"Death by Numbers" with Kim A. Snyder and Sam Fuentes
When documentary filmmaker Kim A. Snyder began her directing career, she didn’t set out to make a string of films about school shootings and their aftermaths. But, from “Newtown” (2016) to “US Kids” (2020), and now with her Oscar-nominated short documentary “Death by Numbers,” Kim has brought critical attention to the issue and built deep relationships with the young survivors of those shootings. For “Death by Numbers,” Kim partners with Sam Fuentes, a survivor of the Parkland, FL shootings, who has written powerfully about the horrors of that day and the traumas that followed.
Kim and Sam join Ken on the pod to discuss Sam’s journal writings that are the basis for the film and to reflect on the events surrounding the sentencing trial for the shooter who killed 17 students and staff and now faces a possible death sentence. Asked by her former teacher to speak on her classmates’ behalf at the trial’s conclusion, Sam, through her ongoing pain, delivers a victim impact statement of undeniable power and eloquence. The Parkland high school students who lived through those terrible events in 2018 are now in their early 20’s, and they will be heard.
Hidden Gems:
Kim: “Zurawski v Texas”
Sam: “Dovecote”
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@kasnyderfilms on Instagram and X
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The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix.
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31:49
"2000 Meters to Andriivka" with Mstyslav Chernov
One of the most haunting moments in director Mstyslav Chernov’s harrowing new documentary “2000 Meters to Andriivka” — a follow up to his Oscar-winning “20 Days in Mariupol” — is a rather prosaic conversation about handmade cigarettes between the filmmaker and a Ukrainian soldier as they huddle in a foxhole while artillery shells explode around them. What makes this scene so chilling is its very ordinariness, and the fact that, by the end of the conversation, we will learn from the director’s voice over that this soldier will be killed on another battlefield several months later.
Joining Ken for a live, in-person interview at Sundance 2025 just after the film’s world premiere, Mstyslav shares his experience of embedding with soldiers in Ukraine’s 3rd Assault Brigade as they set out, on one long day during the Ukrainian counteroffensive in the summer of 2023, to plant the Ukrainian flag in the recently recaptured village of Andriivka, Running alongside this saga is the story, told through footage recorded by the Ukrainian soldiers’ helmet-mounted cameras, of how these brave soldiers fought one meter at a time to reclaim Andriivka. By the end of “2000 Meters,” it’s clear that there’s nothing left to save of the village except its name. How Andriivka — and those who died along the way — will be remembered is but one of the lingering questions that this unforgettable film dares to ask.
Mstyslav Chernov was awarded the Jury Award for Directing, World Cinema Documentary, at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.
Also, check out our “Top Docs” conversation with Mstyslav about “20 Days in Mariupol.”
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@mstyslav.chernov on Instagram and @mstyslavchernov on X
@topdocspod on Instagram and X
The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix.
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24:34
"Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat" with Johan Grimonprez
The 15th UN General Assembly of September 1960 may not seem like the most avant-garde topic for a cinematically adventurous documentary, but don’t tell that to director Johan Grimonprez. His stunningly creative “Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat,” recently named to the Oscar Shortlist for Best Documentary Feature, is a cinematic high point of 2024 and also one of the year’s most thoroughly engaging historical/political dramas.
Johan joins Ken on the pod to discuss the events surrounding the truncated political independence that was “granted” to the Congo (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) in June 1960 by the Belgian government. Soon after, Belgium (Johan’s home country) and the US joined forces with the UN leadership to undermine the Congo’s newly elected prime minister, Patrice Lumumba, who had emerged as a dynamic leader of the nascent united Africa movement. Lumumba’s downfall plays out in the bitterly divided 15th UN Assembly. Nikita Khruschev, Malcolm X and Fidel Castro appear alongside jazz legends Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach, Abbey Lincoln and others, who also play a key role in the story… and in the soundtrack.
“Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat” is released by Kino Lorber.
Hidden Gem:
“Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey”
“Close-Up”
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@topdocspod on Instagram and X
The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix.
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43:44
"The Bibi Files" with Alexis Bloom
Continuing our Academy Award coverage, today we speak with Alexis Bloom about her documentary, "The Bibi Files," which has been Oscar-shortlisted.
"The Bibi Files" features never-before seen police interrogations of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu, his wife Sara, their son Yair and many of their friends, associates, and people who have sought their influence. The results of these interviews led to Netanyahu being indicted for breach of trust, bribery, and fraud in 2019.
As you’ll hear, the consequences of Netanyahu’s legal troubles go far beyond his own freedom–they very much feed into the rightward turn in Israeli politics over the last few years, may have played a role in Israeli’s complete unpreparedness for the Hamas attacks on Oct 7 of 2023, and almost certainly are extending the tragic conflict in Gaza and Lebanon.
You can stream "The Bibi Files" on Jolt.
Hidden Gem:
“War Game”
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@thebibifilesdoc on Instagram and X
@topdocspod on Instagram and X
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26:32
"Will & Harper" with Josh Greenbaum
Road trips — and road trip movies — are as American as apple pie. And now, currently streaming on Netflix, we have director Josh Greenbaum’s poignant and very funny documentary “Will & Harper,” which tags along on a cross country road trip with close friends Will Ferrell and Harper Steele as the two navigate Harper’s recent transition as a woman. Since meeting during their first week on staff together at “Saturday Night Love,” they’ve been tight ever since. But when Harper sends Will an email coming out as a trans woman, she can’t be sure how her famous comedian friend will react. In short order, Will proposes a road trip so that they can ask all those questions that arise after such a big change.
Director Josh Greenbaum joins Ken on the pod to discuss all the joys and bumps on the road that transpired over the course of Will and Harper’s epic 16-day journey to such noted tourist destinations as the Grand Canyon… and a dive bar in Meeker, Oklahoma. Along the way, the two tackle such questions as, “What are the new ground rules for the friendship, if any?” “Can Harper still feel safe and comfortable in the same kind of places she used to visit as a man?” And “How are your boobs??” The laughs and the tears come in equal measure. Buckle up and enjoy the ride.
“Will & Harper” has recently been named to the Oscar Shortlist for Best Documentary Feature, and “Harper and Will Go West,” the theme song for the trip written by Kristin Wiig, has been named to the Oscar Shortlist for Best Original Song.
Hidden Gem:
“Anvil! The Story of Anvil”
Follow:
@josh.greenbaum on Instagram
@topdocspod on Instagram and X
The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix.
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