182 episodes

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 stories behind the scenes are as dramatic as what’s on the screen. On Twitter, Facebook, Instagram: @purenonfiction. Subscribe now.

Pure Nonfiction: Inside Documentary Film Pure Nonfiction

    • TV & Film
    • 4.4 • 211 Ratings

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 stories behind the scenes are as dramatic as what’s on the screen. On Twitter, Facebook, Instagram: @purenonfiction. Subscribe now.

    180: Asmae El Moudir on "The Mother of All Lies"

    180: Asmae El Moudir on "The Mother of All Lies"

    "The Mother of All Lies" won the Cannes Film Festival directing prize for Un Certain Regard and was Morocco's official submission for the Oscars. First time filmmaker Asmae El Moudir discusses how she overcame obstacles in the eight year experience of making the film.

    Host Thom Powers interviewed Asmae in front of a live audience at the CPH:DOX festival. Watch the film's trailer.

    On Instagram: @purenonfiction @thompowers1

    • 24 min
    179: Alex Gibney on Paul Simon

    179: Alex Gibney on Paul Simon

    "In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon" covers the highs and lows of the musician's career as he goes into the studio to create his most recent album "Seven Psalms" that was released in 2023 to critical acclaim. Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers interviewed filmmaker Alex Gibney live at the CPH:DOX festival in Copenhagen.

    • 50 min
    178: Anand Giridharadas on "The Persuaders"

    178: Anand Giridharadas on "The Persuaders"

    In his book "The Persuaders," Anand Giridharadas profiles activists and organizers who seek to change people's minds in a time of divisiveness. Host Thom Powers interviews Anand about how he found optimism in the work of persuaders such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Loretta Ross.

    • 48 min
    177: Carla Gutierrez on "Frida"

    177: Carla Gutierrez on "Frida"

    Carla Gutierrez is a renowned documentary editor, known for films such as "RBG" and "Julia." Now she makes her directorial debut with "Frida" about the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.

    • 48 min
    176: Alissa Wilkinson at The New York Times

    176: Alissa Wilkinson at The New York Times

    Alissa Wilkinson stands out amongst film critics for writing extensively about documentaries. Thom and Alissa discuss the state of film criticism and what's unique about reviewing nonfiction.

    • 54 min
    175: Oscar nominee S. Leo Chiang on "Island in Between"

    175: Oscar nominee S. Leo Chiang on "Island in Between"

    Filmmaker S. Leo Chiang reflects on the relations between Taiwan and China in the Oscar nominated short "Island in Between" streaming from The New York Times Op-Docs. Leo travels to the Kinmen Islands that belong to Taiwan, but lie near the coast of China on the front lines of geopolitics.

    • 40 min

Customer Reviews

4.4 out of 5
211 Ratings

211 Ratings

CDMatthew ,

A must-listen for any doc enthusiast

I like all kinds of films, and there are MANY film podcasts to choose from. But if you LOVE documentaries as I do, Thom Powers’ PURE NONFICTION is one of the few podcasts (the only one?) that focuses on documentary films. Powers interviews superb filmmakers, both new and familiar, and often highlights docs before they find distribution. This is an excellent show, and with documentaries appearing to be increasingly popular, here’s hoping PURE NONFICTION will increase in popularity, too.

RFF_RFF ,

The best interviewer!

Thom knows so much and knows just what to ask to get the story behind the story. Awesome show.

JJ8757686 ,

The best!

The best documentary podcast. Love the stories. Would love to hear from less well known docs too including shorts. Thanks for your hard work!

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