Pure Nonfiction: Inside Documentary Film

Pure Nonfiction: Inside Documentary Film


Latest Episodes

228: Contessa Gayles on "Songs From the Hole"
August 28, 2025

Thom Powers interviews "Songs from the Hole" director Contessa Gayles about her career path from working inside CNN to goingindependent.

227: Heidi Ewing & Rachel Grady on "Folktales"
July 24, 2025

Heidi Ewing's and Rachel Grady's latest film Folktales follows three teens in Norway learning outdoor survival skills at a folk high school where they bond with sleddogs.

226: Martha Stewart, Alice Waters, John Williams
June 13, 2025

Our Emmy contender conversations conclude with a look at three stand out biographies.

225: Will & Harper, Social Studies, Chimp Crazy
June 12, 2025

Thom Powers hosts conversations on three Emmy contenders: "Will & Harper", "Social Studies" and "Chimp Crazy".

224: Emmy contenders
May 30, 2025

Recordedlive in New York City, Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers interviews the filmmakers behind four Emmy contenders.

223: Questlove, Reginald Hudlin, David Tedeschi
May 29, 2025

Live from New York City, Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers interviews the directors behind several projects contending for Emmy nominations.

222: Sam Soko on telling African stories
May 08, 2025

Kenya's Sam Soko is a prominent figure in the rising wave of African documentary. In this interview recorded at CPH:DOX, he explains there's a newcrisis for African documentary. In this interview re

221: Sinead O'Shea on Edna O'Brien
April 17, 2025

"Blue Road: The Edna O'Brien Story" profiles the Irish novelist who broke taboos both in her writing and her personal life.

220: Jeremy Workman on "Secret Mall Apartment"
March 27, 2025

Secret Mall Apartment tells the story of a group of artists who found a hidden space a Rhode Island mega mall that they occupied for four years while evading security.

219: Frederick Wiseman at 95
February 14, 2025

Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers interviews Frederick Wiseman at age 95 about how he maintained his independence for over five decades.