The Ask is a podcast hosted by Waise Azimi and Cliff W. Gilmore that humbly explores life, the universe and everything in between. A new episode is recorded every month.
In this episode of The Ask, award-winning author Elliot Ackerman discusses his work on Halycon. From pivotal elections to crumbling marriages, from the Civil War to the Battle of Saipan, Halcyon is a profound and probing novel that grapples with what history means, who is affected by it, and how the complexities of our shared future rest on the dual…
In this episode of The Ask, award-winning photographer Tony O'Brien takes us into the storm of the First Gulf War, from his perspective as a foreign correspondent for LIFE magazine. Our Episode Guest: Over the course of his decorated career as a photographer, Tony O’Brien has documented the lives of drug addicts on the streets…
In this episode of The Ask, award-winning author David French discusses his work on Divided We Fall: America’s Secession Threat and How to Restore Our Nation About the book: Our Episode Guest: A graduate of Harvard Law School and a constitutional lawyer long devoted to taking on religious liberty cases, David French has long been a leading conservative…
In this episode of The Ask, award-winning author Elliot Ackerman discusses his work on The Fifth Act: America’s End in Afghanistan About the book: The Fifth Act is an astonishing human document that brings the weight of twenty years of war to bear on a single week, the week the war ended. Using the dramatic rescue efforts…
In this episode of The Ask award-winning author and US Marine Corps veteran Phil Klay discusses his work on Uncertain Ground: Citizenship in an Age of Endless, Invisible War About the book: From the National Book Award-winning author of Redeployment and Missionaries, an astonishing fever graph of the effects of twenty years of war in…
In this episode of The Ask Peabody and Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Doug Shultz discusses his work on THE LINE. About the film: U.S. Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher stood accused by his own platoon in the biggest war crimes trial in a generation. Now a new, four-part docuseries will examine the case and the blurred line…
In this episode of The Ask we to speak to journalists Igor Kossov and Anna Myroniuk about their careers as journalists, the shocking changes at the launch of the Kyiv Independent in the aftermath of the turmoil at the Kyiv Post. And the looming Russian threat on the borders of Ukraine. About the Kyiv Independent:…
In this episode of The Ask we to speak to Peabody awarded journalist, bestselling author and Oscar-nominated filmmaker Sebastian Junger about his latest book: FREEDOM. About the book: In part based on an epic trip Sebastian undertook with three friends to walk the rail lines from Washington DC to Pittsburgh, Freedom is a deep dive…
In this episode of The Ask award-winning filmmaker Michael Tucker discusses his work on THE MEANING OF HITLER. About the film: Famed Nazi hunters and top scholars lead an urgent interrogation of our culture’s fascination with Hitler and Nazism, set against the backdrop of the current rise of white supremacy. Our Episode Guest: Born in…
Welcome to The Ask. It is the 20th Anniversary of the September 11th attacks. Episode 12 of the Ask is a roundtable discussion about Afghanistan after America. This episode draws together several extraordinary people, Afghans and Americans with strong connections to the modern story of Afghanistan and the Afghan people, to discuss what has and…
In this episode of The Ask, we meet Hamid, Sajid, Tamim, and Abouzar, former Afghan interpreters for foreign forces. Since the start, Afghan interpreters have been at the forefront of this war. The first interpreter, Hamid Karzai, would go on to become the first president of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Thousands would follow him down the dangerous path…
In this episode of The Ask award winning filmmaker and filmmaker Saeed Taji Farouky discusses his work on A THOUSAND FIRES. About the film: Set to premier this August at the prestigious Critics Week section of the Locarno International Film Festival, A THOUSAND FIRES is set in the Magway region of Myanmar, is a beautiful…
In this episode of The Ask award winning journalist and filmmaker Catrin Einhorn discusses her work on FATHER SOLDIER SON. About the film: After a single father is severely wounded in Afghanistan, he and his sons embark on a journey of love, loss and redemption. A decade in the making, this monumental film is directed…
Welcome back to The Ask. If the last episode on this podcast was about hope, then this episode is about heroism. Learn more here: https://www.netflix.com/title/81070008 I invite you to join acclaimed filmmaker Barry Avrich and myself, as we explore his award-winning work on his feature documentary film: PROSECUTING EVIL: THE EXTRAORDINARY WORLD OF BEN…
In our first episode for 2021 I would like to explore the idea of hope. In 2015, a sense of despair swept throughout Afghanistan. The Obama administration's surge to suppress and route the Taliban had ended long ago – and as the United States continued the long drawdown from the country, the Taliban were resurgent.…
In this episode of The Ask filmmakers Alex Gibney, Ophelia Harutyunyan, and Suzanne Hillinger discuss their work on Totally Under Control. About the film: TOTALLY UNDER CONTROL – Official Trailer Learn more here: https://neonrated.com/films/totally-under-control Our Episode Guests: Filmmaker Alex Gibney Filmmaker Alex Gibney won the Oscar in 2008 for Taxi to the Dark Side, an…
In this episode of The Ask filmmaker Saeed Taji Farouky discusses his work on Strange Cities Are Not Familiar and the South London Gallery Film School You can watch the film for free here: Learn more about the South London Gallery Film School here: https://www.southlondongallery.org/education/recreative/ Our Episode Guest: Filmmaker Saeed Taji Farouky Saeed Taji Farouky…
In this episode of The Ask filmmaker Nick Quested discusses his work on Blood on the Wall About the film: Blood On The Wall | Trailer Learn more here: https://films.nationalgeographic.com/blood-on-the-wall Our Episode Guest: Filmmaker Nick Quested Nick Quested is executive director and owner of Goldcrest Films, where he has built one of the world's premiere…
In this episode of The Ask author Elliot Ackerman discusses his work on Green on Blue About the Book: Aziz and his older brother Ali live in a village amid the pine forests and endless mountains of eastern Afghanistan. Their family is poor, but inside their mud-walled home, they have stability, love, and routine. But…
In this episode of The Ask author Michael Sullivan discusses his work on Not Our Day to Die: Testimony From the Guatemalan Jungle About the Book: In the farming communities of the Guatemalan jungle, the simple life was a good one, sustained by family, faith, community, and the pilots—like Mike Sullivan—who linked their isolated villages.…
In the inaugural episode of The Ask: Professor Thongchai Winichakul, Professor Clare Veal and journalist Teirra Kamolvattanavith come together to assess the history and consequences of the Thammasat University massacre through the lens of a Pulitzer prize winning photograph – and beyond. Our Episode Guests: Professor Thongchai Winichakul, Professor Emeritus, Department of History. University of…
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