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AJ Schnack

AJ Schnack

Directing

Known For

30 for 30
7.5

30 for 30 is the title for a series of documentary films airing on ESPN, its sister networks, and online highlighting interesting people and events in sports history. This currently includes four "volumes" of 30 episodes each, a 13-episode series under the ESPN Films Presents title in 2011–2012, and a series of 30 for 30 Shorts shown through the ESPN.com website. The series has also expanded to include Soccer Stories, which aired in advance of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and audio podcasts. This entry refers to the main Volumes of the series presented by ESPN

30 for 30

2009
The Journey
N/A

Field of Vision and The New Yorker have created a six-part episodic documentary, filmed in 2015, that immerses us in the Syrian refugee crisis. Matthew Cassel, an independent multimedia journalist and filmmaker based in Istanbul, follows the seven-month, obstacle-laden 1700-mile journey of Aboud Shalhoub, a Syrian refugee who has fled the dangers of wartime Damascus in order to build a better life for his family in the Netherlands. Cassel's colleague Simon Safieh remained in Damascus with Aboud's wife and two children, who eventually join him in Europe.

The Journey

2016
Gigantic (A Tale of Two Johns)
8.4

John Flansburgh & John Linnell met in the 1970s as junior high students in Lincoln, Massachusetts. A decade later, their band—They Might Be Giants—would stand at the forefront of a burgeoning East Village NYC performance art scene as well as the college music revolution of the late 1980s. Filmed in 2001, ‘Gigantic (A Tale of Two Johns)’ is the acclaimed true story, tracing their independent and sometimes hilarious path through two decades in the pop music wilderness. From their legendary Dial-a-Song answering machine, to their Grammy Award-winning theme song for ‘Malcolm in the Middle’, fans and friends gather to tell the oral history of Brooklyn's finest alternative rock band.

Gigantic (A Tale of Two Johns)

2003
Long Gone Summer
5.9

An examination of the 1998 MLB season and the home run race between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa. The two sluggers' race to hit the most home runs, later overshadowed by the steroid scandal, left a permanent mark on baseball history.

Long Gone Summer

2020
Our New President
5.0

Donald Trump has become a beloved cult figure for many Russians. The short film uses found footage, fake news and state-controlled political programming to reveal the variety of ways Trump's newfound Russian supporters express their devotion.

Our New President

2017
Project X
6.3

Narrated by Rami Malek and Michelle Williams, and based on classified NSA documents, the film reveals the inner workings of a windowless skyscraper in downtown Manhattan.

Project X

2016
Trump's Lobby
6.7

Since the election of Donald Trump, there has been a continual flow of high level visitors to the penthouse apartment in Trump Tower. Their arrivals were turned into a media spectacle.

Trump's Lobby

2017
Relatively Free
9.0

A short film following the release of journalist and activist Barrett Brown from prison, and his drive across Texas to a halfway house. 'Relatively Free' is an examination of Brown's return to a very different world, post the election.

Relatively Free

2016
Kurt Cobain: About a Son
6.9

An intimate and moving meditation on the late musician and artist Kurt Cobain, based on more than 25 hours of previously unheard audiotaped interviews conducted with Cobain by noted music journalist Michael Azerrad for his book "Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana." In the film, Kurt Cobain recounts his own life - from his childhood and adolescence to his days of musical discovery and later dealings with explosive fame - and offers often piercing insights into his life, music, and times. The conversations heard in the film have never before been made public, and they reveal a highly personal portrait of an artist much discussed but not particularly well understood.

Kurt Cobain: About a Son

2007
Real Super Heroes: Real Vigilantes
N/A

In-depth documentary examining vigilantism throughout American history, from the '70s and '80s, into the 21st century.

Real Super Heroes: Real Vigilantes

2009
Gavin Grimm vs.
5.0

In 2016, transgender teen Gavin Grimm sued his local school board after its members refused to let him use the bathroom of his choice. He was ready to take his case all the way to the Supreme Court—and then the election happened.

Gavin Grimm vs.

2017
No image
N/A

A group of documentary filmmakers chronicle the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

Convention

2009
No image
N/A

A data-driven nonfiction short film documenting the surge of U.S. incidents where law enforcement have targeted journalists since May 25, 2020.

Escalation

Like
3.9

In our current world, where worth is often gauged by online popularity, an economy has developed for paying for followers and likes. Through access inside the “click-farms” of Bangladesh, Like explores the multi-million dollar industry that grows social media followings for celebrities and brands alike.

Like

2016
The Vote
N/A

Strict military rule and international sanctions kept Myanmar sealed off from the world for decades. The Vote observes residents of the bustling city of Yangon as they navigate their first democratic election in over 50 years.

The Vote

2016
They Might Be Giants: Here Come the ABCs
5.2

Learn the ABCs the fun way with The Grammy® - winning rock legends: They Might Be Giants 'Here Come The ABCs' CD + DVD features 24 New Songs PLUS 24 Music Videos. Enjoy both the CD and DVD in this package. The DVD contains over 45 minutes of animations, the wonderful puppets of the Deeply Felt Puppet Theater and performances!

They Might Be Giants: Here Come the ABCs

2005
The Moderators
8.7

In an office in India, a cadre of Internet moderators ensures that social media sites are not taken over by bots, scammers, and pornographers. The Moderators shows the humans behind content moderation, taking viewers into the training process that workers go through in order to become social media’s monitors.

The Moderators

2017
Picket Line
N/A

One week before Donald Trump was elected, 700 workers—many of whom were Trump supporters—walked out of the Momentive chemical plant in Waterford, NY, sparking a 105-day strike. In the wake of his win, the striking workers reflect on the election and Trump's advocacy for union-busting legislation.

Picket Line

2017
National Disintegrations
N/A

In his latest film, Braden King ponders the Geneva Freeport, a warehouse complex in Switzerland that is said to house over 1 million works of art. A high-security tax haven for international dealers and collectors, the Freeport's exact contents remain a mystery to the general public. As people crossing borders are more to more and greater scrutiny, NATIONAL DISINTEGRATIONS examines what it means to have untold amounts of wealth and property flow freely through this extralegal space.

National Disintegrations

2017
Majority Rules
N/A

With America's democratic experiment mired in division and dysfunction, the state of Alaska votes to revolutionize their election system. The surprising results spark new alliances, a growing call for election reform, and fierce pushback from political parties. Could changing how Americans vote also change politics for the better?

Majority Rules

2024