Pure Nonfiction: Inside Documentary Film

Pure Nonfiction: Inside Documentary Film


Latest Episodes

139: Sonya Childress & Jesse Wente on Making Change
September 02, 2021

Sonya Childress and Jesse Wente are among the most eloquent voices calling for change in the North American documentary industry.

138: Nanfu Wang on “In the Same Breath”
August 26, 2021

In the Same Breath is a strikingly original analysis of the early days of the pandemic as it unfolded in China and the United States.

137: Sonia Kennebeck on “Enemies of the State”
August 11, 2021

“Enemies of the State” looks at the strange case of Matt DeHart, a member of the hacktivist group Anonymous who was prosecuted for child pornography.

136: Fran Lebowitz on “Pretend It’s a City”
June 16, 2021

Fran Lebowitz is one of New York’s great conversationalists. Martin Scorsese's new Netflix series “Pretend It’s a City” lets her talk at length about her five decades of living in New York City.

135: In Praise of Lewis Erskine @editorsavant
June 09, 2021

Documentary editor Lewis Erskine died last week at age 64. He was cherished by colleagues as a storyteller and a teacher.

134: Astra Taylor on “You Are Not a Loan"
May 20, 2021

Astra Taylor's new documentary You Are Not a Loan (free on The Intercept) brings together students and professors to discuss changing the cost of education.

133: Remembering Leon Gast & “When We Were Kings”
March 18, 2021

“When We Were Kings” director Leon King died on March 8 at age 84. He took over twenty years to make his Oscar-winning documentary about the boxers Muhammad Ali vs George Foreman, filmed in Zaire in 1974 and completed in 1996.

132: Telling the Story of Fred Hampton
March 04, 2021

Thom Powers interviews four members of the “Eyes on the Prize II” team - a documentary that played a key role for in the research new Hollywood film “Judas and the Black Messiah” is based on the lives of Panther leader Fred Hampton and the person who be

131: Alex Vitale on Rethinking True Crime
February 26, 2021

True crime documentaries are booming. But what do they tell us about criminal justice and what do they leave out?

130: Jean Tsien Goes Outside Her Comfort Zone
February 18, 2021

Jean Tsien has worked as a documentary editor for over 30 years with directors such as Orlando Bagwell, Barbara Kopple, and Roger Ross Williams.