The DocHouse Podcast

Critically acclaimed director Ben Hopkins, whose work spans both documentary and fiction filmmaking, discusses his new documentary Hasret. He describes his latest film as ‘a kind of supernatural expressionistic documentary about Istanbul’ in celebration of the city he once knew but is fast disappearing. As he passes through from daylight to the darkness, from the living city on the surface to the city of the past, many aspects of Istanbul are touched upon: the destruction and renovation of old neighbourhoods, immigrant workers, resistance to the government, diverse religions and the peculiarly melancholy essence of Istanbul. Hasret is a beautifully constructed and multifaceted poem to an ancient city.    

Listen to DocHouse's first Q&A of 2016 - a panel discussion on the much anticipated documentary BOLSHOI BABYLON. Hosted by Newsnight presenter Kirsty Wark and featuring the filmmakers plus historian Simon Sebag Montefiore and Deborah Bull, principal dancer at Royal Ballet for 9 years and former creative direction of the Royal Opera House.

Back in 2011 we showed a sneak preview of The Bengali Detective, Phil's Cox's brilliantly astute and entertaining doc which follows intrepid, dance-obsessed private detective Rajesh and his motley band on investigations across India.   The film was received by rapturous applause from our audience, and so we thought it about time to bring back the discussion that followed with director Phil Cox and producer Giovanna Stopponi on their experiences making this Grierson-award-winning doc! If you haven't already seen the film you can watch it online for less than £4 at www.thebengalidetective.com.

Against the backdrop of Northern Greenland's exhilarating scenery, meet the inhabitants of Niaqornat. All 59 of them. While Lars, the only teenager in town, dreams of escaping, the lack of jobs and melting ice suggest an uncertain future for the tiny, pragmatic community in this endearing and entertaining portrait. In this Q&A from 2013 find out what made Director Sarah Gavron (Brick Lane) pack up and move to Niaqornet, along with her young family who she took along for the ride!

In January 2013, filmmaker Laura Poitras was several years into the making of a film about abuses of national security in post-9/11 America when she started receiving encrypted emails from someone identifying himself as "citizenfour". In June 2013, she and reporter Glenn Greenwald flew to Hong Kong for the first of many meetings with the man who turned out to be Edward Snowden. She brought her camera with her. The film that resulted from this series of tense encounters is a unique document in the history of cinema, capturing a staggering act of bravery on the part of both filmmaker and subject.   After a preview screening at the ICA in London we were joined by Jen Robinson (Director of Legal Advocacy at The Bertha Foundation), Eric King (Privacy International) and Jimmy Wales (founder of Wikipedia).

When reports emerge of crimes against humanity, Human Rights Watch sends emergency investigators to document violations and reveal them to the world. These specialist investigators, the first on the ground, are the E-Team.   Founding member of the E-team Fred Abrahams joined us after the screening to discuss the film and his work in a Q&A hosted by Channel 4 journalist Lindsey Hilsum.

Doctor Krassi, nurse Mila and driver Plamen are the overworked crew of one of the last operating ambulances in Sofia, Bulgaria. We observe as they race through the night, struggling to save lives in the face of a lack of resources, a crumbling infrastructure and roads that are more pothole than tarmac.   Here Director Ilian Metev discusses the unique form and production of his award-winning documentary.

Pensioners, lawyers, married couples and teenagers are all customers at the Angel Love Hotel in Osaka Japan. With unprecedented access into one of the most private and anonymous spaces in Japanese society, this film follows the love hotel's struggling manager and staff as the try to keep their hotel running, as well as revealing the intimate and private lives of the customers who visit.   Here co-directors Phil Cox and Hikaru Toda discuss their experience of making the film.

August 2012, Marikana. Thirty-four miners are shot dead by police and scores more left injured at the end of a six day strike. Playing out like a political thriller,Miners Shot Down pieces together what happened in those six days. What emerges is collusion between police, the state and corporate interests that leads to spiralling violence and the country's first post-apartheid massacre. South Africa will never be the same again.   Director Rehad Desai joined us at the Rich Mix Cinema in London in September 2014 to discuss the making of the film, and the outreach and campaigning work that continues as a result of it.

India's Little Ran of Kutch desert seems to extend for eternity. There's not a tree or blade of grass in sight. But for eight months of the year 40,000 men, women and children trek across India to scrape a living from this most unlikely place: by harvesting salt.    Director Farida Pacha and Cinematographer Lutz Konermann joined us at the ICA in London in September 2014 to discuss their strikingly beautiful portrayal of an extraordinary world.

A man's body is found in the blistering heat of the Arizona desert with the words Dayani Cristal tattooed across his chest. With no identification the tattoo is the only clue to his identity.    Marc Silver joined us at the Rich Mix cinema in July 2014 to discuss the documentary he made with Gael Garcia Bernal using one man's story to reveal the tragic results of the US war on immigration.  

Deep in the rainforests of eastern Congo lies Virunga, Africa's oldest national park and the last remaining home of the mountain gorilla. As civil war in the country re-erupts and corporate interests circle to grab the oil rights, the park is under threat like never before. Virunga is the story of the brave people risking their lives to save it.   Following a sneak preview of the documentary, Director Orlando Von Einsiedel and Producer Joanna Natasegara joined us for a Q&A at Riverside Studios in July 2014.    

Legendary filmmaker Errol Morris discusses his latest film THE UNKNOWN KNOWN at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London in March 2014. The film is a gripping exploration of the controversial career and philosophy of Donald Rumsfeld, congressman for over fifty years, advisor to four presidents and so-called principal architect of the Iraq war. Here Morris discusses his attempts to interview a politician renowned for his linguistic gymnastics, and an uncanny ability to use rhetoric to bewitch and befuddle, and the cat and mouse game that ensued during the making of the film.  'After twenty years of reviewing films, I haven't found another filmmaker who intrigues me more. Errol Morris is like a magician, and as great a filmmaker as Hitchcock or Fellini'  - Roger Ebert