Host Steve Ordower sits down with filmmaker Bob Hercules to discuss his recent documentary, “Maya Angelou l And Still I rise”, along with the rest of Hercules’ prolific career.

Bob Hercules is an independent filmmaker and co-owner of Media Process Group — a Chicago-based production company. Hercules' work has been seen widely on PBS, Discovery Channel, IFC, The Learning Channel and in film festivals around the world. 

Herculesʼ latest film, Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise, premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival and went on to win 19 awards on three continents. The film won a Peabody Award in 2017 and was nominated for an NAACP Image Award and aired on PBSʼ American Masters in February 2017 and on the BBCʼs Storyville in March 2017. 

Hercules also made two films focusing on dance: Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance and Bill T. Jones: A Good Man. The Joffrey film, narrated by Mandy Patinkin, tells the full story of the groundbreaking ballet company and their many rises and falls. It premiered in January 2012 at the Dance on Camera Film Festival at Lincoln Center and aired on PBSʼ American Masters in December 2012. A Good Man aired on American Masters in 2011 and played at many film festivals including IDFA, Silverdocs, Full Frame, DOXA and the Southern Circuit. 

Hercules' acclaimed 2006 feature documentary, Forgiving Dr. Mengele, tells the remarkable story of Auschwitz survivor and former 'Mengele twin' Eva Mozes Kor, whose decision to forgive the perpetrators as an act of self-healing sparked a firestorm of criticism. The film won the Special Jury Prize at the 2006 Slamdance Film Festival and the Crystal Heart Award at the 2006 Heartland Film Festival. It is currently in home video release from First Run Features. 

Other films include:
His 2009 documentary, Radical Disciple: The Story of Father Pfleger, chronicles the radical priest whose controversial tactics to fight racism put him at odds with the Catholic hierarchy. 

The Democratic Promise: Saul Alinsky & His Legacy (Documentary, 1999). A chronicle of the legendary community organizer and his modern-day legacy, narrated by Alec Baldwin. 

It’s a Mall, Mall World (1992). One-hour program examining the phenomenon of indoor shopping malls (part of the PBS series "The 90's") Program Producer, Director, Co-Writer. PBS, 1992.