I’m proud to welcome the legendary documentary filmmaking team of D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus to this episode of the podcast. Penny and Chris are responsible for making some of the most memorable documentaries in the past few decades including Primary, Don’t Look Back, Monterey Pop, The War Room, and Kings of Pastry. Now they are back with a new project called Unlocking the Cage. The film has ended up taking a lot longer time than anticipated, and they need help raising money to see the production through its final phases. So they have launched a Kickstarter campaign which is winding down next week. The film is about the fight of attorney Steve Wise and his mission to change legislation to recognize chimpanzees —and other specific types of intellectually aware animals— with personhood rights. Here is the recent NY Times cover story article on the subject.
The two also discuss their early careers, how they originally met and started a family, and also about how they collaborate. The segment was recorded in their office on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.
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