On Documentary – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode, I talk with directors Arun Bhattarai and Dorottya Zurbó about their new film “Agent of Happiness” that premiered earlier in the year at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. This film explores if and how happiness can be measured? The country of Bhutan invented Gross National Happiness to do just that, and Amber, the central protagonist in the film, is one of the agents who travels door to door to meet people and measure how happy they really are. He is still living with his elderly mother at the age of 40, but is nevertheless a hopeless romantic who dreams of finding love: a happiness agent who is in search of his own happiness. We embark with Amber on a cross-country road trip meeting citizens from all walks of life, reminding us of the fragility and beauty of our own happiness - no matter where we live.

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“On Documentary” podcast page: www.adamjamessmithfilm.com/on-documentary
Adam James Smith’s Instagram: www.instagram.com/ajsfilm
Contact: ajsfilm@alumni.stanford.edu

In this episode, I talk with directors Ayman El Amir and Nada Riyadh about their new film “The Brink of Dreams” that recently won the Golden Eye award at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. This documentary chronicles the lives of a group of young Egyptian girls from a very conservative small village in Egypt who formed an all-female acting troupe despite family rejection.

Thank you for listening. Please subscribe to keep up to date with new episodes. If you enjoy this podcast, please leave a review.

“On Documentary” podcast page: www.adamjamessmithfilm.com/on-documentary
Adam James Smith’s Instagram: www.instagram.com/ajsfilm
Contact: ajsfilm@alumni.stanford.edu

In this episode, I talk to Silje Evensmo Jacobsen about her excellent and moving new film “A New Kind of Wilderness” that just premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. The film follows wild-living British widower Nik Payne as he makes tough choices for his family following his wife's untimely death.

Silje's production company website: www.a5film.no/aboutus 

Thank you for listening. Please subscribe to keep up to date with new episodes. If you enjoy this podcast, please leave a review.

“On Documentary” podcast page: www.adamjamessmithfilm.com/on-documentary
Adam James Smith’s Instagram: www.instagram.com/ajsfilm
Contact: ajsfilm@alumni.stanford.edu

In this episode, I talk with award-winning director and producer Lesley Chilcott on her experience working with Arnold Schwarzenegger for the Netflix series "Arnold". Lesley has also worked on "Waiting for Superman", "CodeGirl", "It Might Get Loud", and "An Inconvenient Truth" which won two Academy Awards.

Lesley's website: www.lesleychilcott.com

Thank you for listening. Please subscribe to keep up to date with new episodes. If you enjoy this podcast, please leave a review.

“On Documentary” podcast page: www.adamjamessmithfilm.com/on-documentary
Adam James Smith’s Instagram: www.instagram.com/ajsfilm
Contact: ajsfilm@alumni.stanford.edu

In this episode, I talk with cinematographer, colorist, and head of Venture Films Jake Pierrelee on the art of color grading for documentary.

Jake's Instagram: www.instagram.com/jvke
Jake's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOhajf8RvcGz3wMPekSkOpw
Jake's course: www.jvke.us/tcb

Thank you for listening. Please subscribe to keep up to date with new episodes. If you enjoy this podcast, please leave a review.

“On Documentary” podcast page: www.adamjamessmithfilm.com/on-documentary
Adam James Smith’s Instagram: www.instagram.com/ajsfilm
Contact: ajsfilm@alumni.stanford.edu

In this episode, I talk with filmmakers Jesse Short Bull and Laura Tomaselli on the production and reception of their feature documentary "Lakota Nation vs. United States."

Official website: www.lakotanationvsus.movie
Laura Tomasellis website: www.lauratomaselli.com

Thank you for listening. Please subscribe to keep up to date with new episodes. If you enjoy this podcast, please leave a review.

“On Documentary” podcast page: www.adamjamessmithfilm.com/on-documentary
Adam James Smith’s Instagram: www.instagram.com/ajsfilm
Contact: ajsfilm@alumni.stanford.edu

On this episode, I talk to Dan Olmsted who has worked on a vast array of both documentary and narrative films as a sound recordist, sound mixer, and sound designer, including "Crip Camp", "China’s Lost Daughters", "The Revolutionary Optimists", "The English Patient" and "Boogie Nights". Dan and I discuss the art of sound in documentary.

Dan's IMDB page: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0647465/

Thank you for listening. Please subscribe to keep up to date with new episodes. If you enjoy this podcast, please leave a review.

“On Documentary” podcast page: www.adamjamessmithfilm.com/on-documentary
Adam James Smith’s Instagram: www.instagram.com/ajsfilm
Contact: ajsfilm@alumni.stanford.edu

In this episode, I talk with filmmaker Amy Nicholson about her new film "Happy Campers" that recently premiered at DOC NYC.

Amy's website: www.filmsbyamy.com
Happy Campers website: www.happycampers.film

Thank you for listening. Please subscribe to keep up to date with new episodes. If you enjoy this podcast, please leave a review.

“On Documentary” podcast page: www.adamjamessmithfilm.com/on-documentary
Adam James Smith’s Instagram: www.instagram.com/ajsfilm
Contact: ajsfilm@alumni.stanford.edu

In this episode, I talk with filmmaker Yannesh Meijman about his new film "Hotel Mokum" that recently premiered at the International Documentary Festival in Amsterdam. 

Yannesh's website: www.yanneshmeijman.nl
Yannesh's Instagram: www.instagram.com/theodorusgoon

Thank you for listening. Please subscribe to keep up to date with new episodes. If you enjoy this podcast, please leave a review.

“On Documentary” podcast page: www.adamjamessmithfilm.com/on-documentary
Adam James Smith’s Instagram: www.instagram.com/ajsfilm
Contact: ajsfilm@alumni.stanford.edu

In this first episode of season 2, I talk with Emmy award winning filmmaker Maro Chermayeff. As well as directing and producing many excellent documentary films - such as Half the Sky, Hostages, and Carrier - she is also the founding partner of the global production company Show of Force and Chair of the MFA in Social Documentary at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. I talk with Maro about what it takes to become a documentary filmmaker today, as well as her work as a director, producer, and educator. 

The MFA in Social Documentary at the School of Visual Arts: https://sva.edu/academics/graduate/mfa-social-documentary-film
Show of Force: https://showofforce.com

Thank you for listening. Please subscribe to keep up to date with new episodes. If you enjoy this podcast, please leave a review.

“On Documentary” podcast page: www.adamjamessmithfilm.com/on-documentary
Adam James Smith’s Instagram: www.instagram.com/ajsfilm
Contact: ajsfilm@alumni.stanford.edu