Pure Nonfiction: Inside Documentary Film

Hear the world's top storytellers talk all things documentary film. Host Thom Powers is as well-connected as it gets in this world as a documentary curator for TIFF and other renowned festivals. He wrote the book “Mondo Documentary” that is “required read

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Recent Episodes

155: Daniel Roher on "Navalny"

Posted March 3, 2023 • 00:43:25

Russian dissident Alexei Navalny is profiled in the Oscar-nominated film “Navalny” at a critical stage when he’s trying to uncover the Russian...

154: Oscar-nominated Shaunak Sen on "All That Breathes"

Posted February 7, 2023 • 00:29:03

"All That Breathes" won top prizes at Sundance and Cannes for its portrayal of two brothers in New Delhi who dedicated themselves to rescuing birds...

153: Joyce Chopra on "Lady Director"

Posted January 31, 2023 • 00:31:39

Joyce Chopra broke the glass ceiling for women in film by directing classic works such as the ground-breaking personal documentary "Joyce at 34" and...

152: Violet Du Feng on "Hidden Letters"

Posted January 10, 2023 • 00:34:30

During China's feudal era, women kept in seclusion developed a secret language called nüshu. Hidden...

151: Rebeca Huntt on "Beba"

Posted December 5, 2022 • 00:32:16

Rebeca Huntt tells her own coming of age story in her debut documentary "Beba," now streaming on Hulu. She uses the medium of film to explore the personal,...