After all other International journalists leave, this director stays behind so that the world can bear witness to Russia's war crimes in Ukraine. A remarkable story of bravery that deeply influenced the framing of this entire podcast series around what it means to bear witness to each other's stories. It won the Audience Award in the World Cinema Documentary category, and we break down how 20 DAYS IN MARIUPOL by Mstyslav Chernov influenced my journey at Sundance 2023 and bookended Wonder's journey.

Four black, transgender sex workers frankly talk about the intimate and taboo details of their work while providing pithy cultural critiques. It explores themes of gender, desire, and violence as it fully lives into the descriptions of "unfiltered, unabashed, and unapologetic" with an authentic tone of "refreshing rawness and vulnerability unconcerned with purity and politeness." In this episode, we unpack KOKOMO CITY by D. Smith, which took home both the NEXT Innovator Award and Audience Award for NEXT.

A unique, hybrid doc on the identity of Central Appalachia being inexorably connected to coal mining. It's a poetic exploration around the tensions between pride and remorse as it reckons the past, present, and future of this region. We break down KING COAL by Elaine McMillion Sheldon in this episode.

Biopic of Inuit lawyer & activist Aaju Peter, who is in the process of reckoning being colonized by both Canada & Denmark. It follows her professionally as she works to form an Indigenous forum at the EU, but also follows her non-linear, personal journey as she unwinds the impacts of colonialism. We break down TWICE COLONIZED by Lin Alluna in this episode.

Investigative journalist Rae de Leon reveals a disturbing trend of women reporting sexual assault, who then get arrested because police think they're making false allegations in the absence of properly investigating the case. We follow de Leon as she does the work the police investigators should have originally done, and as she works with The Center for Investigative Reporting to unpack the deeper dynamics of what is happening and why. We break down VICTIM/SUSPECT by Nancy Schwartzman in this episode.

Black, transgender sex workers share an oral history of NYC's Meatpacking district where they found work, home, & community whilst otherwise being exiled from society. It traces an early history of activism for trans rights, while also documenting the changes in the neighborhood through many decades of policing, gentrification, and policy changes. We break down THE STROLL by Kristen Lovell & Zackary Drucker in this episode.

A viral-video infused, essay focusing on how the camera & algorithmic distribution of moving images is slowly corrupting society. After a brief historical recap, FANTASTIC MACHINE by Axel Danielson & Maximilien Van Aertryck fully embraces the very entertaining imagery it is attempting to decry that waffles between nihilistic novelty and subtly implied cultural critiques. In this episode, we deconstruct their approach through the lens of Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death, and Susan Sontag's On Photography.

An autobiographical journey of Ella Glendining as she searches to meet other people who share her disability, one so rare as to not have any statistics about it. We hear her many personal reflections about being disabled within a non-disabled/ableist world, and explore the moral dilemmas of medical intervention options that are available for some parents. In this episode, we break down Glendining's IS THERE ANYBODY OUT THERE?

It's an emotional love story in the context of illness as Paulina takes care of Augusto as his Alzheimer’s disease symptoms worsen throughout the pandemic. We watch Augusto get to rediscover his love as well his work in preserving in the cultural memory of Chile throughout the Pinochet dictatorship. We break down THE ETERNAL MEMORY by Maite Alberdi, which took home the Grand Jury Prize in the World Cinema Documentary category of Sundance 2023.

Biopic on the experimental artist Nam June Paik who pushed the boundaries of video art & avant-garde performance inspired by John Cage. We get to see an incredible survey of his creative works, which included many pioneering innovations in interactive art and image-making within the electronic era. We break down NAM JUNE PAIK: MOON IS THE OLDEST TV by Amanda Kim in this episode.