Classic: "20 Days in Mariupol” with Mstyslav Chernov (from July 2023)
As we gear up for Season 5, please enjoy one of our favorite shows. Since we released this pod first in July of 2023, "20 Days in Mariupol" won the 2024 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
The letter “Z” seems innocent enough – until you see a Russian tank painted with that mark slowly turn its turret in your direction. For AP journalist Mstyslav Chernov, who, at the time, was covering the Ukrainian war from behind enemy lines in Mariupol, this was the moment when the Russians were closing in. As seen in his harrowing new documentary “20 Days in Mariupol”, in the period leading up to this, Mstyslav and his team had filmed graphic scenes of destruction and carnage at the hands of Russian bombs and shells. Contrary to Putin’s claims, civilians were being targeted by the Russian military and this team, the only international journalists left in the city, had managed to get the images out to the world.
Joining Ken on the podcast, Mstyslav discusses his frightful on-the-ground experience in Mariupol and the remarkable film that came out of it. How did Mstyslav find himself on the front lines of the propaganda war being waged by the Putin regime? Who was the enigmatic Vladimir, a kind of sage and protector, who ultimately led Mstyslav and his team to safety? And why does Mstyslav feel that, notwithstanding the terrible suffering documented in the film, there are also glimmers of hope?
Released by PBS Distribution, “20 Days in Mariupol” opens theatrically in NYC on July 14 and in LA and SF on July 21.
Hidden Gem:
Sans Soleil
Follow:
@mstyslav.chernov on Instagram and @mstyslav9 on twitter
@topdocspod on Instagram and twitter
The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix.
--------
42:07
Our Most Popular Pods, Season 4
To finish out Season 4, we're revisiting some telling moments from 4 of our most popular shows of the season:
Rob Reiner: "Albert Brooks: Defending My Life"
Lucy Walker: "Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa"
Sam Lipman-Stern & Adam Bhala Lough: "Telemarketers"
Ibrahim Nash'at & Shane Boris: "Hollywoodgate"
The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix.
--------
32:46
"The Perfect Neighbor" with Geeta Gandbhir
“Stand Your Ground” became a part of the cultural lexicon over a dozen years ago when a Florida jury acquitted George Zimmerman of murder in the killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin under the Florida self-defense law. Director Geeta Gandbhir takes a probing look at Stand Your Ground laws in her searing new documentary “The Perfect Neighbor,” which recently premiered at the Sundance Film Festival where it won the Directing Award in the U.S. Documentary section.
Joining Ken for a conversation in Park City during the festival, Geeta discusses her personal connection to Ajike Owens, who was fatally shot through a locked metal door in Florida, and the tragic consequences that result all-too-frequently from Stand Your Ground laws. Using a vast trove of police body cam footage, as well as interrogation interviews with the woman who killed Ajike, “The Perfect Neighbor” does something remarkable: repurposing dispassionate found footage to tell a story that is deeply personal, moving and unforgettable.
Follow:
@geetagandbhir on Instagram and X
@topdocspod on Instagram and X
The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix.
--------
24:32
"The Dating Game" with Violet Du Feng & Joanna Natasegara
Forget about the original “The Dating Game,” not to mention “The All-New Dating Game” and “The Celebrity Dating Game.” This is director Violet Du Feng’s “The Dating Game,” which just had its world premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Of course, this is a documentary not a Chuck Barris game show and, like Violet’s previous film, the sublime “Hidden Letters,” which was shortlisted for an Academy Award, her version explores the topic with depth, insight, and humor.
Joining Ken for another of our in-person Sundance Film Festival interviews, along with the film’s Academy Award-winning producer, Joanna Natasegara (“The White Helmets”), Violet discusses the similarities and differences between “Hidden Letters” and “The Dating Game.” The film delves into the world of dating for young Chinese men, who face immense challenges in a country where there are 30 million more men than women due to China’s former One Child Policy. The film’s compelling participants include the highly sought after but somewhat cheesy dating coach Hao and his three clients, as well as Hao’s wife, Wen, also a dating coach. When, in one scene, Wen confronts Hao about their own marriage, the plot thickens. No game show can match that drama.
Follow:
@violetdufeng and @joanna_film on Instagram and @VioletFilms
@topdocspod on Instagram and X
The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix.
--------
21:29
"Gen_" with Gianluca Matarrese & Dr. Maurizio Bini
To unwind, Dr. Maurizio Bini, who runs a clinic in a public hospital in Milan, takes long walks in the mountains and picks mushrooms. But even in these calming moments, work is not far from his mind. In “Gen_”, director Gianluca Matarrese’s thoroughly entrancing new documentary portrait (a world premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival), Dr. Bini and his colleagues run a clinic that serves two kinds of patients: women seeking IVF treatments, as well as those seeking gender affirming care. At first, these seem like disparate realities, but over the course of the film, we see that these two worlds, both caught in political crosswinds, are seamlessly and expertly navigated by the good doctor.
Joining Ken on the pod, live and in-person at the “Top Docs” condo in Park City, Gianluca and Dr. Bini discuss the challenges of the clinic’s work in the context of contemporary Italian law and politics, which put barriers between patients and the care they so desperately seek. It turns out that Dr. Bini’s true specialty is to listen intently as his patients share their pain and dreams. And, with Gianluca’s camera there to capture these intimate moments, we witness the difference that a doctor can make when he puts the welfare of his patients above all else.
Follow:
@gianlumata on Instagram and @GianLuke on X
@topdocspod on Instagram and X
The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix.
Ireland