Pure Nonfiction: Inside Documentary Film

Pure Nonfiction: Inside Documentary Film


Latest Episodes

183: Just Vision’s Julia Bacha and Suhad Babaa on 20 Years of Covering Israel-Palestine
April 18, 2024

Thom Powers speaks with Just Vision'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 violen

182: Sreemoyee Singh — from India to Iran
April 11, 2024

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

181: Mila Turajlić on Non-Aligned
April 04, 2024

Mila Turajli 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 .

180: Asmae El Moudir on "The Mother of All Lies"
March 28, 2024

First time filmmaker Asmae El Moudir discusses how she overcame obstacles in the eight year experience of making the film "The Mother of All Lies".

179: Alex Gibney on Paul Simon
March 21, 2024

"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" .

178: Anand Giridharadas on "The Persuaders"
March 14, 2024

In his book "The Persuaders," Anand Giridharadas profiles activists and organizers who seek to change people's minds in a time of divisiveness.

177: Carla Gutierrez on "Frida"
March 07, 2024

Carla Gutierrez makes her directorial debut with "Frida" about the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.

176: Alissa Wilkinson at The New York Times
February 29, 2024

Alissa Wilkinson stands out amongst filmcritics for writing extensively about documentaries.

175: S. Leo Chiang on "Island in Between"
February 15, 2024

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.

174: Oscar contenders, part 2
January 12, 2024

Pure Nonfiction partnered with The Ankler to spotlight seven of the Oscar contenders at a live event in Los Angeles on January 4, 2024.