Episodes

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, political and poetic. The New Yorker critic Richard Brody describes the film as "an intimate story with a grand scope." It's been nominated for the Cinema Eye Honors in three categories including Best Director and was named by Indiewire as one of the Top 25 Films of 2022. On Instagram: @bebafilm @rebecahuntt @purenonfiction @thompowers1

La Madrina: The [Savage] Life of Lorine Padilla profiles the South Bronx “godmother” who transitioned from life in the Savage Skulls street gang to become a beloved community activist. Filmmaker Raquel Cepeda tells a nuanced portrait of Lorine, drawing upon previously unseen footage captured in the 1970s and ‘80s for documentaries such as "80 Blocks from Tiffany’s" and "Flyin’ Cut Sleeves” that focused on Bronx gangs. Raquel wrote about her own New York upbringing in her memoir Bird of Paradise:...

"We Need to Talk About Cosby" explores the once beloved entertainer who's been accused by over 60 women of rape, sexual assault, and harrassment.

Abigail Disney made headlines three years ago when she launched a critique on the labor practices of Walt Disney Company that was co-founded by her grandfather Roy O. Disney. Now she pushes that argument further in the documentary The American Dream and Other Fairy Tales that she directed with Kathleen Hughes. Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers interviewed Disney and Hughes as the film was making its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. The film won strong reviews in Variety and The Holly...

Stanley Nelson's latest film "Attica" was picked for the Oscar Documentary Short List. It's playing on Showtime and available free for a limited time on YouTube. In February, the Criterion Channel will present a retrospective titled "Black History Rising: Documentaries by Stanley Nelson." The collection covers five films: "The Black Press: Soldiers Without Swords" about African-American-owned newspapers; "Freedom Summer" on the 1964 Mississippi voter registration drive; and a deeply personal fil...

Filmmaker Alex Pritz collaborates with members of the Uru-eu-wau-wau indigenous community to document what's happening in the Amazon in The Territory.

We Met in Virtual Reality, premiering in the Sundance World Documentary Competition, profiles several users on the platform VRChat during the pandemic. Director Joe Hunting uses a camera built for VR so he can film people's avatars in their imagined worlds. The film is more about relationships than technology. Joe's previous short films set in VR can be viewed on his website joeahunting.com. Guest host Samah Ali (who studied VR for her master's degree) interviews Joe about what he learned making...

Filmmaker Ramin Bahrani is best known for his fiction films . Now he directs his first feature documentary "2nd Chance," a profile of the man who invented a lightweight bullet proof vest.

“Mija,” premiering in the Sundance NEXT section, profiles Doris Muñoz, a young talent manager in the music business as she works with Latinx superstar Cuco and the newcomer Jacks Haupt. Filmmaker Isabel Castro immerses us in Doris’ world, drawing upon eclectic influences. Isabel's early idea of the film was “Almost Famous, but make it Chicano.” Then she had to adapt as the story takes unpredictable twists and turns. Our Pure Nonfiction interview is led by guest host Samah Ali, founder of Sisterh...

"Fire of Love" tells the story of volcanologists Katia and Maurice Krafft who spent over two decades filming and studying volcanoes before they died getting too close to one. The documentary makes its world premiere on the opening night of the Sundance Film Festival: January 20, 2022. Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers interviews filmmaker Sara Dosa on how she crafted the story of the Kraffts into an essayistic documentary with themes of love and risk, narrated by Miranda July. Pure Nonfiction’s ...

The PBS Frontline documentary “American Insurrection” investigates the violent mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers interviews the director Rick Rowley who collaborated on the project with correspondent A.C. Thompson of ProPublica and the Berkley Center for Investigative Journalism. Rowley discusses what he’s learned from studying vigilante groups such as the Proud Boys and the Boogaloo Boys and reflects on the historic link between America’s for...