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Artwork for Law on Film

Law on Film

Jonathan Hafetz
Muhammad Ali
Labor Movement
The Verdict
Matewan
Oppenheimer
Ali
Legal Ethics
A Separation
Class Conflict
Coal Miners
J. Robert Oppenheimer
Sports and Politics
Union Organizing
Catholic Church
Divorce Law
The Sweet Hereafter
Chinatown
Cold War
Nuclear Weapons
Vietnam War

Law on Film explores the rich connections between law and film. Law is critical to many films, even to those that are not obviously about the legal world. Film, meanwhile, tells us a lot about the law, especially how it is perceived and portrayed. The podcast is created and hosted by Jonathan Hafetz, a lawyer, legal scholar, and film buff. Each episode, Jonathan and a guest expert will examine ... more

PublishesMonthlyEpisodes62Founded3 years ago
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Artwork for Law on Film

Latest Episodes

This episode examines a case that sits at the uneasy boundary between criminal adjudication, media power, and moral authority: the prosecution and execution of Aileen Wuornos, labeled the “first female serial killer. We look at two documentaries by N... more

YouTube

My Undesirable Friends: Part I—Last Air in Moscow (2024) is Russian-language American documentary film written and directed by Julia Loktev (with co-director Anna Nemzer). The film describes the effort to maintain press freedoms in Putin’s Russia in ... more

YouTube

Small Things Like These (2024), adapted by Edna Walsh from Claire Keegan’s 2021 novel, tells the story of how coal merchant Bill Furlong (Cillian Murphy) uncovers disturbing secrets in a small Irish town in the mid-1980s. While going about his job de... more

YouTube

We return to Syriana, a film we discussed previously in Episode 40, but one that feels newly urgent in light of the current war with Iran. When it was released in 2005, the film offered a dense, unsettling portrait of a post-9/11 world shaped by oil,... more

YouTube

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Recent Guests

Mara Malagodi
Dr. Mara Malagodi, reader at Warwick Law School; co-founder and co-director of the Center for Constitutions in Context; editor of Constitutional Studies
Warwick Law School
Episode: Monster (2003) (Guest: Mara Malagodi) (episode 59)
Rachel Denber
Human rights expert on Central Eurasia
Human Rights Watch (Europe and Central Asia Division)
Episode: My Undesirable Friends: Part I — Last Air in Moscow (2024) (Russian) (Guests: Rachel Denber & Anna Nemzer) (episode 58)
Anna Nemzer
Russian-born journalist, writer and documentary filmmaker
TV Rain; Bard College; Kronika; Russian Independent Media Archive (RIMA)
Episode: My Undesirable Friends: Part I — Last Air in Moscow (2024) (Russian) (Guests: Rachel Denber & Anna Nemzer) (episode 58)
Sean Patrick Donlan
Professor at Thompson Rivers University Faculty of Law
Thompson Rivers University Faculty of Law
Episode: Small Things Like These (2024) (Guest: Sean Patrick Donlan) (episode 57)
Peggy McGuiness
Professor at St. John's Law School
St. John's University School of Law
Episode: Syriana (2005): Special Commentary (Guest: Peggy McGuiness)
Mark Drumbl
Professor; Director of the Transnational Law Institute
Washington and Lee University
Episode: The Lives of Others (2006) (Guests: Mark Drumbl & Barbora Hola) (episode 56)
Barbora Hola
Professor in Empirical Legal Studies of International Criminal Justice
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam; Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement
Episode: The Lives of Others (2006) (Guests: Mark Drumbl & Barbora Hola) (episode 56)
Alexandra Zander Meise
Professor of Law at Northeastern University, specializing in sovereignty, national security, and human rights
Northeastern University
Episode: The Killing Fields (1984) (Guest: Alexandra Meise) (episode 55)
Monsignor Raymond Kupke
A Catholic priest ordained in 1973, expert in church history and papal elections.
Seton Hall University
Episode: Conclave (2024) (Guest: Monsignor Raymond Kupke) (episode 54)

Host

Jonathan Hafetz
Host of Law on Film

Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars from 28 ratings
  • Outstanding

    Anyone who craves a higher level (yet also accessible) discussion of a wide range of films with a legal angle should really enjoy this podcast. I cannot wait to binge the rest of it!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    moondoggy02116
    United States2 months ago
  • Great

    Very engaging with fascinating conversations.

    🍒🍒🍒

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Archipelago man
    United Kingdom6 months ago
  • Fantastic and insightful!!

    Great analysis and gives films a new depth.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    nojbav
    United Statesa year ago
  • So informative

    And great guests! I loved hearing about Eight Men Out and more behind Killers of the Flower Moon.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    AJH1271
    United States2 years ago
  • Wonderful

    Knowledgeable and entertaining. Highly recommend.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    pgplistener
    United States2 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Guests bring diverse expertise, keeping episodes fresh and credible.
Listeners appreciate the connection between cinema and real-world law, with a focus on justice and ethics.
Deep, thoughtful legal analysis of films that goes beyond surface-level critique.
Quality discussions with strong anchors and scholarly context.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

My Undesirable Friends: Part I — Last Air in Moscow (2024) (Russian) (Guests: Rachel Denber & Anna Nemzer) (episode 58)
Q: Can you explain, in practical terms, what it meant to be labeled a foreign agent and how that designation changed what you could do professionally?
Being a foreign agent meant continuous paperwork, mandatory disclosures, and social and professional ostracism; it could block participation in elections, public service, education, and even restrict income, effectively creating a chilling caste that inhibited collaboration and independent reporting.
My Undesirable Friends: Part I — Last Air in Moscow (2024) (Russian) (Guests: Rachel Denber & Anna Nemzer) (episode 58)
Q: Anna, how did the foreign agent laws and the atmosphere of repression affect how you and your colleagues operated on a daily basis?
The laws created a pervasive fear and required labeling and reporting that made normal journalism almost impossible; you lived with constant uncertainty, and many colleagues had to leave or work under threat, with operations increasingly regulated and diminished.
Small Things Like These (2024) (Guest: Sean Patrick Donlan) (episode 57)
Q: Why does the film focus so heavily on the convent and its female leadership rather than male figures?
The focus reflects both the narrative choice to center the moral dilemma on a man's response to the convent's power and a broader critique of gendered power structures within religious institutions, though some argue it glosses over wider societal roles.
The Lives of Others (2006) (Guests: Mark Drumbl & Barbora Hola) (episode 56)
Q: How do archives and the opening of secret police files shape our understanding of transitional justice in post-communist contexts?
Opening archives makes private details public, which can empower truth-telling and accountability but also cause collateral harm; the guests argue for a reconciliatory and contextualized approach to transitional justice that acknowledges both the injustices of informers and the humanity of individuals involved.
The Lives of Others (2006) (Guests: Mark Drumbl & Barbora Hola) (episode 56)
Q: What does The Lives of Others reveal about the Stasi and the informers central to the film's narrative?
The discussion highlights how the Stasi's pervasive surveillance enabled a complex web of informers whose private lives were permeated by fear, coercion, and personal motives, revealing a nuanced system where human emotions and power dynamics produced both coercion and, at times, fragile acts of resistance.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Law on Film

What is Law on Film about and what kind of topics does it cover?

This show stitches legal analysis directly to cinema, offering rigorous, film-facing perspectives on how laws are framed, applied, and misunderstood on screen. Each episode pairs a host with a guest expert to dissect a film's legal themes—ranging from criminal procedure and international law to human rights and censorship—and to connect those depictions to real-world legal systems and cultural impact. The format tends to feature scholars, practitioners, and filmmakers who bring deep context, often touching on ethics, due process, and justice in society. A standout strength is the breadth of guests, from international law and human rights to historical legal cases, which provides listeners with nuanced, multi-faceted takes on how film shapes... more

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Which podcasts are similar to Law on Film?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Law on Film:

1. The Prestige TV Podcast
2. Fresh Air
3. If Books Could Kill
4. The Daily

How many episodes of Law on Film are there?

Law on Film launched 3 years ago and published 62 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on Law on Film?

Recent guests on Law on Film include:

1. Mara Malagodi
2. Rachel Denber
3. Anna Nemzer
4. Sean Patrick Donlan
5. Peggy McGuiness
6. Mark Drumbl
7. Barbora Hola
8. Alexandra Zander Meise

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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