Real Stories Podcast

To celebrate the first season of The Doc Exchange: A Real Stories podcast, here are some of our highlights from our conversations with some of the biggest names in modern documentary filmmaking. Hear from the filmmakers behind many of this year’s most lauded and talked about documentaries as they reveal which non-fiction films mean the most to them.Head to our feed to hear the full interviews, our guests include:Kirsten Johnson | Director of Dick Johnson is Dead and CamerapersonCatherine Bray | Writer, director, producer & commissionerTamara Kotevska | Co-director of HoneylandSimon Chinn | Producer of Whitney, Man on Wire, Searching for Sugar ManKate Blewett and Brian Woods | Co-directors of The Dying RoomsPoppy Dixon | Producer of Untouchable, The Imposter & American AnimalsBonni Cohen & Jon Shenk | Co-directors of Athlete ANicole Newnham & Jim LeBrecht | Co-directors of Crip CampAsif Kapadia | Director of Amy, Diego Maradona and SennaThe Doc Exchange: A Real Stories Podcast is a Little Dot Studios production in partnership with The Grierson Trust.Hosted by June JenningsProduced by Nicole Davis and Annie HughesExecutive produced by Paul WoolfMusic by Dusty DecksEdited by Content is QueenArtwork by Nash Kasic See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode, June is joined by Kirsten Johnson, a long-time cinematographer and documentary filmmaker who received widespread critical acclaim for her two most recent movies as director Cameraperson (2016) and Dick Johnson Is Dead (2020). Through the lens of three films that consider what it means to document life, death and the world around us, Kirsten discusses a range of topics from the intensely political to the intensely personal. Welcome to The Doc Exchange: A Real Stories Podcast, where your favourite non-fiction filmmakers reveal the documentaries that have had a lasting impact on their lives and careers. ***SHOW NOTESMan With A Movie Camera (1929, Dziga Vertov) Watch on Docsville in the UK & MUBI in the USThis Is Not a Film (2011, Jafar Panahi) Rent via Prime Video in the UK & Watch on Kanopy in the USNo Home Movie (2015, Chantal Akerman) Rent via BFI Player in the UK & Watch on MUBI in the USCameraperson (2016, Kirsten Johnson) Rent via Prime Video, Google Play & iTunes in the UK & Watch on The Criterion Channel in the USDick Johnson Is Dead (2020, Kirsten Johnson) Watch on Netflix***The Doc Exchange: A Real Stories Podcast is a Little Dot Studios production in partnership with The Grierson Trust.Hosted by June JenningsProduced by Nicole Davis and Annie HughesExecutive produced by Paul WoolfMusic by Dusty DecksEdited by Content is QueenArtwork by Nash Kasic See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On this episode of The Doc Exchange, June Jennings is joined by Catherine Bray, a commissioner, producer and writer-director, whose most recent credits include two hour-long essays films for BBC Arts: Meet the Family and Guilt-Free Pleasures. Together they interrogate the theme of performance, constructed reality and fabrication and how this can alter our sense of what ‘counts’ as documentary.Welcome to The Doc Exchange: A Real Stories Podcast, where your favourite non-fiction filmmakers reveal the documentaries that have had a lasting impact on their lives and careers. ***SHOW NOTESFraud (2016, Dean Fleischer-Camp) // Watch on Kanopy in the US Under the Sun (2016, Vitaly Mansky) // Watch on Ovid in the USCasting JonBenet (2017, Kitty Green) // Watch on Netflix How To with John Wilson (2020, John Wilson) // Watch on HBO Max Guilt-Free Pleasures (2020, Catherine Bray) // Watch on BBC iPlayer in the UKMeet the Family (2020, Catherine Bray) // Watch on BBC iPlayer in the UKFish Story (2017, Charlie Shackleton) // Watch on VimeoLasting Marks (2018, Charlie Shackleton) // Watch on VimeoBeyond Clueless (2014, Charlie Shackleton) // Watch on Vimeo***The Doc Exchange: A Real Stories Podcast is a Little Dot Studios production in partnership with The Grierson Trust.Hosted by June JenningsProduced by Nicole Davis and Annie HughesExecutive produced by Paul WoolfMusic by Dusty DecksEdited by Content is QueenArtwork by Nash Kasic See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Welcome to The Doc Exchange: A Real Stories Podcast, where your favourite non-fiction filmmakers reveal the documentaries that have had a lasting impact on their lives and careers. This week, June Jennings is joined by Tamara Kotevska, the Oscar-nominated co-director of Honeyland. Discussing three seemingly disparate, but equally powerful documentaries, Tamara reflects on her experience of making a film about ancient beekeeping traditions in the mountains of North Macedonia, the spirit of collaboration that enabled its fruition and the importance of showing the world as it is. ***SHOW NOTESExit Through the Gift Shop (2010, Banksy) // Rent via Prime Video, Google Play & MUBI in the UK & Prime Video & Google Play in the USThe Act of Killing (2012, Joshua Oppenheimer) // Rent via Google Play, Prime Video & iTunes in the UK & Watch on Prime Video in the USCave of Forgotten Dreams (2010, Werner Herzog) // Watch on DirectTV in the USHoneyland (2019, Ljubomir Stefanov, Tamara Kotevska) // Rent on Prime Video, Google Play, BFI Player & Curzon Home Cinema in the UK & Watch on

Welcome to The Doc Exchange: A Real Stories Podcast, where your favourite non-fiction filmmakers reveal the documentaries that have had a lasting impact on their lives and careers. This week, June Jennings is joined by Simon Chinn, the Oscar-winning producer behind some of the most successful documentaries of the past decade including Man on Wire, Searching for Sugar Man, The Imposter, My Scientology Movie, LA 92 and Whitney. Through the lens of three music documentaries that have stayed with Simon throughout his career he discusses perspective, access and legendary subjects. ***SHOW NOTESAnvil! The Story of Anvil (2008, Sacha Gervasi) // Rent via Prime Video in the USDon't Look Back (1967, D.A. Pennebaker) // Watch on HBO Max and The Criterion Channel in the US When We Were Kings (1996, Leon Gast) // Watch on BBC Storyville in the UK & Rent via HBO Max in the US. Searching for Sugar Man (2012, Malik Bendjelloul) // Watch on Prime Video in the UK & Rent on Prime Video, Google Play & iTunes in the USWhitney (2018, Kevin Macdonald) // Watch on Prime Video in the UK & Rent on Prime Video in the USMan on Wire (2008, James Marsh) Rent on Prime Video, iTunes &

Welcome to The Doc Exchange: A Real Stories Podcast, where your favourite non-fiction filmmakers reveal the documentaries that have had a lasting impact on their lives and careers. This week, June Jennings is joined by Brian Woods and Kate Blewett for a special episode reflecting on the 25th anniversary of their award-winning Channel 4 documentary The Dying Rooms. Discover how they got extraordinary access to make their groundbreaking film, how the stakes were raised when they made Return to the Dying Rooms, and how documentaries like One Child Nation have sustained and elevated the conversation around China’s One Child Policy. ***SHOW NOTESThe Dying Rooms (1995, Kate Blewett, Brian Woods) Watch on Real Stories from Saturday 12 December Return to the Dying Rooms (1996, Kate Blewett, Brian Woods)One Child Nation (2019, Nanfu Wang, Jialing Zhang) Watch on Prime Video in the US***The Doc Exchange: A Real Stories Podcast is a Little Dot Studios production in partnership with The Grierson Trust.Hosted by June JenningsProduced by Nicole Davis and Annie HughesExecutive produced by Paul WoolfMusic by Dusty DecksEdited by Content is QueenArtwork by Nash Kasic See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Welcome to The Doc Exchange: A Real Stories Podcast, where your favourite non-fiction filmmakers reveal the documentaries that have had a lasting impact on their lives and careers. This week, host June Jennings is joined by Poppy Dixon, Director of Documentaries at Sky UK and the producer of Untouchable, The Imposter and American Animals. United by the theme of memory, her documentary picks traverse family secrets, trauma and criminal justice. Hear how these films changed Poppy's perception of what documentary storytelling could look like, and what she looks for in a potential project. ***SHOW NOTESUntouchable (2019, Ursula Macfarlane) // Rent via iTunes in the UK or Watch on Hulu in the USThe Imposter (2012, Bart Layton) // Rent via iTunes in the UK or Watch on Prime Video in the USAmerican Animals (2018, Bart Layton) // Rent via Prime Video, Google Play & iTunes in the UK & Watch on HBO Max in the US Stories We Tell (2012, Sarah Polley) // Watch on MUBI in the UK &

Welcome to The Doc Exchange: A Real Stories Podcast, where your favourite non-fiction filmmakers reveal the documentaries that have had a lasting impact on their lives and careers. This week, we're joined by filmmaking, and life, partners Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk. The duo most recently directed the Netflix Original documentary Athlete A, which follows a team of reporters from ​The Indianapolis Star​ as they investigate claims of abuse at USA Gymnastics. Bonni and Jon pick three documentaries, centred around the theme of struggle, that have inspired boldness and courage in their own work. ***SHOW NOTESAthlete A (2020, Bonni Cohen, Jon Shenk) // Watch on Netflix. Long Night's Journey into Day (2000, Deborah Hoffmann, Frances Reid) // Watch on Kanopy in the US. Street Fight (2005, Marshall Curry) // Rent via Prime Video, Google Play & iTunes in the UK & Watch on Prime Video in the US. The Crash Reel (2013, Lucy Walker) // Rent via Prime Video in the UK & Apple & Prime Video in the USAn Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power (2017, Bonni Cohen, Jon Shenk) // Rent via Prime Video, Google Play & iTunes in the UK & USAudrie & Daisy (2016, Bonni Cohen, Jon Shenk) // Watch on

Welcome to The Doc Exchange: A Real Stories Podcast, where your favourite non-fiction filmmakers reveal the documentaries that have had a lasting impact on their lives and careers. This week, co-directors Nicole Newnham and Jim LeBrecht join June Jennings to reveal the three documentaries that inspired their work on Crip Camp - the Netflix documentary about a disability revolution. From films about Harvey Milk to James Baldwin, we discover their non-fiction touchstones and why they were changed irrevocably for watching them. ***SHOW NOTESCrip Camp (2020, Nicole Newnham & Jim LeBrecht) // Watch on Netflix globally. The Times of Harvey Milk (1984, Rob Epstein) // Rent via Prime Video & iTunes in the UK & Watch on the Criterion Channel in the USThe Devil & Daniel Johnston (2005, Jeff Feuerzeig) I Am Not Your Negro (2017, Raoul Peck) // Rent via Amazon, MUBI, Google Play, BFI Player & Curzon Home Cinema in the UK & Watch on

Welcome to The Doc Exchange: A Real Stories Podcast, where your favourite non-fiction filmmakers reveal the documentaries that have had lasting impact on their lives and careers. This week, multi award-winning film director, writer and producer Asif Kapadia (and the 2020 recipient of the prestigious BBC Grierson Trustees' Award) joins June Jennings to talk about three documentaries related to the 1970s. From political context to personal archives to depicting icons in their prime, we discover which films informed Kapadia's own preoccupations when making Senna, Amy and Diego Maradona. ***SHOW NOTESSenna (2010, Asif Kapadia) // Rent via Prime Video, Google Play in the UK & Stream via Netflix & MUBI in the US Amy (2015, Asif Kapadia) // Rent via Prime Video & iTunes in the UK & Watch on Prime Video in the USDiego Maradona (2019, Asif Kapadia) // Rent via Prime Video, iTunes, Google Play, BFI Player & Curzon Home Cinema in the UK & HBO Max in the US. When We Were Kings (1996, Leon Gast) // Watch on BBC Storyville in the UK & Rent via HBO Max in the US Hoop Dreams (1994, Steve James) // Rent via Curzon Home Cinema in the UK & Prime Video, iTunes, Hulu & HBO Max in the US Italianamerican (1974, Martin Scorsese) // Watch on the... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Welcome to The Doc Exchange: A Real Stories podcast. Hear from the filmmakers behind many of this year’s most lauded and talked about documentaries as they reveal which non-fiction films mean the most to them. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In the year’s last episode, Jake Wiafe welcomes Leon McCarron, presenter, adventurer, and writer, starring in the Real Stories Original, “How to Save a Tribe” - a documentary about the small and ancient Samaritan community residing on mount Gerizim in Palestine, the Middle East. This small religious tribe is on the verge of extinction as no one traditionally were allowed to marry outside the community - yet, realising this, online dating has become the way to secure the next generations, now bringing in outsiders from as far as Ukraine. In the episode, Leon recounts how he first met this unique community during his travels across the region by foot, and explains what made him want to tell their specific story, and why he thinks it is an especially important one to be heard. Jake and Leon also talks more broadly about Leon’s urge to travel, his adventures across entire continents on bike and foot, and what he has learned from meeting people and small communities like the Samaritans across the world. How to Save a Tribe is available on Real Stories YouTube. If you want to see more of Leon’s past, current and future projects and adventures, visit www.leonmccarron.comReal Stories is available on Youtube and Facebook, and you can follow us on Twitter and Instagram too - and don’t forget to subscribe to our podcast, available on Spotify, Itunes, Player FM, and Acast. And lastly but not least: Merry Christmas! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Our host Jake Wiafe is in this episode guested by award-winning documentary filmmaker Christy Garland from Toronto, Canada - the director of the documentary feature film What Walaa Wants, which was nominated for 9 awards and won the Special Jury Prize at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival. Shot over five years, Christy Garland’s documentary is a classic coming-of-age story portraying Walaa from West Bank’s Balata Palestinian refugee camp. Walaa is determined to become one of the few women on the Palestinian Security Forces, and the film follows her as she changes from young troublemaker to focussed adult, navigating multiple obstacles and finally disproving the negative predictions from her surroundings - and the world at large.In this episode, Christy Garland unfolds the filming process in the Palestinian West Bank territory; how she first met Walaa and decided to follow her through pivotal life moments, police academy training, imprisonment, and return to the impoverished Balata refugee camp after becoming a trained police woman. She and Jake further discuss Christy's thoughts on being closely involved with the subjects of her films while following their unique journeys, her inspirations and wider views on documentary storytelling.What Walaa Wants, 2018, directed by Christy Garland, produced by Murmur Media, Final Cut for Real In Co-production with National Film Board of Canada. *Christy refers at one point to the documentary Titicut Follies from 1967 by Frederick Wiseman. Real Stories is available on Youtube and Facebook, and you can follow us on Twitter and Instagram too - and don’t forget to subscribe to our podcast, available on Spotify, Itunes, Player FM, and Acast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Siobhan McDonnell, founder and director of HeteroDocs, take us through her highlights and takeaways from IDFA, the world's largest documentary film festival held annually since 1988 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. With a growing focus on VR and immersive technologies, Siobhan and Jake discuss some of the most cutting-edge immersive experiences of IDFA 2019 - and among these, Victoria Mapplebeck’s VR documentary, “The Waiting Room” which just won the IDFA DocLab Award for Digital Storytelling. Listen to learn more about how VR and new technologies are changing storytelling in documentaries, get insights from panel talks and industry events at IDFA, If you want to see more of Siobhan’s work with HeteroDocs, check out her website: https://heterodocs.com/ Bonus info: Victoria Mapplebeck is also featured in our first Real Stories podcast episode, as the director of the BAFTA- winning Real Stories documentary, “Missed Call.”If you want to check out the documentaries and directors that are being mentioned in this episode, we’ve listed them here for reference:From IDFA 2019:Waiting Room - VR documentary by Victoria Mapplebeck (Winner IDFA DocLab Award for Digital Storytelling)Ayahausca: Kosmik Journey Dome Experience - VR documentary by Jan Kouen 'Jawline' debut feature by Liza Mandelup Other:Travelling While Black - VR documentary by Roger Ross WilliamsTaqwacore: The Birth of Punk Islam by Omar Majeed - you can see this documentary on Real Stories YouTube.Kim Longinotto, documentary filmmakerSean McAllister , documentary filmmakerNonny de la Peña, journalist and immersive documentary filmmakerAlso, if you’re interested in the numbers around VR and immersive technologies, Digital Catapult recently released a report on the immersive economy in the UK 2019, which can be found on their website. Real Stories is available on Youtube and Facebook, and you can follow us on Twitter and Instagram too - and don’t forget to subscribe to our podcast, available on Spotify, Itunes, Player FM, and Acast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

“Just be you - and just be fabulous!” These are the wise words of Leo Noakes, a 13-year old boy who likes to dance, wear colourful dresses, wigs, and makeup - being one of the youngest drag queens in the UK. In this episode, our host Jake Wiafe meets Leo Noakes aka Violet Vixen together with Leanne Rogers, the director of this remarkable Real Stories Original with the same name as Leo’s alias; “Violet Vixen.” Tune in for a heartwarming chat around the background for shooting the documentary that took social media with storm and made Leo known outside his hometown, near Leicester. Leo will also talk about what it was like to meet his big idol, drag queen Cortney Act, while attending his first ever drag show in Brighton, during the time the documentary was filmed. To see the full documentary Violet Vixen, head over to Real Stories YouTube channel.If you’re curious to see more of Leo Noakes/ Violet Vixen go to Instagram: @violetvixenofficial Real Stories is available on Youtube and Facebook, and you can follow us on Twitter and Instagram too - and don’t forget to subscribe to our podcast, available on Spotify, Itunes, Player FM, and Acast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The day of this podcast episode release, 27th November, marks the 24th anniversary for Ruth Wilson’s disappearance from Box Hill, Surrey in England. Our host, Jake Wiafe, speaks with journalist Martin Bright, who features in the investigative documentary about Ruth Wilson’s case: Vanished: The Surrey Schoolgirl. They discuss the mysterious events that led up to the day of Ruth vanished; the new information the documentary revealed; and the dealings with police, friends, and family while trying to uncover what happened to Ruth on that day on Box Hill, 27th November, 1995. If you have any information regarding the case, or want to get involved in other ways, visit the Vanished: The Surrey Schoolgirl Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1833294303641124/You can watch the full documentary on Real Stories: https://youtu.be/pfkAO8VcKBgWe also mentioned the Searching For series, inspired by Vanished: The Surrey Schoolgirl. All three episodes are available on Real Stories YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKX-YBD4nIPeRGa4obIwXocNEwvhvONEa and on Oxygen: https://www.oxygen.com/searching-forReal Stories is available on Youtube and Facebook, and you can follow us on Twitter and Instagram too - and don’t forget to subscribe to our podcast, available on Spotify, Itunes, Player FM, and Acast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The documentary In Your Face features three heavily inked people that have their tattoos covered as part of a social experiment investigating our prejudices against face and neck tattoos. In this episode, our host, Jake Wiafe, meets the director & producer Simon Goodman from Showem Entertainment and contributor Jason Brookes, who became a local celebrity after appearing in the documentary. They will be talking about tattoos and tattoo culture - but of course also about the making of the documentary that took social media by storm; the personal journeys for everyone involved, and how it all led to the sequel; Even More in Your Face, released February 2019.Watch the full length documentary In Your Face on Real Stories YouTube here: https://youtu.be/cXMBBCrZ2SI - and its sequel, Even More In Your Face here: https://youtu.be/i1o5vWQfp4MAlso, check out more intriguing and engaging productions from Simon Goodman and Showem Entertainment at: https://www.showem.tv/ and on Instagram and Twitter:@showemworldReal Stories is available on Youtube and Facebook, and you can follow us on Twitter and Instagram too - and don’t forget to subscribe to our podcast, available on Spotify, Itunes, Player FM, and Acast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode, our host Jake Wiafe meets the documentary producers Rachel Forbes and Paul Woolf to discuss the newly released true-crime series, Searching For. The documentary series investigates the mysterious disappearances of Akia Eggleston, Jenna Van Gelderen, and Nancy Moyer, whose cases all remain unsolved to this day. They discuss the process of making the series while dealing with family, police, and the surrounding communities, hoping that their work may lead to new clues as to what happened in these three disturbing cases. You can watch all three episodes for free on https://www.oxygen.com/searching-for and Real Stories’ YouTube page, Join the conversation around the cases in the Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/OxygenSearchingFor/The Real Stories Podcast is your home for all things documentary. We speak to the people behind and in front of the camera about their experiences and challenges, successes and learnings - and we get the best tips and insights from top commissioners and experienced documentary producers. Don’t forget to subscribe for more if you love documentaries as much as we do!Real Stories is available on Youtube and Facebook, and you can follow us on Twitter and Instagram too. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

You come at the king? You best not miss. So said Omar Little in David Simon's legendary HBO drama The Wire. So when we got the chance to speak to our very own CEO, Andy Taylor, we were very excited, and we're pleased to say we feel it's a hit. This episode you'll hear some of the background of Real Stories, and Little Dot Studios (that's us, the company behind Real Stories), as well as a look ahead to what's still to come.Real Stories is available on Youtube and Facebook, and you can follow us on Twitter and Instagram too.The films Andy mentioned in the episode are Missed Call and Pure O, and are available to watch for free right now.Jake mentioned Sorry, I Shot You, and Olly describes Violet Vixen.And finally, we also mentioned our History Channel Timeline which is full of fascinating History Documentaries. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In Episode 2 Jake speaks to Joya and Lucy Jane, the surfing film makers responsible for Real Stories original Surf Girls Jamaica. Surf girls Jamaica explores the oft over looked black female surf culture in Jamaica through the eyes of some of it's most active and vocal proponents. You can watch the full film here on YouTube from anywhere in the world - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaTUYaSD-wAWe also find out whether Missed Call, about which we talked in episode one with Director and star Victoria Mapplebeck and Real Stories Commissioning Editor Adam Gee, was successful in winning the BAFTA Award for Best Short Form Programme.Find out more about Black Girls Surf here - https://blackgirlssurf.com/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Welcome to the first ever Real Stories Podcast. In this first episode Jake speaks to Real Stories Commissioner Adam Gee, and the Director of one of our Real Stories Originals 'Missed Call', Victoria Mapplebeck, about: getting a Bafta nomination; shooting a documentary entirely on an iPhone; putting your personal life (and that of your son) on screen; and loads more besides. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.