Pure Nonfiction: Inside Documentary Film

Latest Episodes
190: Chris Wilcha — from "This American Life" to "Flipside"
"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
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
188: Margreth Olin on "Songs of Earth"
Filmmaker Margreth Olin profiles her parents in "Songs of Earth" while immersing us in Norway's landscape of glaciers, fjords and waterfalls.
187: Rob Reiner on Albert Brooks and Spinal Tap
Rob Reiner started his directing career with the spoof documentary "This is Spinal Tap" and is now editing a sequel. He has a new documentary now playing on Max, "Albert Brooks: Defending My Life" tha
186: Yousef Srouji on Palestinian Home Movies
Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers interviewed Yousef from his home in Ramallah.
185: Paul Cronin on Columbia 1968
Paul Cronin has spent years creating a massive oral history about the Columbia University student uprising in 1968. Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers interviewed Paul this month, a few days after Colum
184: Clair Titley on "The Contestant"
"The Contestant" takes us back to the early days of reality TV in Japan. Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers interviews first time filmmaker Clair Titley about how she pulled off the film.
183: Just Vision’s Julia Bacha and Suhad Babaa on 20 Years of Covering Israel-Palestine
Thom Powers speaks with Just Vision'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 violen
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
181: Mila Turajlić on Non-Aligned
Mila Turajli 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 .