untruthful…it’s just a different truth.” – Stella Bruzzi

Today we are joined by award-winning business and tech broadcaster, and host of the Gender Knot, Nastaran Tavakoli-Far, as we explore the Theranos saga through the lens of Alex Gibney’s The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley (2019).

We discuss how this fraud was able to happen and to what extent the culture of Silicon
Valley is to blame.

A fantastically made documentary about a dangerous company, it makes us question yet again the cult of charismatic leaders.

“That’s the beauty of America that if you’ve got a big idea you’re not necessarily going to be laughed at. She kept referencing a Thomas Edison quote, that if you fail ten thousand times, that’s so you get it right the ten thousand and first time.” – Nastaran Tavakoli-Far

They not only encounter a land of soaring vistas, outstanding natural beauty and unrivaled ruggedness but also discover something about themselves and the immigrant experience.

In this episode we are joined by Sebastian Sauerborn, German entrepreneur, founder of Alamo Pictures and CEO of Mount Bonnell Advisors. Sebastian immigrated to Texas when he moved his business, and shares his experiences living and working there to discuss an issue that divides America but unites those who make their living along the Rio Grande river.

“Immigration was not a problem in Texas, these immigrants they are not on the public pocket. They have jobs, they work hard, they are needed, these jobs need to be done. So I think a very positive approach would be the right answer.” – Sebastian Sauerborn

Award-winning journalist, Kevin Turley, joins Factual America to discuss Albert and David Maysles’ seminal documentary. Kevin places Salesman in the context of 1960s America and traces the film’s influence on documentary filmmaking to this day.

Along the way Kevin and host Matthew Sherwood discover that the film about hard-luck Bible salesmen is actually about so much more — namely the pursuit of the American Dream.

They talk about the day to day difficulties that many people had to face back then, and how although the landscape of America has changed, the film still keeps its relevance even today.

The greatest gift of any documentarian is patience. – Kevin Turley

Carlos is a documentary that takes the viewer from legendary guitarist Carlos Santana’s beginnings in Mexico to concerts across the world in a musical career that has lasted over fifty years. It goes off-stage as well, exploring his spiritual journey and life with his family, from mother and father, to siblings, and children.

In this episode of Factual America, Matthew Sherwood meets Carlos’ director, Rudy Valdez, to discuss Santana’s storied life. Their conversation reveals Carlos as an innovative and laser-focused musician, a story teller with a brilliant memory, and a man always seeking to go further, deeper and higher, whether in his music or life beyond.

In addition, Rudy shares how he came to direct Carlos almost despite himself, the intimate nature of the documentary’s production, and his determination to create a film that felt just like you were hanging out with Carlos himself, something that for Matthew made the film very cool, indeed!

From fame to family, stardom to spirituality, mysterious tapes and revealing videos of walls, this episode of Factual America takes you from the past, into the present, and maybe even to the future. Plus at the end of the episode Matthew and Rudy have a conversation about the Golden Age of documentary: how Rudy defines it, its duration, and where he believes documentary film making finds itself now.

Watch the episode at https://factualamerica.com

“... what we always tried to do throughout this process is show the music, show it in relation to spirituality, show spirituality and the relation to family. And... come back to music, come back to spirituality, come back to family... all of those things were part of this collective consciousness for Carlos and they were always equally driving his journey and his life...” – Rudy Valdez

To call Sylvester Stallone a film star is only the beginning of any conversation about him. Movies such as Rocky and Rambo have made him an American icon. But even that barely scrapes the surface of who he really is. 

In Sly, a new documentary film available to watch now on Netflix, director Thom Zimny takes a deep dive into Sylvester Stallone’s story. He starts with the actor we all know before introducing us to the man behind the persona: Stallone the writer, director, and even, painter. He goes further still, in fact, right to the heart of Stallone’s life: his relationship with his father, a relationship that for Thom redefined how he saw Stallone’s films.

In this episode of Factual America, Thom joins Matthew Sherwood to discuss Sly, both man and film. Their conversation takes them from the beginning of Thom’s relationship with Stallone to its full flowering. Thom describes his approach to interviewing Stallone, and the energy that the latter brought to their conversation. He reveals how his work with Bruce Springsteen helped him navigate Sly, and the great trust that Stallone put in him, made real with a significant gift. Along the way, Thom shares some of the surprises that came out of making Sly, and even Stallone’s musicality.

Join Matthew as he and Thom Zimny pull the curtain back on the real Sylvester Stallone – Sly by name, but open hearted by nature.

Watch the episode at https://factualamerica.com

“Sly went beyond a biopic for me because I felt like there was a chance to show an artist that gets lost with just a shorthand version of their life... I love the details that get lost, that make a film universal.” – Thom Zimny

In The Enfield Poltergeist, Jerry Rothwell uses over 250 hours of audio recordings made by paranormal investigator Maurice Grosse to revisit the case of 284 Green Street in Enfield, North London. There, for a period of eighteen months starting in August 1977, the Hodgson family witnessed furniture move of its own accord, objects get thrown across rooms, and heard disembodied voices speak.

Or did they?

Some investigators were convinced, others were not. In The Enfield Poltergeist, Jerry builds a replica of the Hodgson family’s house in order to recreate what – is alleged to have – happened, and he joins Matthew Sherwood to go behind-the-scenes of his film. They explore the mystery of poltergeists, disruptive activity that often centres on young people, the effect of the supposed hauntings on the Hodgson children, and how the Green Street case captured the imagination of the British press.

Jerry reflects on his own background and how it might have influenced his decision to make The Enfield Poltergeist. He and Matthew also discuss the high-level background of the British Society for Psychical Research, of which Maurice Grosse was a member.

Was 284 Green Street haunted? Is the question even relevant? Whatever your view, enter into the spirit of the season with The Enfield Poltergeist.

Watch the episode at https://factualamerica.com

“I think what's interesting is... how and why do a people - a group of people in a house come to believe something. [This] for me says a lot about all kinds of things in our modern world... why do we believe what we believe?... the evidence for those things is as much in the stories we tell, and are told, as in, you know, the hard scientific phenomena.” – Jerry Rothwell

Welcome to the first episode of the fifth season of Factual America! Joining host Matthew Sherwood is Yon Motskin, the director of Encounters, a new Netflix docu-series about four UFO/alien encounters from around the world.

Encounters tells a story that is both epic and intimate in its range. It not only explores what occurred when a diverse range of witnesses – including school children, hoteliers, law enforcement officials, and rescue workers – came face-to-face with the seemingly impossible, but what happened afterwards to them, and those who investigated their stories. Some were able to move on; others, though, were bullied, faced ridicule, and professional ruin. All, though, have stuck to their stories.

Matthew and Yon discuss what happened to the witnesses, their credibility or otherwise, and the profound differences between the interpretation of UFO sightings in Japan versus the US. They look at the nature of belief, and how what we believe can define our understanding of what UFOs may be. Yon also shares his appreciation for the involvement of Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Television in the making of the film.

For Yon, Encounters is fundamentally ‘a human story’ with themes such as ‘consciousness and communication’ at its core. Whether you are interested in UFOs, psychology, mysteries, or the workings of the human heart, this is an episode for you.

Watch the episode at https://factualamerica.com

“I believe that they believe. Now, if whatever they say happened or not, I wasn't there, so, I couldn't tell you, but it's hard to discount... it's not one person in their backyard seeing something. It's dozens, and in many cases, hundreds of people all seeing the same thing, at the same time.” – Yon Motskin

Wayne Shorter has long been considered one of the greatest modern composers and musicians of American music. His career reads like a Who’s Who of the genre, starting with Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers, then the Miles Davis Quintet, followed by solo fame and the founding of fusion super group Weather Report. His collaborations extend beyond jazz greats such as Herbie Hancock and Ron Carter to include Carlos Santana, Joni Mitchel, Milton Nascimento and Steely Dan, just to name a few. 

In Wayne Shorter: Zero Gravity, acclaimed producer and director Dorsay Alavi moves beyond typical music doc territory to capture the essence of the man who touched so many lives, including her own. As Shorter’s long-time friend and music-video collaborator, Dorsay paints an intimate portrait and cinematic ode to a truly American visionary, innovator and icon. 

Wayne Shorter: Zero Gravity is a three-part docu-series streaming on Amazon Prime from August 25th 2023, which would have been Shorter’s 90th birthday. 

Watch the episode at https://factualamerica.com

"There's so many layers to Wayne, but I would say mostly, he's a very, very principled person. And I believe that he has always been very authentic and true to what he has always done on an artistic level, [and] in life as well." - Dorsay Alavi

John McEnroe’s volcanic temper on the tennis court is legendary. But there was always more to him than just the explosive outbursts. 

In McEnroe, a documentary now available to watch on Sky Documentaries and streaming service NOW, John McEnroe takes a night time journey through his home town of New York, reflecting on, discussing, and interrogating his life on and off the court.

Joining Matthew Sherwood is the film’s director Barney Douglas. He shares how McEnroe has changed from his wilder, younger self, the triggers that still make him a challenging person to be with, and how McEnroe sees himself in relation to today’s tennis super stars.

Barney also discusses McEnroe’s ‘New Yorker perspective’ as a tennis player, his relationship with his father, and how it influences his relationship with his children.  

The picture that Barney builds of John McEnroe is of a complex individual, one for whom connection and communication is important, who was an entertainer as well as a highly strung sportsman, and who is a thinker, not just a slave to his emotions.

In addition to discussing John McEnroe, Barney pulls back the veil on how he made his film: inevitably, Covid looms large, but so do exorbitant fees for archive footage; he had to make sure he asked McEnroe the right questions, and then, there is the use of animations inspired by Tron of all films.

McEnroe is a film that is built different, just like its star. In his short career, Barney Douglas has already made two other accomplished sporting documentaries – Warriors and The Edge – thus showing himself to be the right man to help John McEnroe tell his story.

Watch the episode at https://factualamerica.com

“[He is] very authentic... there’s nothing Machiavellian about McEnroe. For good or bad, you know he will be very true to how he feels, and that's actually... a very endearing quality.” – Barney Douglas

For 200 years, the people of central Appalachia in the US have lived off the industry of coal. Now, though, times are changing, and the coal industry is dying. One day, it will become no more than a memory. 

Director Elaine McMillion Sheldon describes King Coal as “part documentary, part fable”, and the film aims to not only tell the story of Appalachia and its coal, but also to preserve Appalachians’ memory of it. 

And that is not all. Through Lanie and Gabby, two young Appalachian girls, Elaine looks to the future, to the new world that is now coming into being. In doing so, she is able to say truthfully that far from now ending, Appalachia’s story is just beginning.

In the course of their conversation, Elaine discusses her own intimate connection to Appalachia, the surprising origin of one mark of deep respect given to miners, and how she broke her filmmaking rules in order to make the documentary.

Watch the episode at https://factualamerica.com

 “... if this was just a story about facts and figures, it would make no sense. But this film is really about the psyche and soul... I think that King Coal dominates a time when work, and pride in work, of belonging was a huge part of our identity.” – Elaine McMillion Sheldon

Humanity is the master of the world. But how did we achieve this? And what do our actions say about us as a people? These are the questions at the heart of Human Footprint, a new PBS docu-series directed by Nate Dappen and Neil Losin. They join Matthew Sherwood to discuss the programme, which they describe as ‘a science show that explores human history and culture’. 

Human Footprint starts with an exploration of invasive species. Nate and Neil discuss our response to this problem, which we created. It has led to the rise of some unusual jobs: would you like to be a python hunter?

Through Nate and Neil, we discover some more sedate occupations, for example, duck calling and hunting. This brings them to Ramsey Russell, who, in addition to being a duck hunter, is also ‘a poet [and] philosopher’.

If humanity has transformed the world, some animals have transformed humans. Dogs are one of them. According to Nate, dogs’ relationship with humans has been ‘symbiotic’, and he describes visiting Resolute Bay in the Arctic Circle where dogs and Inuits help each other to survive. 

Fast evolving lizards, dancing dogs, and city ecosystems also come under discussion. However, a series like Human Footprint is not easy to make. As Neil says, ‘you have to pre-produce everything... to a really... high degree’. Despite that, however, not everything is planned out, and they did still manage to be surprised by some ‘unexpected gems’ they found during filming, and afterwards.

In a conversation that ranges from evolutionary biology, how Shane Campbell-Staton came on board as presenter, to the role of rap music in the making of Human Footprint, Nate and Neil take Matthew Sherwood on a journey across the world and even through time.

Watch the episode at https://factualamerica.com

“... what the series reveals to me [is] that we have an enormous capacity for messing things up if we're not careful. But we also have an amazing capacity for good as a species, and it's really just a matter of what we decide to do collectively.” – Neil Losin

Eli Timoner lived a life founded on love. As a result, long after an accidental stroke forced him into retirement, he was celebrated by his former workers. And when he died aged 92, on 3rd March 2021, he did so, surrounded by his family.

Last Flight Home, a documentary by Eli’s daughter Ondi, tells the story of his last days. But more than that, it relates how Eli chose the date of his passing, something he was able to do through California’s End of Life Option Act. In this moving and poignant episode of Factual America, Ondi joins Matthew Sherwood to discuss the film, her father, family, and how her experience of his dying and death has made her an activist in support of the right to end one’s own life.

Ondi speaks frankly about her fears when Eli told her that he wished to die, and how filming him – something she did with his blessing – helped her come to terms with what was happening. She reflects on the differences of opinion that existed within her family over Eli’s decision before they came together to see the world anew. She also shares how she believes Eli continues to watch over his family today.

Eli’s story is not an easy one. But neither is it one sided. As Matthew and Ondi’s conversation makes clear, loss is accompanied by grace, beauty, and good memory.

Watch the episode at https://factualamerica.com

“[Dad] said to me... Ondi, would you rather know the day I'm going to die? Or would you rather get a call in the middle of the night? And it's true, it really allowed us all to prepare, and to plan, and to have closure, and to be able to celebrate, even, his life. And for him, it was like wind in a sail.” – Ondi Timoner