In this bonus episode, cohost Jason Christian interviews the independent filmmaker Christopher Jason Bell. Besides being a filmmaker, Bell is a board of director of the streaming co-op MeansTV. Bell’s archival doc series about George W. Bush’s presidency, Miss Me Yet, can be watched on MeansTV and received praise from numerous outlets such as The Baffler, AV Club, and Filmmaker magazine. His third feature Failed State premiered at Torino Film Festival and is continuing to screen across the world. His newest documentary short, Attention Shoppers, features Abby Martin and can be viewed on MeansTV. His latest narrative short, The Confection, is now playing the festival circuit.

In the episode, Christopher elaborates on his filmmaking process, especially making Miss Me Yet and Attention Shoppers, and how he used footage from the YouTube channel Vampire Robot to make the latter. Further, Christpher and Jason reflect on the political climate during the Bush years and today, and the similarities and differences between each era.

If you subscribe to MeansTV, and use the promo code CHRISBELL, you’ll get 10% off!

On this episode:

• Christopher recommends Scott Noble’s documentary The Power Principle: Corporate Empire and the Rise of the National Security State (2012), Ian Bell’s 2025 documentary WTO/99, Tyler Rubenfeld’s short horror film Another Sinking Sun (2023), and the book The Sun Won’t Come Out Tomorrow: The Dark History of American Orphanhood, by Kristen Martin.

• Jason recommends the podcast Blowback, particular Season One about the Iraq War.

Follow Christopher Jason Christopher Bell on X (formerly Twitter): @UpdateTheGrids. Follow Jason Christian on X (formerly Twitter): @JasonAChristian.

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