Top Docs: Award-Winning Documentary Filmmakers

Labor Day weekend is upon us, which means only one thing, well, actually three things: Venice, Telluride and TIFF. Bunched together in the first half of September are three of the biggest film festival highlights of the year. It also means world premieres of dozens of not to be missed documentaries. On the cusp of the 51st edition of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), which runs from September 10 – 20, TIFF’s lead documentary programmer Thom Powers (host of the Pure Nonfiction podcast), maestro of the festival’s documentary lineup for more than 20 years, returns to the pod.

 

Join us for this insider’s view of the TIFF documentary selections. As always, the lineup is a wonderful mix of docs from emerging filmmakers and seasoned veterans, featuring amazing stories from around the world. Thom also weighs in with a couple of picks from among the TIFF documentaries that may be in the thick of the Fall’s Oscar conversation.

 

The Presenting Sponsor of “Top Docs” is Netflix.

 

Follow:

@thompowers1 on IG

@topdocspod on IG and X/twitter

It's that time of year:  Emmys are here, and we’ve got you covered. Culminating our “Top Docs” podcasts featuring the leading contenders for in the documentary categories, we talk to The Hollywood Reporter’s Executive Editor of Awards Scott Feinberg who breaks down the 2025 Emmy nominees in all the major documentary categories, including Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special; Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series; Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking; and Outstanding Directing.

 

The 78th Creative Arts Emmy Awards, including all the major doc categories, will be held on Saturday and Sunday,  September 5 & 6.

 

An award-winning columnist and podcast host (“Awards Chatter”), Executive Editor of Awards Scott Feinberg has led The Hollywood Reporter’s awards coverage since 2011. He is best known for his “Feinberg Forecast,” through which he assesses the standings of various showbiz awards races, and for Awards Chatter, the interview-centric podcast that he started in 2015.

 

Follow:

@scott_feinberg on Instagram

@topdocspod on Instagram and X/twitter

 

The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix.

Colin Hanks likes John Candy. That much is clear from his Primetime Emmy-nominated documentary “John Candy: I Like Me.” But what drew him to the project was the idea that there had to be something more to the story than the saintly portrait drawn by so many who knew and loved this jovial Canadian comedian, television and movie star who died at age 43, over 30 years ago now.

 

Colin joins Ken on the pod to talk about how, once he got to know Candy’s wife, Rose, and two children, Jennifer and Chris, a fuller portrait of Candy started to emerge. Candy was marked for life by the tragic death of his father, who died at age 35 on Candy’s 5th birthday. In later years, Candy suffered from panic attacks and anxiety. In addition to the family, Colin interviews the pantheon of Second City and Hollywood stars who achieved some of their best work collaborating on screen with Candy, including Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Steve Martin, and (of course) Tom Hanks. It turns out there was more to know about John Candy than we all suspected. And, a helluva lot more to like as well.

 

“John Candy: I Like Me” has been nominated for 5 Primetime Emmys: Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special; Outstanding Music Composition; Sound Editing; Picture Editing; and Sound Mixing. The film is streaming on Prime Video.

 

Hidden Gem:

“Funky Monks”

 

The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix.

 

Follow:

@johncandy on Instagram and @lennypane on X

@topdocspod on Instagram and X

You will likely, as Mike did, stare on in wonder as directors of “Ocean with David Attenborough”–Toby Nowlan, Colin Butfield, and Keith Scholey, the last of whom joined us on “Top Doc”s–show you the wonders of the deep seas.  And you will as well likely fall into shock and despair when they present you with the never-before seen devastation caused by industrial sea trawling.  But what will assuredly bring you hope is the calm, nearly mythic presence of David Attenborough, nearing 100 years of age, serving as co-watcher, century-long witness and unmatched narrator of this fine documentary.  And too, you may find optimism in his promise that if we can truly protect just ⅓ of the ocean we can maintain this place of natural wonder, one which in its consumption of carbon and production of oxygen is actually more effecient than all land-based flora combined.

 

“Ocean with David Attenborough” can be seen on Disney+

 

The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix.

Ted’s mother shows up unannounced, Jamie’s “lost his wings”, and the Richmond players want Nate to rejoin the team.  Join Cathy and Mike as they break down “Ted Lasso” S3E11, “Mom City” with an eye towards adult development and leadership.  How is “Ted Lasso” like “The Wizard of Oz” and what can we learn from Jamie about leveling up your complexity of mind?