Pure Nonfiction: Inside Documentary Film

Episoder

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  243: Sasha Waters on Mary Oliver 01.07.2026 35min

  "Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World" profiles the Pulitzer-winning poet who died in 2019. The filmmaker Sasha Waters describes how she shaped this biography drawing upon the memories of Oliver's friends including filmmaker John Waters, poet Mark Doty, and journalist Maria Shriver; along with contributions from Oliver's admirers such as Stephen Colbert and Oprah Winfrey. The film is being released theatrically by Kino Lorber and will be broadcast on PBS' American Masters on August 25.
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  242: Zayd Ayers Dohrn on the Weather Underground 18.06.2026 43min

  Zayd Ayers Dohrn is the son of Bernardine Dohrn and Bill Ayers who were leaders in the Weather Underground, known for bombing the U.S. Capitol, the Pentagon, and other high profile targets. Zayd explores their complicated legacy in the podcast Mother Country Radicals and his new memoir Dangerous, Dirty, Violent, and Young.  Host Thom Powers interviews Zayd about what he learned. They discuss past documentary treatments in "Underground" (1976) by Emile d'Antonio and "The Weather Underground" (2002) by Sam Green and Bill Siegel. For more on this era, hear our past interviews with Bill Siegel (ep 15), on Fred Hampton (ep 132), and on Columbia 1968 (ep 185).
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  241: Live from New York, part 2 12.06.2026 54min

  Recorded live in New York, host Thom Powers interviews the directors of three new projects: Alexandria Stapleton (Sean Combs: The Reckoning), Zach Heinzerling (Rafa) and Trish Dalton (Reggae Girlz).
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  240: Live from New York, part 1 11.06.2026 1t 6min

  Recorded live in New York, host Thom Powers explores four new documentary projects interviewing director Rebecca Miller (Mr Scorsese), director Ally Pankiw (Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery), producer/editor Shane Reid (John Candy: I Like Me), and producer Sara Bernstein (Marty: Life is Short).
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  239: Poh Si Teng on "American Doctor" 04.06.2026 39min

  "American Doctor" looks at the war in Gaza through the eyes of three volunteer surgeons from different backgrounds - Palestinian, Jewish and Zoroastrian. The film debuted at Sundance and will be released this summer from Watermelon Pictures.
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  238: Colin Hanks & Ryan Reynolds on John Candy 21.05.2026 40min

  "John Candy: I Like Me" (Amazon) looks at the highs and lows of the beloved comedian who was ever-present in the 1980s and early 90s before his death at age 43. Host Thom Powers interviews director Colin Hanks and producer Ryan Reynolds. They may be better known for their acting roles, but both have a deep commitment to documentary. Hanks previously directed docs on Tower Records and the Eagles of Death Metal. Reynolds is an executive producer and featured in the hit documentary series "Welcome to Wrexham."
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  237: Judd Apatow & Michael Bonfiglio on Mel Brooks 07.05.2026 43min

  “Mel Brooks: The 99-Year-Old Man” (HBO Max) is the latest collaboration by Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio who previously profiled comedians George Carlin and Gary Shandling. Their latest two-part series looks at the creator of iconic works such as “The Producers,” “Blazing Saddles,” and “Young Frankenstein.” In this interview, Apatow and Bonfiglio describe how they sought to get to layers of Brooks’ life that he hadn’t discussed before.
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  236: Raney Aronson-Rath on Frontline 30.04.2026 47min

  Frontline executive producer Raney Aronson-Rath speaks about leading PBS's current affairs series while President Trump is defunding public television. Instead of shrinking, Frontline is growing with new staff and an invigorated mission. Host Thom Powers interviews Raney a wide on a wide range of projects, including the Sundance prize-winning doc "One in a Million" that follows a family of Syrian refugees for ten years. The new division of Frontline Features will release the film to theaters later this year. Explore the Pure Nonfiction archives to hear interviews on past Frontline productions including "Abacus: Small Enough to Jail" (ep 49), "For Sama" (ep 114), and "20 Days in Mariupol" (ep 169). We wish to thank all our listeners as Pure Nonfiction celebrates its 10th anniversary.
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  235: Oscar Shortlist Spotlight 08.01.2026 1t 4min

  Fifteen films are shortlisted for the Oscars Feature Documentary category. On this episode, we hear from four of the directing teams: - "The Alabama Solution" with Andrew Jarecki and Charlotte Kauffman - "Yanuni" with Richard Ladkani - "My Undesirable Friends Part 1 - Last Air in Moscow" with Julia Loktev - "Cutting Through Rocks" with Sara Khaki and Mohammedreza Eyni These conversations were recorded an online edition of Documentary Spotlight, co-presented by The Ankler.
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  234: Ryan White & Megan Falley on "Come See Me in the Good Light" 05.01.2026 47min

  "Come See Me in the Good Light" (Apple TV) portrays a love story of the spoken word poets Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley as they make the most of their lives in the face of a terminal cancer diagnosis. The film is joyous, funny and shortlisted for the Oscars' Best Documentary category. Pure Nonfiction host speaks with the director Ryan White and the one of the film's key figures Megan Falley. You can hear producer Jessica Hargrave interviewed on episode 229. Subscribe to our Substack newsletter Doc Voices. On Instagram: @purenonfiction @thompowers1
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  233: Alexandria Stapleton on "Sean Combs: The Reckoning" 20.12.2025 45min

  Director Alex Stapleton discusses her Netflix series "Sean Combs: The Reckoning," backed by executive producer Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson. Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers interviews Stapleton about each episode of the series and the participants who overcame years of fear and intimidation to finally speak out.
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  232: Apocalypse in the Tropics 04.12.2025 47min

  "Apocalypse in the Tropics" explores the tumultuous battle to save democracy in Brazil. It reveals striking parallels to politics in the United States. Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers speaks with director Petra Costa and producer Alessandra Orofino. Subscribe to our Substack newsletter Doc Voices. On Instagram: @purenonfiction @thompowers1
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  231: Docs from Five Countries 25.11.2025 1t 32min

  Host Thom Powers interviews the film teams behind five projects that are qualified for the Oscars: MY MOM JAYNE (director Mariska Hargitay, producer Trish Adlesic, editor J.D. Marlow) exploring the life of Hollywood star Jayne Mansfield through the eyes of her daughter.  PUT YOUR SOUL ON YOUR HAND AND WALK (director Sepideh Farsi) profiling the Gaza photographer Fatma Hassona. CHILD OF DUST (director Weronika Mliczewska, producr Bao Nguyen) follows the lifelong dream of a man in Vietnam to meet his father in the U.S. NORITA (director Jayson McNamara, producer Sarah Schoellkopf) tells the history of Argentinian activist Nora Cortiñas. QOTZUÑI: PEOPLE OF THE LAKE (directors Michael Salama, Gastón Zilberman) looks at an indigenous community in Bolivia trying to recover from the disappearance of a massive lake. Subscribe to our Substack newsletter Doc Voices. On Instagram: @purenonfiction @thompowers1
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  230: Storks, Orphans, Rebels & Predators 24.10.2025 1t 1min

  Hear the filmmakers behind four of this year's most acclaimed documentaries: director Tamara Kotevska ("Honeyland") and cinematographer Jean Dakar on "The Tale of Silyan"; first time director Beth Lane on "UnBroken"; co-director Mohammedreza Eyni on "Cutting Through Rocks"; director David Osit and producer Jamie Goncalves on "Predators." These talks were recorded before a live audience in Los Angeles at our Documentary Spotlight event in partnership with The Ankler. Subscribe to our Substack newsletter Doc Voices. On Instagram: @purenonfiction @thompowers1
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  229: Poetry, Murder, Prison & UFOs 23.10.2025 1t 1min

  Recorded live in Los Angeles, we partnered with The Ankler to bring you conversations covering four new documentaries: producer Jessica Hargrave (pictured) on “Come See Me in the Good Light”; director Dan Farah on “The Age of Disclosure”; producer Alisa Payne on “The Perfect Neighbor”; and directors Andrew Jarecki and Charlotte Kaufman on “The Alabama Solution.” Subscribe to our Substack newsletter Doc Voices. On Instagram: @purenonfiction @thompowers1
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  228: Contessa Gayles on "Songs From the Hole" 28.08.2025 24min

  "Songs From the Hole," now playing on Netflix, won the SXSW Audience Award and the Blackstar Jury Prize for its artful approach to telling a story about solitary confinement. "It's eye-opening in a way you may have forgotten your eyes could still be opened," wrote critic Daniel Fienberg in The Hollywood Reporter. Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers interviews director Contessa Gayles about her career path from working inside CNN to going independent. Her other films include "The Feminist on Cellblock Y" and "The Debutantes."
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  227: Heidi Ewing & Rachel Grady on "Folktales" 24.07.2025 30min

  Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady have been making films as a team for over 20 years. They have a fierce dedication to the art of observational documentary, even as that form becomes harder to finance. Among their celebrated titles are One of Us, 12th & Delaware, and the Oscar-nominated Jesus Camp. Their latest film Folktales follows three teens in Norway learning outdoor survival skills at a folk high school where they bond with sled dogs. The film is being distributed to U.S. theaters by Magnolia Pictures.  Hear our previous interview with Heidi and Rachel from 2016 talking about Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You on episode 14. Subscribe to our Substack newsletter Doc Voices. On Instagram: @purenonfiction @thompowers1
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  226: Martha Stewart, Alice Waters, John Williams 13.06.2025 47min

  Our Emmy contender conversations conclude with a look at three stand out biographies. Host Thom Powers interviews these directors: R.J. Cutler on "Martha" (Netflix)  David Gelb with cinematographer Adam Bricker on "Chef's Table: Legends" (Netflix) Laurent Bouzereau on "Music By John Williams" (Disney+) Recorded live in Los Angeles at Documentary Spotlight, co-presented by The Ankler. Subscribe to our Substack newsletter Doc Voices. On Instagram: @purenonfiction @thompowers1
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  225: Will & Harper, Social Studies, Chimp Crazy 12.06.2025 47min

  Thom Powers hosts conversations on three Emmy contenders: "Will & Harper" (Netflix) with participant Harper Steele "Social Studies" (FX) with director Lauren Greenfield and participants Sydney Shear, Dominic Brown, Jonathan Gelfond "Chimp Crazy" (HBO) with director Eric Goode and executive producer Jeremy McBride Recorded live in Los Angeles on June 8, 2025 at Documentary Spotlight, co-presented by The Ankler. Subscribe to our Substack newsletter Doc Voices. On Instagram: @purenonfiction @thompowers1
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  224: Emmy contenders 30.05.2025 1t

  Recorded live in New York City, Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers interviews the filmmakers behind four Emmy contenders: Michelle Khare of "Challenge Accepted" (YouTube) Lance Oppenheim of "Ren Faire" (Max) Liz Garbus of "Gone Girls: The Long Island Serial Killer" (Netflix) "The Fall of Diddy" (ID) team of Mary Robertson, Emma Schwartz, Yoruba Richen  Subscribe to our Substack newsletter Doc Voices. On Instagram: @purenonfiction @thompowers1