All Episodes
The Tornado That Changed Lives: Inside the Eye of a Tornado with Alexandra Lacey
Discover the emotional journey of Joplin, Missouri, after one of the deadliest tornadoes in US history in Alexandra Lacey's Netflix documentary Twister: Caught in the Storm.
R.J. Cutler on 'Martha': Capturing an Icon's Rise, Fall, and Resilience
Filmmaker R.J. Cutler discusses his Netflix documentary 'Martha', offering insights into Martha Stewart's rise, fall, and enduring impact on American culture.
Unsolved Mysteries: the original true-crime series
For nearly 40 years Unsolved Mysteries, that staple of 1990s US television now streaming on Netflix, has been investigating UFO sightings, unsolved murders and unexplained phenomena. The co-creator and producer Terry Dunn Meure discusses Volume 5 and shares the secrets of the series’ longevity and success.
How not to rig an election: Stopping the Steal
In 2020 Donald Trump challenged the results of the presidential election. Stopping the Steal tells the story of how an unsung group of Republican politicians, staffers, and election officials prevented the election from being stolen.
Paul Simon: Faith, Mortality & Music – with Alex Gibney
Oscar-winning director Alex Gibney joins Factual America to discuss his film In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon. The two-part documentary surveys the studio as Paul records his new album Seven Psalms while reflecting on his six-decade career and wrestling with the issues of faith and mortality.
Alex also explains his own creative process, the lessons he’s learned from a career in film, and his upcoming film on Elon Musk. We learn what he looks for when choosing to get involved in a project and the skills you need to be a successful documentary filmmaker.
The 7M TikTok Dance Cult: Dancing for the Devil
A group of prominent TikTok dancers are trapped in a cult masquerading as a management company called 7M. Among them is Miranda Wilking, whose family is desperately trying to help their daughter escape the clutches of the cult’s founder, Robert Shinn. The Wilkings’ efforts ultimately help other dancers realise the dangers they face while former members of the Shekinah Church emerge to tell their heartbreaking stories.
Executive producer Jessica Acevedo and director Derek Doneen, the filmmakers behind Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult, join Factual America to discuss this incredible story about faith, fame, family and ultimately fear.
Relationship Hack – Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal
Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal is a three-part Netflix docu-series in which director Toby Paton explores the rise and fall of the infamous infidelity dating website.
It started with a simple slogan: “Life is short. Have an affair”. It ended in 2015 with the Ashley Madison website being hacked and the personal details of the company’s millions of users being published on the internet.
What was it like working for Ashley Madison? Who hacked it? Why do people even have affairs? All these questions and more are explored as Toby joins Matthew to discuss the docu-series.
Oklahoma City – An American Bombing: The Road to April 19th
On April 19th 1995, a bomb planted by Timothy McVeigh outside the Alfred P Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City exploded killing 168 people and injuring 680.
In this episode of Factual America, Matthew Sherwood speaks to Marc Levin and Daphne Pinkerson, director and co-producer of An American Bombing: The Road to April 19th, which follows McVeigh’s journey from war hero to domestic terrorist, placing his life in the context of the evolution of political violence in the US, an evolution that continues to the present day making the film both timely and in this presidential election year, relevant.
A Brief History of the Future: Making the World A Better Place
What does the future hold for humanity? Given the many crises in the world today, it would be easy to give a negative answer. In A Brief History of the Future, however, director Andrew Morgan and presenter Ari Wallach explore the challenges facing humanity and how people are responding to them positively, in big and small ways. Andrew joins Matthew Sherwood to discuss his film and its vision of how the history of the future could be greater than the future of the past.
Against All Enemies: US Veterans Fighting Their Own Country
On January 6th 2020 the US Capitol was attacked by supporters of the outgoing president, Donald Trump. Among them were army vets. Once, these veterans had sworn an oath to protect their country, now the US government was their enemy. Why? This is the question at the heart of Against All Enemies, a new documentary by Charlie Sadoff. Charlie joins Matthew Sherwood to discuss the answers that the film uncovers. They look at the extremist groups behind the violence and their motivations. Charlie thinks this year’s presidential election might lead to further violence, and his film also explores what can be done to help vets transition back to civilian life.