Pure Nonfiction: Inside Documentary Film

Pure Nonfiction: Inside Documentary Film


Latest Episodes

198: Lucy Walker on "Mountain Queen”
August 07, 2024

"Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa" profiles the woman who holds a world record for climbing Mount Everest. But her story is much bigger than that.

197: Sonya Childress & Sahar Driver on Color Congress
August 01, 2024

Two years ago, Sonya Childress and Sarah Driver founded Color Congress to support documentary organizations led by people of color in the United States. Thom Powers interviews them about how Color Con

196: Jeff Zimbalist on "Skywalkers: A Love Story"
July 18, 2024

"Skywalkers: A Love Story" (on Netflix) profiles the couple Ivan Beerkus and Angela Nikolau who attempt to climb the second tallest building in the world.

195: Rethinking Louis C.K. in "Sorry / Not Sorry"
July 11, 2024

Sorry / Not Sorry reexamines the case of Louis C.K. In 2017, the New York Times reported that five women accused him of sexual harassment.

194: "Copa 71" Restores a Lost History
June 20, 2024

"Copa 71" tells the story of an international women's soccer competition held in 1971, two decades before FIFA sanctionedan official Women's World Cup.

193: ESPN 30 for 30
June 18, 2024

ESPNs 30 for 30 broke the formula of sports documentaries by enlisting independent filmmakers. Now the series celebrates its 15th anniversary.

192: Emmy Contenders, Part 2
June 13, 2024

Pure Nonfiction partnered with The Ankler for a live event in Los Angeles that highlighted documentary projects eligible for this years Emmys. On this episode, host Thom Powers interviews the teams b

191: Emmy Contenders, Part 1
June 12, 2024

Pure Nonfiction partnered with The Ankler for a live event in Los Angeles that highlighted documentary projects eligible for this years Emmys. On this episode, host Thom Powers interviews the teams b

190: Chris Wilcha — from "This American Life" to "Flipside"
June 06, 2024

"Flipside" is a personal essay film in which director Chris Wilcha grapples with middle age by trying to document the New Jersey record store where he worked as a teenager.

189: India's Trail-Blazing Director Anand Patwardhan
May 30, 2024

A key trailblazer for Indian documentary Anand Patwardhan has grappled with India's most hot button political issues in films such as "Reason" and "Father, Son and the Holy War." Now in his 70s, he's