Pure Nonfiction: Inside Documentary Film

Pure Nonfiction: Inside Documentary Film


Latest Episodes

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.

129: Breaking Rules with Victor Kossakovsky, Kirsten Johnson & Garrett Bradley
February 11, 2021

“Don’t film if you can live without filming.” Those are the words of Victor Kossakovsky from his 10 Rules of documentary making. They are the starting point for a wide-ranging conversation with Victor along with Kirsten Johnson and Garrett Bradley, modera