Pure Nonfiction: Inside Documentary Film
Pure Nonfiction: Inside Documentary Film
Pure Nonfiction
If you love documentary films, hear from the top storytellers on Pure Nonfiction. Host Thom Powers is well-connected in this world as a documentary curator for the Toronto International Film Festival, DOC NYC, and SundanceNow Doc Club. He leads conversations that are frank, funny and revealing. Listen to interviews with Oscar-winning filmmakers Barbara Kopple, Alex Gibney, and Roger Ross Williams; as well as the directors of “Making a Murderer,” “Weiner” and “OJ: Made in America.” Often the stories behind the scenes are as dramatic as what’s on the screen. On Twitter, Facebook, Instagram: @purenonfiction. Subscribe now.
183: Just Vision’s Julia Bacha and Suhad Babaa on 20 Years of Covering Israel-Palestine
The non-profit Just Vision has a long history of covering Israel-Palestine in documentary films such as "Encounter Point," and "Budrus." Currently all their films are available for free at justvision.org. Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers speaks with the group's creative director Julia Bacha and executive director Suhad Babaa about their latest film "Boycott" and how their work changed with the recent escalation of violence. On Instagram: @purenonfiction @thompowers1
Apr 18
49 min
182: Sreemoyee Singh — from India to Iran
Growing up in Kolkata, Sreemoyee Singh fell in love with Iranian cinema and poetry. She pursued that passion by moving to Iran, learning Persian and capturing her journey in her debut documentary "And, Towards Happy Alleys." The title comes from a poem by Forough Farrokhzad who was a major inspiration for Sreemoyee. During her trip, she meets with filmmakers Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Shirvani, actress Aida Mohammadkhani ("The White Balloon"), and human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh. The film has been on a festival run including Berlin, CPH:DOX and Sheffield. On April 18, Pure Nonfiction will host a screening with Sreemoyee at New York’s IFC Center, co-presented by Bitchitra Collective and Scroll.in. Click here for tickets. On Instagram: @purenonfiction @thompowers1
Apr 10
41 min
181: Mila Turajlić on Non-Aligned
Mila Turajlić has spent over 20 years exploring the legacy of Yugoslavia. Now she has two new films that draw upon the extraordinary archive of cameraman Stevan Labudovic who traveled the world in the 1950s and 60s capturing the anti-colonial fight for independence across Africa and Asia. The films are "Non-Aligned" and "Ciné-Guerillas" both subtitled "Scenes from the Labudovic Reels." On Instagram: @purenonfiction @thompowers1
Apr 3
49 min
180: Asmae El Moudir on "The Mother of All Lies"
"The Mother of All Lies" won the Cannes Film Festival directing prize for Un Certain Regard and was Morocco's official submission for the Oscars. First time filmmaker Asmae El Moudir discusses how she overcame obstacles in the eight year experience of making the film. Host Thom Powers interviewed Asmae in front of a live audience at the CPH:DOX festival. Watch the film's trailer. On Instagram: @purenonfiction @thompowers1
Mar 27
24 min
179: Alex Gibney on Paul Simon
"In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon" covers the highs and lows of the musician's career as he goes into the studio to create his most recent album "Seven Psalms" that was released in 2023 to critical acclaim. Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers interviewed filmmaker Alex Gibney live at the CPH:DOX festival in Copenhagen.
Mar 21
50 min
178: Anand Giridharadas on "The Persuaders"
In his book "The Persuaders," Anand Giridharadas profiles activists and organizers who seek to change people's minds in a time of divisiveness. Host Thom Powers interviews Anand about how he found optimism in the work of persuaders such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Loretta Ross.
Mar 13
48 min
177: Carla Gutierrez on "Frida"
Carla Gutierrez is a renowned documentary editor, known for films such as "RBG" and "Julia." Now she makes her directorial debut with "Frida" about the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.
Mar 6
48 min
176: Alissa Wilkinson at The New York Times
Alissa Wilkinson stands out amongst film critics for writing extensively about documentaries. Thom and Alissa discuss the state of film criticism and what's unique about reviewing nonfiction.
Feb 29
54 min
175: S. Leo Chiang on "Island in Between"
Filmmaker S. Leo Chiang reflects on the relations between Taiwan and China in the Oscar nominated short "Island in Between" streaming from The New York Times Op-Docs. Leo travels to the Kinmen Islands that belong to Taiwan, but lie near the coast of China on the front lines of geopolitics.
Feb 15
40 min
174: Oscar contenders, part 2
On this episode, host Thom Powers interviews Joe Brewster, Michèle Stephenson, Tommy Oliver (Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project), Davis Guggenheim, Michael Harte (Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie), Moses Bwayo and Barbie Kyagulani (Bobi Wine: The People's President).
Jan 11
43 min
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