documentary filmmaker
PROFILE
Gianfranco Rosi
Guest
FROM Gianfranco Rosi
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
'Fire at Sea' filmmaker: 'We are living a life of tragedy' More people than ever have died when attempting the dangerous smugglers’ crossing from Africa to Italy, according to the United Nations. The small Italian island called Lampedusa has been intensely experiencing the flow of migrants, and the coast guard stationed there has become the front line in rescuing those trapped at sea. Life on Lampedusa is depicted in a new documentary called Fire at Sea by Gianfranco Rosi, who spent more than a year living on Lampedusa. The film is the Italian entry for the foreign language category at the Oscars this year.
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The Business
Revisiting showrunner Steven Bochco on his memoir Steven Bochco, the writer-producer behind record-breaking Emmy winners Hill Street Blues, LA Law and NYPD Blue, fought battles with everyone from out-of-control actors to network censors in his long career. He isn’t afraid to tell those tales in his memoir, Truth Is a Total Defense. This week we revisit the conversation where he shared some of his favorite stories with us.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Accusations of lying fly between James Comey and White House During his testimony Thursday, former FBI Director James Comey accused President Trump and other White House officials of lying when they said the FBI was in disarray and its staff had lost confidence in him. President Trump’s lawyer said Comey was wrong -- that the president never asked for his loyalty, and never asked him to back off the investigation into former NSA director Michael Flynn.
The Business
In 'Speechless,' Scott Silveri combines comedy, family & disability Scott Silveri has written and produced sitcoms for more than 20 years. In all that time, he never encountered a TV family that looked anything like the one he grew up in -- with a mom, a dad...and a brother with cerebral palsy. He changed that with his show Speechless on ABC. Silveri tells us about looking to his own past for stories, and why he was determined to make a family comedy and not just a "disability show."
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Why is Trump so behind on filling staff jobs, establishing concrete policies? Yesterday Donald Trump signed a “decision memo” to revamp the air traffic control system. But there was little legislative detail in the plan. There’s not much to other splashy announcements from the White House, including tax cuts and the arms deal with Saudi Arabia. And hundreds of positions are unfilled in federal agencies.