Acclaimed director Ondi Timoner’s latest film “Last Flight Home” examines the last days of her father, Eli Timoner, and their family’s emotional turmoil as they grapple with his decision to end his own life. Through the film, Ondi journeys back through Eli's remarkable life to discover the true meaning of tragic loss and enduring love. In her discussion with Tiller, Ondi reflects on the decision to film her dad in hospice (2:24), the powerful personalities in her family (9:20), the right to die (19:05), learning how to live with dignity (28:00), editing the scene of her father's death (33:50), and the profound impact the films has had on audiences (35:50).

The Dangerous Art of the Documentary

Ondi Timoner (Last Flight Home)

R.J. Cutler’s new four-part documentary series explores the high-stakes Miami criminal underworld through the eyes of the most daring jewel thief in American history turned alleged murderer, Jack Roland Murphy, aka “Murf the Surf.” Featuring exclusive access to Jack Roland Murphy himself prior to his death in 2020, the series addresses the blurred line between fact and fiction, faith and delusion, sanity and madness—raising the timely question of who we believe, and why. In their conversation, R.J. discusses with Tiller how he learned at the feet of masters (3:00), the making of his and D.A. Pennebaker's iconic verité film “The War Room” about James Carville (9:20), why we’re so drawn to a murderous jewel thief as a main character (15:28), how Murf is the first true crime TV superstar (22:40), what it means to direct incredible collaborators (27:20), the symbolism behind his graphics and animation (31:31), what makes the documentary medium so malleable today (36:02), and whether Murf is a hustler, a liar, or truly born-again repentant (45:00).

R.J. Cutler (Murf the Surf: Jewels, Jesus and Mayhem in the USA | MGM+)

Sebastian Junger's iconic Oscar-Nominated 2010 war epic RESTREPO chronicles the deployment of a platoon of U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan's Korengal Valley, widely considered one of the most dangerous postings in the U.S. military. The movie focuses on a remote 15-man outpost, "Restrepo," named after a platoon medic who was killed in action. Experiential, immersive, and raw, RESTREPO is a 90-minute deployment to a complicated, fraught warzone. Sebastian discusses with Tiller if it is an anti-war movie (1:43), his path to the Korengal Valley (5:30), the challenge of editing down months of footage (11:02), capturing emotional interviews with hardened soldiers (12:10), and incorporating footage of Platoon Medic Restrepo (16:30).

Sebastian Junger (Restrepo)

Academy award winning director Orlando von Einsiedel sits with Tiller to discuss his film VIRUNGA, a gripping expose of the realities of life in the Congo that follows a team of brave individuals risking their lives to protect the last mountain gorillas in Virunga National Park. Tiller also asks Orlando about his latest short film FROM DEVIL'S BREATH, a dramatic look at the catastrophic wildfires in Portugal in 2017 and a revolutionary scientific discovery creating hope in the face of climate change. During their discussion, Orlando describes his film selection process (2:10), the beginning of VIRUNGA (5:20), uncovering the story of corrupt oil drillers (9:18), recruiting an undercover journalist as a spy (13:49), financing the film (18:10), joining forces with Leonardo DiCaprio (23:00), creating FROM DEVIL'S BREATH (27:40), and intercutting dual narratives to tell one powerful story (33:10).

Orlando von Einsiedel (Virunga, From Devil's Breath)

Bonus Series! This is Episode Four of the companion podcast series for Tiller's new Netflix series, Waco: American Apocalypse.    Waco: American Apocalypse is a deep dive into the Netflix documentary series, exploring topics and interviews that didn’t make the final cut. In Episode Four, Tiller and Lee evaluate how the tragedy at Waco became a rallying cry for the anti-government movement within America as well as a foundation for arguments surrounding gun rights and religious freedom. Tiller also speaks with Bob Ricks, the FBI’s Assistant Special Agent in Charge, about the FBI’s failed response to Waco, rampant conspiracy theories, government distrust, Waco’s connection to the Oklahoma City Bombing a year later, and how it resonates through to the present day.  

Waco: American Apocalypse - Episode 4: The Legacy of Waco

Bonus Series! This is Episode Three of the companion podcast series for Tiller's new Netflix series, Waco: American Apocalypse.    Waco: American Apocalypse is a deep dive into the Netflix documentary series, exploring topics and interviews that didn’t make the final cut. In Episode Three, Tiller speaks to Lee about the challenge of objectively reporting on Waco and the lasting trauma the story has had on her life, as well as on those included in the documentary series. Featuring excerpts from interviews with KWTX reporter John McLemore, the sole reporter who covered the ATF raid live only to have his life upended by it, and David Thibodeau, perhaps the most well-known Branch Davidian alive today.  

Waco: American Apocalypse - Episode 3: The Toll It Took

Bonus Series! This is Episode Two of the companion podcast series for Tiller's new Netflix series, Waco: American Apocalypse.    Waco: American Apocalypse is a deep dive into the Netflix documentary series, exploring topics and interviews that didn’t make the final cut. In Episode Two, Tiller speaks with Robert Rodriguez, an undercover agent with the ATF who embedded with David Koresh and the Branch Davidians. On the day of the raid, Robert knew the Davidians were tipped off that the ATF was coming, and he tried to call the whole thing off. However, despite his warnings, the ATF went ahead with their plan, resulting in the largest gunfight on US soil in over 100 years, and Robert was pinned as the scapegoat. In a rare interview not included in the documentary series, Robert shares intimate memories with Tiller from his time working undercover before narrating the day of the raid from his perspective in grueling detail. 

Waco: American Apocalypse - Episode 2: The Man Who Could Have Stopped It All

Bonus Series! This is Episode One of the companion podcast series for Tiller's new Netflix series, Waco: American Apocalypse.    Waco: American Apocalypse is a deep dive into the Netflix documentary series, exploring topics and interviews that didn’t make the final cut. In Episode One, director Tiller Russell and reporter Lee Hancock paint a complex portrait of cult leader David Koresh – the controversial figure at the center of the story – and discuss how he convinced over 100 people (and perhaps himself) that he was a living prophet. Featuring excerpts from interviews with FBI Agent Bob Ricks, Hostage Rescue Team Sniper Chris Whitcomb, Branch Davidian Kathy Schroeder, and Heather Jones, the last child to make it out of the compound alive.

Waco: American Apocalypse - Episode 1: Who in the Hell was David Koresh?

“How would I describe myself? Fuck you. You can describe me.” Fair enough. The Oscar-nominated director of 1988’s essential documentary “Who Killed Vincent Chin?” before she became a NYU professor famous for drinking vodka on the rocks during class, Shanghai-born filmmaker Christine Choy is a character so incandescent that she’s every bit as powerful in front of the camera as she is behind it — a fact that “The Exiles” seizes upon from the moment it starts. In their debut feature film, Ben Klein and Violet Columbus follow their former professor Christine as she tracks down three exiled dissidents from the Tiananmen Square massacre to help her find closure on an abandoned film she began shooting in 1989. "The Exiles" premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival and was awarded the Grand Jury Prize for U.S. Documentary. In today's episode, Ben and Violet reflect on being mentored by Christine Choy (3:10), pitching the film premise to Christine (6:21), getting the film off the ground (10:30), replicating Christine’s archival footage with modern cinematography (15:58), building the interview setup in an empty movie theater (18:12), persuading Steven Soderberg to be an Executive Producer (22:12), deciding when to screen the film (28:50), and winning the Grand Jury Prize at a virtual Sundance (32:15). 

Violet Columbus & Ben Klein (The Exiles)

The Academy Award Winner for Best Documentary in 2010, Inside Job, shows that the 2008 global financial Armageddon was no accident; it was predicted and could have been prevented. Director Charles Ferguson, with narration by Matt Damon, created a compelling, wonderfully illuminating film that provides a detailed examination of the rogue industry that led to the collapse and identifies key corrupt financial and political players.  Charles joins Tiller to reflect on his iconic film, in which he discusses getting tipped off to the impending collapse of the housing marking (1:42), intense negotiations with Sony Picture Classics (5:40), framing it as a crime genre flick (8:28), conducting contentious interviews with corrupt bankers and brokers (15:28), blowback from Wall Street (20:42), translating complex ideas for a broad audience (26:12), and what he’s working on now (32:10).

Charles Ferguson (Inside Job)

In Alexander Nanau's 2019 Oscar nominated documentary "Collective", a fire at Bucharest’s Colectiv nightclub leaves 27 dead and 180 injured. Soon, more burn victims begin dying in hospitals from wounds that were not life-threatening. One revelation leads to another as the journalists start to uncover vast health care fraud. When a new health minister is appointed, he offers unprecedented access to his efforts to reform the corrupt system but also to the obstacles he faces. Following journalists, whistle-blowers, burn victims, and government officials, "Collective" is an uncompromising look at the impact of investigative journalism at its best. In today's discussion, Alexander shares with Tiller the film's point of origin (1:22), how he cultivated journalist sources in a Communist regime (6:30), constructing scenes while shooting verité (10:57), acquiring footage of the fire at Colectiv nightclub (18:40), gaining access to the  Minister of Health (27:41), views on the fundamental failure of totalitarian society (31:45), and his unique writing process (40:30). 

Alexander Nanau (Collective)

Midwest-born and raised, David is a first-generation Cambodian-Mexican-American filmmaker. His SXSW award-winning feature debut BAD AXE captures his closely-knit Asian American family living in rural Michigan during the pandemic as they fight to keep their local restaurant and American dream alive. With rising racial tensions, the family uses their voice and must unite as they reckon with backlash from a divided community, white supremacists, and intergenerational trauma from Cambodia's "killing fields." David speaks to Tiller about starting to film his family with no idea where it was going (3:45), finding universality in his family's story (12:26), the American Experience (17:28), his editing process (21:01), including himself in the narrative (30:01), and screening the film for his family and town for the first time (39:58).

David Siev (Bad Axe)

Narrative director Ramin Bahrani – best known for The White Tiger, Fahrenheit 451, and 99 Homes – speaks to Tiller today about his debut documentary feature entitled “2nd Chance”, a brilliantly inquisitive film about the inventor of the bullet proof vest, who shot himself in the chest 196 times. A self-made mythical figure with an allergy to accountability, Richard Davis’s hilarious yet heartbreaking story is a particularly American one, as Bahrani puts it.    During their discussion: Ramin reflects on: His personal journey to taking on this film (2:40)  Extracting truth from a sociopath (10:30) The invaluable note from EP Joshua Oppenheimer (19:23) Influences on his voice-over script (25:04) The powerful final scene (30:55) Ending the film with Richard shooting himself over and over (37:20)

Ramin Bahrani (2nd Chance)

Bing Liu exploded onto the scene in 2018 with his Academy-award nominated documentary “Minding the Gap”, an extraordinary portrait of three young men (himself included) as they bond through skateboarding to escape their volatile family life in their Rust Belt home town. As they face adult responsibilities, unexpected revelations threaten their decade-long friendship. In today’s episode, Bing chats with Tiller about the origin and evolution of “Minding the Gap” (1:28), his editor Josh Altman’s invaluable perspective (7:34), braiding together individual storylines (14:00), exploring the topic of race through Kiere’s eyes (18:00), working with his composer (25:32), the evolution of a healthy soul (30:33), and the meaning behind the final track of the film (37:50). 

Bing Liu (Minding the Gap)

Academy Award nominated filmmaker Amy Berg has built a prolific career elevating the voice of the underdog, investigating systemic abuse, and shining a light in dark places. She began with Deliver Us From Evil - a shocking revelation of child abuse in the Catholic Church - and most recently created Phoenix Rising, the true story of actress and activist Evan Rachel Wood's journey passing domestic violence legislation and naming her own infamous abuser for the first time. In today’s episode, she reflects on how she chooses her film topics (2:05), her approach to addressing hyper-sensitive subjects (8:45), the origin of Phoenix Rising (13:20), contending with the power of “celebrity” (18:50), how Twitter has changed the dialogue (22:00), examining Evan Rachel Wood’s personal archive (27:00), constructing the animation (31:23), collaborating with Evan (34:50), what has driven her to tell these stories (43:30), and how we can stop the cycle of systemic abuse (47:00). 

Amy Berg (Deliver Us From Evil, Phoenix Rising)

Filmmaker Tiller Russell (Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer, Operation Odessa, The Last Narc, The Seven Five) exchanges the camera for a microphone, sitting down with other documentary filmmakers for riveting, in-depth conversations about their most successful and iconic films.

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The Dangerous Art of the Documentary

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