Barbara Kopple
American film directorWikipedia
10
MENTIONS
7
EPISODES
6
PODCASTS
Search complete. 10 mentions across 7 episodes found for "Barbara Kopple".
Sep 17, 2026
Matt GallowayHOST
Hello, I'm Matt Galloway, and this is The Current Podcast.
Matt GallowayHOST
Barbara Kopple was still in her 20s when she captured a shocking scene that helped her win her first Academy Award.
Matt GallowayHOST
[gunshots] [women screaming]
Barbara KoppleGUEST
Don't shoot.
speaker_3SOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
Yeah.
speaker_3SOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
Ain't you? [laughs]
Matt GallowayHOST
Barbara Kopple later won a second Oscar for her 1990 film, American Dream.
Matt GallowayHOST
It's about a failed strike at a meatpacking plant in Minnesota.
Matt SingerHOST
And the thing that differentiated that series, especially in the beginning, was they invited all these great directors to make the first batch of them.
Matt SingerHOST
Um, the first 30 for 30 included films by Albert Maysles, Steve James, John Singleton, Barbara Kopple, Ron Shelton, Barry Levinson, and Ice Cube.
Matt SingerHOST
So you had-
Jordan HoffmanHOST
Wow
speaker_54NARRATOR
When technology advances to the point where politicians can't tell if they're in a scandal or a science fiction movie, it's time to reboot the system.
speaker_55NARRATOR
Barbara Kopple's Union Town documents labor rights, optimism meets anger on screen.
speaker_55NARRATOR
When your film demands justice with a smile, you're either a visionary or just really good at balancing rage with rose-colored glasses.
speaker_56NARRATOR
Union hosts job matching for ex-True Fitness staff, then offers nothing personal.
Josh LarsenHOST
But Beyonce's Homecoming, you know, watching that on Netflix, that's pretty much why I was convinced we had to put out the cash and catch her Renaissance tour this summer.
Josh LarsenHOST
Uh, Miss Sharon Jones is from 2015, a documentary from Barbara Kopple about the career and the cancer struggles of the now late soul singer.
Josh LarsenHOST
And speaking of Jonathan Demme, a nice chaser for Stop Making Sense when you get home, check out his 2016 doc, Justin Timberlake + the Tennessee Kids.
Josh LarsenHOST
Quite good.
Matt NegliaHOST
Always very curious to see what they have in store.
Matt NegliaHOST
And I, I also want to shout out Uniontown from Barbara Kopple.
Matt NegliaHOST
Uh, if anyone, uh, has, uh, seen ever Harlan County, USA or any of the other, uh, documentary films that Barbara has been a part of, she is a legend, uh, within the industry, and I'm, you know, very curious to see how this one plays out as well.
Matt NegliaHOST
Uh, I don't want to go through too many more.
Thom PowersGUEST
So i- it, it is different than what you're gonna read in the news.
Matt CareyHOST
Uh, another huge figure in documentary, Barbara Kopple, is going to be at TIFF with her documentary Union Town, that, that also will have its world premiere-
John RidleyHOST
Mm
Matt CareyHOST
...
Brian MackeyHOST
We'll talk with a reporter who has been covering the story.
Brian MackeyHOST
Plus, on the subject of coal, filmmaker Barbara Kopple on Harlan County USA, her film about a Kentucky coal miner strike.
Brian MackeyHOST
It won the Oscar for Best Documentary back in 1977, and it's getting a re-release in a fancy edition from the Criterion Collection.
Brian MackeyHOST
We'll listen back to our interview with her.