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Podcasts The Frame
Filmmaker Jennifer Fox explores the sexual abuse she endured as a teen
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Episode 18367
Listen 26:22
Filmmaker Jennifer Fox explores the sexual abuse she endured as a teen

On today's episode, filmmaker Jennifer Fox adds a personal chapter to the #MeToo movement with her film, "The Tale" (starring Laura Dern); Kyle Buchanan of Vulture.com talks about the highlights of the Cannes Film Festival; and writer Robert Gordon explores Memphis blues and R&B.

Laura Dern in "The Tale."
Laura Dern in "The Tale."
(
Kyle Kaplan/HBO
)

Here's what we've got on today's episode:

Filmmaker Jennifer Fox explores the sexual abuse she endured as a teen in "The Tale"

When she was a young teen, filmmaker Jennifer Fox was sexually assaulted. Now, she’s turned her story of survival into HBO film, "The Tale." Fox's abuse came at the hands of a coach at a rural horse-riding camp. One of the owners of the camp, a woman, was complicit in the abuse.

When “The Tale” premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, the timing was eerie, as gymnasts were testifying at the time in the sentencing phase of pedophile doctor Larry Nassar. Laura Dern plays Fox as an adult, as she investigates what happened to her as a young teen. Fox spoke with The Frame's John Horn at Sundance.

Guest:

  • Jennifer Fox, "The Tale" filmmaker

Glamor and activism at the Cannes Film Festival

This year's event in the South of France had the usual glitz, but there was also an organized campaign to have festival organizers pledge to improve the representation of female filmmakers.

Guest:

  • Kyle Buchanan, Vulture.com senior editor

Robert Gordon uncovers the raw blues behind Memphis's musical legacy

In the 1950s and '60s, Memphis was home to Sun Records, Sam Phillips’ label that introduced Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash, and Stax Records, with its many soul influencers like Isaac Hayes and Rufus Thomas. Author and filmmaker Robert Gordon captures the grit of his hometown in his new book, “Memphis Rent Party: The Blues, Rock & Soul in Music's Hometown" — from Phillips’ crazed appearance on David Letterman’s show to encounters with impoverished bluesmen in rural juke-joints.

Guest:

  • Robert Gordon, filmmaker and author of “Memphis Rent Party: The Blues, Rock & Soul in Music's Hometown"