If you love documentary films, hear from the top storytellers on Pure Nonfiction. Host Thom Powers is well-connected in this world as a documentary curator for the Toronto International Film Festival, DOC NYC, and SundanceNow Doc Club. He leads conversations that are frank, funny and revealing. Listen to interviews with Oscar-winning filmmakers Barbara Kopple, Alex Gibney, and Roger Ross Williams; as well as the directors of “Making a Murderer,” “Weiner” and “OJ: Made in America.” Often the ...
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"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, overcoming innumerable hardships. Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers interviews director Lucy Walker about following Lhakpa on her quest to summit Everest for her tenth time and her hope to ins…
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197: Sonya Childress & Sahar Driver on Color Congress
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Two years ago, Sonya Childress and Sarah Driver founded Color Congress to support documentary organizations led by people of color in the United States. They serve over 100 organizations that have long been overlooked and underfunded. Color Congress has given out grants, convened a conference, and is preparing to launch a new distribution initiativ…
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196: Jeff Zimbalist on "Skywalkers: A Love Story"
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"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. It's both illegal and highly dangerous. Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers interviews filmmaker Jeff Zimbalist about how he and co-director Maria Bukhonina captured this adventure like a heist movi…
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195: Rethinking Louis C.K. in "Sorry / Not Sorry"
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“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. He responded "these stories are true." Nine months later, he returned to performing and started to reshape his story. Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers talks to filmmakers Caroline Suh and Cara Mones about what…
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"Copa 71" tells the story of an international women's soccer competition held in 1971, two decades before FIFA sanctioned an official Women's World Cup. Taking place in Mexico City's massive Azteca stadium, it was the largest live audience for any women's sporting event ever. But it was erased from history. Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers intervie…
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ESPN’s 30 for 30 broke the formula of sports documentaries by enlisting independent filmmakers. Now the series celebrates its 15th anniversary. Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers recently moderated a live conversation at the DGA Theater in New York City to look at three new 30 for 30 titles. We hear from: - The Luckiest Guy in the World director Stev…
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Pure Nonfiction partnered with The Ankler for a live event in Los Angeles that highlighted documentary projects eligible for this year’s Emmys. On this episode, host Thom Powers interviews the teams behind five different feature docs: - Sarah Gibson and Erin Lee Carr on Stormy - Lance Oppenheim and Kathleen Lingo on Spermworld - Justin Wilkes, Lisa…
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Pure Nonfiction partnered with The Ankler for a live event in Los Angeles that highlighted documentary projects eligible for this year’s Emmys. On this episode, host Thom Powers interviews the teams behind five different episodic series: - Andrew Jarecki on The Jinx - Part Two - Prentice Penny on Black Twitter: A People’s History - Sam Lipman-Stern…
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190: Chris Wilcha — from "This American Life" to "Flipside"
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"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. In the process, he returns to multiple other documentary projects that never came to fruition - interweaving interviews with jazz photographer Herman Leonard, TV writer David Mi…
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189: India's Trail-Blazing Director Anand Patwardhan
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Indian documentary film has been gaining world renown with Peabody Awards, Oscar nominations and other recognition. A key trailblazer for this movement is Anand Patwardhan who 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 releasing his most personal film…
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