KUCI: Film School

The Rise and Fall of Lularoe / Film School Radio interview with Producer Stephanie McNeal

This eye-opening, revealing new documentary, THE RISE AND FALL OF LULAROE, pulls the curtain back on the multi-level marketing company through interviews with retailers, warehouse workers, designers and others. Through a partnership with BuzzFeed Studios and journalist Stephanie McNeal’s in-depth investigation, THE RISE AND FALL OF LULAROE uncovers parts of the story that haven't been heard before, including recent developments and first hand accounts from sources who are speaking out for the first time. The film shines a light on present day LuLaRoe at the company’s most recent incentive trip in Cancun, Mexico called LuLaRoe D.R.E.A.M 2021. Here, we meet LuLaRoe’s first ever retailer and see that the company is still going strong, despite the growing community of Facebook activists, including former customers and  retailers, who are determined to stop at nothing to take down the organization. Experts in the documentary reflect on how LuLaRoe seduced thousands of recruits, some of whom ended up risking their homes, their bank accounts, and their relationships with close family and friends - all in an effort to be their own boss by selling LuLaRoe leggings. THE RISE AND FALL OF LULAROE explores the psychological techniques used by multi-level marketers, and how the company harnessed the full power of social media to onboard a massive pool of retailers. Senior culture writer for BuzzFeed News and consulting producer, Stephanie McNeal joins us to talk about her long-time interested in the general subject of multi-level marketing and her specific interest in LuLaRoe and the impact it has had on the lives of thousands of retailers, warehouse workers, designers and others.
For more about The Rise and Fall of Laluroe go to: discoveryplus.com
The film will world premiere December 13th on discovery+, the definitive non-fiction, real-life subscription streaming service.

The Mustangs: America’s Wild Horses / Film School Radio interview with Co-directors Steven Latham and Conrad Stanley

THE MUSTANGS: AMERICA'S WILD HORSES takes audiences on an odyssey throughout America to places few people have seen or even know about. There are more than 80,000 wild horses on our public lands and more than 50,000 in government corrals. THE MUSTANGS also shines a spotlight on the work of Operation Wild Horse, an organization, that pairs mustangs and veterans with PTSD. Centered around the history and current situation of these American icons, the film’s soundtrack features American musical stars including Bruce Springsteen, Willie Nelson and Emmylou Harris. The original song “Never Gonna Tame You,” is performed by Platinum-selling artist Blanco Brown and written by legendary songwriter Diane Warren, a 12-time Oscar® nominee and GRAMMY®, Emmy® and two-time Golden Globe® award winner. THE MUSTANGS: AMERICA'S WILD HORSES is an amazing story about America’s wild horses from their turbulent history to their uncertain future. Co-directors Steven Latham and Conrad Stanley join us for a conversation on these iconic American animals, how close they came to extinction, the heroic efforts of a housewife / farmer from Nevada literally changed the fate of these magnificent creatures and the amazing production team that includes Robert Redford, Patti Scialfa Springsteen and USA Olympic Equestrian Silver Medalist Jessica Springsteen.
For news and updates go to: themustangsfilm.com
Ways to watch: VUDU - Amazon Prime - Apple TV - Google Play - vimeo

The Slow Hustle / Film School Radio interview with Director Sonja Sohn

From director Sonja Sohn (Baltimore Rising) star of HBO’s The Wire, comes THE SLOW HUSTLE, an American tale of how the culture of law enforcement corruption penetrates the system at every level, destroying lives, as ordinary citizens, hardworking local journalists, and a few rebellious public servants endeavor to pick up the pieces.When Baltimore police detective Sean Suiter is shot and killed on duty the day before he is scheduled to testify before a federal grand jury, a mystery unravels that raises questions about what story he was going to tell about his fellow officers. The infamously corrupt Gun Trace Task Force is the focus of an investigation that exposes members of an elite task force as a criminal gang and that proves to be one of the dirtiest police units in US history. THE SLOW HUSTLE follows Detective Suiter's widow and children as they work to uncover clues and hold the Baltimore Police Department and City Hall accountable. Meanwhile dogged journalists strive to crack the case, including D. Watkins, author of We Speak for Ourselves: How Woke Culture Prohibits Progress, and Justin Fenton, author of We Own This City: A True Story of Crime, Cops, and Corruption. At the vortex lies Detective Sean Suiter, with the conflicting theories of his death and the complexities of his life, creating a dizzying portrait of the human challenges of modern policing in the age of rising violent crime and police. Director Sonja Sohn joins us to talk about how the death of Detective Sean Suiter’s unsolved death has affected the lives of the Suiter family and the corrosive impact that the scandal has had on the Baltimore Police Department, and the standing of Baltimore’s political establishment.
To find out more go to: hbo.com/movies/the-slow-hustle
The Slow Hustle premieres on HBO December 7

Camp Confidential: America’s Secret Nazis / FIlm School Radio interview with Co-directors Daniel Sivan and Mor Loushy

The eye-opening short documentary featuring illuminating animation, Camp Confidential: America's Secret Nazis, co-directed by Daniel Sivan and Mor Loushy (The Devil Next Door, The Oslo Diaries) and produced by Benji and Jono Bergmann (Wirecard, Mau), focuses on the story of a top secret POW camp that was classified for over five decades. In the midst of WWII, a group of young Jewish refugees are assigned to guard a top secret POW camp near Washington D.C. The Jewish soldiers soon discover that their prisoners are no other than Hitler's top scientists - What starts out as an intelligence mission to gather information from the Nazis, soon gets a shocking twist when the Jewish soldiers are tasked with a very different mission altogether. A mission that would question their moral values - exposing a dark secret from America's past. Co-director Daniel Sivan (Mor Loushy) joins us for a conversation on this unbelievable true story of Nazi officers and scientists a few miles the the US Capital and the wildly improbable discovery of finding the survivors who were alive to tell the tale.
Watch by going to: netflix.com/Camp Confidential

The Feast / Film School Radio interview with Director Lee Haven Jones

THE FEAST seamlessly drops us into a family gathering at their lavish contemporary home made of glass and steel in the Welsh mountains. The matriarch is hosting a dinner party with her politician husband on behalf of a businessman hoping to buy land in the area for mineral mining. Unbeknown to them the owners of a neighboring farm are the only other guests and will be charmed into selling parcels of their farmland. The family’s two adult sons are reluctant dinner party guests. One is a London hipster struggling with addiction issues and the other is a doctor training for an ironman event. The family’s values and beliefs are challenged by the arrival of the young woman, Cadi, they have hired to act as waitress for the evening. Her presence forces the characters to face their shortcomings and question their relationship with the land they claim to belong to. Cadi’s influence grows in strength and the family’s behavior becomes increasingly extreme until they face the horror of what they represent and tragedy changes everything forever. Director Lee Haven Jones (DOCTOR WHO, THE BAY, VERA) joins us for a conversation on the inspiration for THE FEAST, the use of the native language in telling the story, the significance of Welsh folklore in connecting people to their land and culture.
For news and updates go to: fcfilms.com/films/the-feast

Keep Sweet / FIlm School Radio interview with Director Don Argott

Don Argott’s latest documentary, KEEP SWEET explores the leakage left behind by the self-proclaimed “Prophet of the FLDS”, Warren Jeffs and how Jeffs’ demands for absolute loyalty, and the complete adherence to religion dogma, requiring strict dress codes, banishing community celebrations and casting out followers who didn’t fall in line irreparably damaged the lives of so many. His controversial reign ended with a conviction for sexual assault with underage girls, landing him in jail for life. Jeffs’ downfall sent shock waves throughout the community, with some continuing to pledge their loyalty to him, while others turned their backs on Jeff’s and the FLDS religion altogether. Ten years after his arrest, those left behind attempt to rebuild their community. KEEP SWEET is an allegory for the unsettling reality we are living through in America. Can we learn how to live with one another despite our different ideologies, or are we destined to live apart? Director Don Argott (Art of the Steal, Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck in Time) joins us for a conversation on his own perception of the FLDS people living in Colorado City, Arizona, Warren Jeffs pernicious impact on the lives of people who trusted him and lengths that people will go to for their beliefs.
For news and updates go to: 914pictures.com
Keep Sweet premieres on Discovery+ channel November 24, 2021
For other resources go to: 44blue.com

Don’t Try To Understand / Film School Radio interview with Director Christopher Frierson (co-director Clark Slater)

DON’T TRY TO UNDERSTAND: A Year in the Life of Earl "DMX" Simmons is a no-holds-barred portrait of hip-hop's most tortured superstar. A deeply personal exploration of Faith, Addiction, Loyalty and Family, the film chronicles a year in the life of a man with a burning desire to reconcile decisions of the past. Fresh out yet another bid in Federal prison, 2019 finds Earl "DMX" Simmons at a crossroads. With an insurmountable debt owed to the IRS, an ever-growing family to feed, and immense pressure to return to the heights of yesteryear; the stakes couldn't be higher. DON'T TRY TO UNDERSTAND in cinéma vérité style and with unfettered access, the film bears witness to a man searching for reinvention and redemption, striving to stay true to himself while reestablishing his roles as a father, an artist and an icon.We follow Earl Simmons as he navigates this difficult circumstance: from re-acclimating to society in the midst of a grueling nationwide tour, to reuniting with his estranged first-born son. The film is an intimate glimpse into a man whose future and legacy, livelihood, and liberty, are all on the line. Director Christopher Frierson (The King, Denial, Dirty Pictures) joins us to talk about Earl Simmons “DMX” from the point of view of a man facing the unavoidable questions swirling around his own mortality, family, and faith in God.
Watch at: hbo.com/documentaries
Music Box is a collection of documentary films created by Bill Simmons exploring pivotal moments in the music world, featuring portraits of Alanis Morissette, DMX. Keeny G and Woodstock 99.

Life of Crime: 1984 - 2020 / Film School Radio interview with Director Jon Alpert

LIFE OF CRIME: 1984-2020, is the culmination of 36 years of work from multiple Emmy Award-winning producer/director Jon Alpert (HBO’s “Baghdad ER”). The third and final part of an epic documentary trilogy, LIFE OF CRIME: 1984-2020 tells the full story of three friends from Newark, New Jersey whose lives have been defined by and torn apart by their addictions. With unfettered access, LIFE OF CRIME: 1984-2020 bears witness to each of their journeys in and out of prison, rehab and in occasional jobs as they struggle to end the vicious cycles of drug use and to connect with the families they left behind. Authentic to true vérité filmmaking techniques, Alpert’s camera is observational, immersive, deeply intimate and unfiltered; the vast scope of the timeline allows for an extensive window into the tragic toll that addiction can take on substance abusers and their loved ones. LIFE OF CRIME: 1984-2020 is tightly focused on three individuals living in one of the roughest parts of Newark, New Jersey: Rob Steffy, a criminal surviving by shoplifting and robbery; Deliris Vasquez, one-time girlfriend of Rob’s and the mother of two children, whose heroin addiction leads to prostitution, prison, rehab and Freddie Rodriguez, whose petty crimes and drug use land him in and out of prison. Director and Producer Jon Alpert joins us for a conversation on how he found himself being pulled into the lives of three hopelessly lost souls desperately trying to find a way out.
Find out more about Jon Alpert's work at: dctvny.org

Seyran Ates: Sex, Revolution and Islam / Film School Radio interview with Director Nefise Ozkal Lorentzen

In the 1960s, the hippies championed the idea of a sexual revolution. They received neither Fatwas nor bodyguards. In director Nefise Ozkal Lorentzen’s latest film, SEYRAN ATES: SEX, REVOLUTION AND ISLAM we follow the work of Seyran Ateş - a Turkish-German lawyer, feminist, and one of the first female imams in Europe - is fighting for a sexual revolution within Islam. In return, she was shot, received fatwas and death threats, and now has to live under constant police protection. Seyran believes the only way to fight against radical Islam is through Islam, which is why, in her liberal mosque, there is no gender segregation or exclusion based on sexual orientation. This is the story of Seyran’s personal and ideological fight for the modernization of Islam. Her quest for change takes her on a journey around the world, meeting with different people connected through faith, from sex workers in a German brothel to Uyghur LGBTQ youth and traditional female imams in China. It is also a journey through Seyran’s life, from her humble beginnings as a Muslim girl in Turkey’s slums to a female leader daring to challenge her own religion. Seyran rebels against extremism and hate in the name of peace and love. Director Nefise Ozkal Lorentzen (Gender Me, A Balloon for Allah, Manislam) joins us for a conversation on bravery and the tenacity of Seyran Ates as well as the people who have supporter her and the incremental progress she is making.
For updates go to: integralfilm.com/seyran-ates-sex-revolution-and-islam

Anonymous Sister / Film School Radio interview with Director Jamie Boyle

In this, raw, poignant, and deeply personal story, ANONYMOUS SISTER, two-time Emmy winner filmmaker Jamie Boyle turns the camera on her own family when her mother and sister become dependent on opioids. Drawing upon footage shot for over 30 years, Boyle creates a poignant and timely study of the deadliest man-made epidemic in United States history. The film is an eye-opening look at what it means to suffer, to survive, and to experience life in all of its pain and beauty. Featuring preeminent voices from Colorado’s state government, renowned healthcare organizations, community activist groups, and those directly affected, this film in intended to kick off a nationwide campaign to deepen the understanding of the opioid epidemic, reduce opioid prescribing, and strip away the harmful stigma associated with substance use disorder. Director Jamie Boyle (Take a Vote, Jackson) joins us for a conversation on the enormous scope of opioid distribution, misinformation, fraud, legalized bribery, and lack of accountability regarding of Big Pharma, generally, and Purdue Pharmaceutical / Sackler family in particular bear responsibility for a scourge that has devastated millions of people’s lives and the impact addiction has had on her family.
For news, updates and screenings go to: anonymoussister.com
For help with opioid addiction go to: anonymoussister.com/resources