God & Country Documentary w/Dan Partland, Director

In this episode of Faithful Politics, hosts Will Wright and Pastor Josh Burtram engage in a compelling conversation with veteran documentary producer and director Dan Partland. They delve into Partlin's latest film, "God and Country," exploring its thematic focus on the intersection of faith and politics, particularly Christian nationalism's impact on American democracy and faith itself. The discussion covers Partlin's career trajectory, his approach to documentary filmmaking, and the motivations behind "God and Country," offering insights into the complex dynamics of political and religious identities in the United States. The conversation also touches on the challenges and responsibilities of addressing such a polarizing topic, aiming to foster a deeper understanding among viewers and encourage critical reflection on the roles of faith and nationalism in shaping public discourse and policy.

Guest Bio:

Dan Partland is a veteran Documentary Producer and Director for Film & Television. His work includes several landmark Nonfiction Films and Series of the past two decades. He has twice won the Emmy for Best Nonfiction Series and been twice nominated, Nonfiction Producer of the Year, by the Producers Guild of America.

Partland cut his teeth in film, apprenticing with cinema verité pioneer Albert Maysles before launching his own New York based indie film collective, OTHER PICTURES (OPIX), where he produced numerous independent features, both scripted and documentary.

While at OPIX, Partland partnered with first-time director Todd Solondz to produce Solondz' debut feature WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE, which went on to win the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival and become a cult classic. Next Partland collaborated with first time director Aiyana Elliott on, THE BALLAD OF RAMBLIN' JACK; an intimate and personal portrait of her legendary father and the experience of growing up a folk singer's daughter. BALLAD went on to win the Special Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, and be recognized as a genre-defining film in the 1st Person Documentary space.

In 2000 Partland joined forces with Academy Award nominated filmmaker RJ Cutler to create the ground-breaking, 13-part documentary series AMERICAN HIGH, for which Partland won the Emmy for Best Non-Fiction Series. In AMERICAN HIGH, Partland & Cutler used an authentic cinema verité process embedding with high school students in suburban Chicago for one year. Partland & his team taught their teen subjects to create their own intimate video diaries and to play a key role in documenting their own lives.