186 episodes
Pure Nonfiction: Inside Documentary Film Pure Nonfiction
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- TV & Film
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4.4 • 211 Ratings
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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.
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184: Clair Titley on "The Contestant"
"The Contestant" takes us back to the early days of reality TV in Japan. An aspiring comedian named nicknamed Nasubi ("eggplant") auditions for the hit show Denpa Shonen, known for real people performing crazy stunts. The show’s producer Toshio Tsuchiya brings Nasubi to a room and tells him to get undressed. The room contains a rack of magazines and little else. Toshio informs Nasubi that he needs to fill out magazine sweepstakes coupons to win his food and clothing. He can’t leave the room until he’s reached one million yen of prizes. It sounds crazy, but Nasubi lived by the terms of this concept for over a year, not realizing that his life was being turned into a weekly TV program with millions of viewers.Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers interviews first time filmmaker Clair Titley about how she pulled off the film with the help of her producer Megumi Inman and the production company Misfits. "The Contestant" is now streaming on Hulu.
On Instagram: @purenonfiction @thompowers1 -
183: Julia Bacha and Suhad Babaa on 20 Years of Covering Israel-Palestine
The non-profit Just Vision has a long history of covering Israel-Palestine in documentary films such as "Encounter Point," and "Budrus." Currently all their films are available for free at justvision.org. Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers speaks with the group'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 violence.
On Instagram: @purenonfiction @thompowers1 -
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, Towards Happy Alleys." The title comes from a poem by Forough Farrokhzad who was a major inspiration for Sreemoyee. During her trip, she meets with filmmakers Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Shirvani, actress Aida Mohammadkhani ("The White Balloon"), and human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh.
The film has been on a festival run including Berlin, CPH:DOX and Sheffield. On April 18, Pure Nonfiction will host a screening with Sreemoyee at New York’s IFC Center, co-presented by Bitchitra Collective and Scroll.in. Click here for tickets.
On Instagram: @purenonfiction @thompowers1 -
181: Mila Turajlić on Non-Aligned
Mila Turajlić 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 who traveled the world in the 1950s and 60s capturing the anti-colonial fight for independence across Africa and Asia. The films are "Non-Aligned" and "Ciné-Guerillas" both subtitled "Scenes from the Labudovic Reels."
On Instagram: @purenonfiction @thompowers1 -
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 -
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.
Customer Reviews
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.
The best interviewer!
Thom knows so much and knows just what to ask to get the story behind the story. Awesome show.
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!