Today, Carri and Brad are joined by special guest Bao Nguyen—Emmy-nominated, award-winning Vietnamese American filmmaker best known for documentaries such as Be Water and Netflix’s The Greatest Night in Pop. Bao’s latest film, The Stringer, releases on November 28, 2025, on Netflix. The Stringer delves into the real story behind the iconic “Napalm Girl” Vietnam War photograph, exploring questions of authorship, historical memory, and the power of visual storytelling. Carri, Brad, and Bao discuss exploring how memories, archives, and the stories we overlook shape the heart of our communities and our politics. Bao shares his journey from a childhood spent in his family’s fabric shop to directing some of the most talked-about documentaries of the decade, tracing how personal history turns into public storytelling and why representation matters—on screen, in the archives, and at the ballot box. They discuss the complexities of who gets to tell their story and whose voices are valued or lost in our collective memory, drawing connections from family entrepreneurship to “We Are the World” and the power of process in filmmaking. Bao, Carri, and Brad unpack how silence and agency intersect across generations of immigrant and working-class families, why it’s hard to speak up, and how the stories that don’t make the headlines often carry the deepest truths. Whether you’re a fan of documentary film, an advocate for civic engagement, or just searching for the soul in American storytelling, this conversation navigates the space where memory, belonging, and the future of democracy all meet. Watch The Greatest Night in Pop on Netflix and Be Water on Disney +. Be sure to click that FOLLOW button on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or SUBSCRIBE button on YouTube, so that you don’t miss out on our coverage of the most pressing and interesting news stories. Have thoughts about this episode? Have ideas on topics we should discuss? Let us know! Email us at twiggandjenkinspodcast@gmail.com, DM us, or leave a comment on YouTube. Also, share this episode with a friend, a bestie, or humans you want to foster political discourse with. Twigg & Jenkins is produced by Culture House and Enfranchisement Productions.
