The HBO documentary series “Obama: In Pursuit of a More Perfect Union” arrives at a tumultuous time in American politics. It explores the formative years and presidency of Barack Obama, an era that seems both far away and contemporary, with race relations continuing to define the public sphere.

The three-part series premiered Tuesday on HBO and HBO Max, just in time for Obama’s 60th birthday this week on Aug. 4.

As part of the American Film Institute’s AFI DOCS documentary film festival, Political Theater host Jason Dick moderated a post-screening discussion with Peter Kunhardt, the director and producer of the series, and Jelani Cobb, staff writer for The New Yorker and also a producer and contributor to the series, as well as one of the country’s prominent journalists covering race, culture and politics.

Interview contents: AFI DOCS copyright 2021, courtesy of American Film Institute.

Show Notes:

• And the Oscar goes to … Barack and Michelle Obama?
• ‘American Factory’ arrives in time fraught with U.S.-China troubles
• Obama’s Power of Words Shines in New Documentary
• ‘The Final Year’: A Documentary on the Last Days of a West Wing Team
• Documentaries That Grabbed the Public Spotlight