Episodes

"The Bibi Files" looks at the corruption case against Benjamin Netanyahu, drawing upon a vast trove of leaked interrogation footage. Netanyahu went to court trying to block the film from being shown, but that motion failed. Producer Alex Gibney and director Alexis Bloom discuss the challenges they faced in getting the film made and seen. Watch the film on Jolt. Subscribe to our Substack newsletter Doc Voices. On Instagram: @purenonfiction @thompowers1

William Kentridge is well-known in the world of museums and galleries. Now he brings together all of his artistic disciplines - drawing, animation, sculpture and performance - to create the 9-part film essay "Self-Portrait as a Coffee Pot".

Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers interviews the directors of four films in the inaugural London edition of Documentary Spotlight, co-presented by The Ankler.

Brian Eno and filmmaker Gary Hustwit discuss their film "Eno"; and director Benjamin Ree talks about "The Remarkable Life of Ibelin" with Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers. Both interviews were recorded in front of a live audience at the inaugural London edition of Documentary Spotlight, co-presented by The Ankler. Subscribe to our Substack newsletter Doc Voices. On Instagram: @purenonfiction @thompowers1

"Ernest Cole: Lost and Found" explores the legacy of the photographer who covered apartheid in the 1960s from the perspective of a Black South African. Cole was driven into exile in the U.S. and Europe. He died in obscurity in 1990, but he left behind a secret archive of over 60,000 negatives shot in exile that were recently discovered. Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers interviews director Raoul Peck ("I Am Not Your Negro") about this new film. He also previews two more works coming next year on ...

Jazz musicians, CIA operatives, and African revolutionaries are among the many figures who populate "Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat" that win a Sundance jury award for Cinematic Innovation. Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers interviews director Johan Grimonprez in front of a live audience at CPH:DOX in Copenhagen. Subscribe to our Substack newsletter Doc Voices. On Instagram: @purenonfiction @thompowers1

Our third episode recorded live in Los Angeles for Documentary Spotlight, co-presented by The Ankler, features: - "Frida" director Carla Gutierrez and composer Victor Hernandez Stumpfhauser (Amazon) - "I Am: Celine Dion" director Irene Taylor with rare disease specialist Dr. Paula Barreras (Amazon) - "Daughters" co-director Natalie Rae (Netflix) Interviewed by Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers. Subscribe to our Substack newsletter Doc Voices. On Instagram: @purenonfiction @thompowers1

We look at two new documentaries from directors who also work in comedy. Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers interviews Steve Pink ("Hot Tub Time Machine") whose documentary debut "The Last Republican" profiles Illinois Congressman Adam Kinzinger who voted to impeach Donald Trump after the January 6th insurrection. The second interview is with Josh Greenbaum ("Barb and Star Go to Vista del Mar") whose new film "Will & Harper" profiles Will Ferrell and Harper Steele as they take a cross country roa...

Our latest Documentary Spotlight event took place in October, co-presented by The Ankler in Los Angeles. We hear selections from conversations on "Sugarcane" , "Porcelain War" and "No Other Land".

Shiori Ito shocked Japan in 2017 when she publicly accused a prominent journalist of raping her. She has directed the film "Black Box Diaries" about her experiences trying to speak her truth, despite enormous backlash and death threats.

In "Nocturnes", set in the mountainous forest on the border of India and Bhutan, we follow the scientist Mansi who works at night projecting light onto a sheet where countless species of colorful moths gather.

"Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story" profiles the actor who was paralyzed from a horse riding accident and found a new purpose in life. Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers interviews the documentary directors Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui. They discuss how they made their way to this project after previously collaborating on films about fashion designer Alexander McQueen in "McQueen" and the paralympics in "Rising Phoenix." Subscribe to our Substack newsletter Doc Voices. On Instagram: @pure...

"Daughters," now streaming on Netflix, follows a Daddy Daughter Dance held in a prison. Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers interviews the film's director Angela Patton and Natalie Rae Robison, who collaborated on the feature documentary debut. They also discuss the contributions of cinematographer Michael "Cambio" Fernandez and executive producer Kerry Washington. Subscribe to our Substack newsletter Doc Voices. On Instagram: @purenonfiction @thompowers1

Episode 200 is dedicated to the legacy of Jess Search, the visionary producer and co-founder of Doc Society. Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers interviews Beadie Finzi of Doc Society and Judy Kibinge of Docubox in Kenya. They are two members of DISCO (Decentralised Independent Story and Culture Organizers), a network of documentary organizations around the world. They discuss the mission of DISCO and the Independence Project. Learn more at: Doc Society Docubox The DISCO Network Independence Proj...

"No Other Land" is directed by a collective of two Palestinians and two Israelis. They capture lives of Palestinians in the West Bank village of Masafer Yatta that's been routinely targeted by Israeli settlers and the military with violence and home demolitions. Taking place from 2019 to 2023, the film shows an alliance form between two of the directors – Basel Adra, who lives in Masafer Yatta, and Yuval Abraham from Israel – in their efforts to expose an injustice. "No Other Land" won the Berl...

"Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa" profiles the woman who holds a world record for climbing Mount Everest. But her story is much bigger than that, overcoming innumerable hardships. Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers interviews director Lucy Walker about following Lhakpa on her quest to summit Everest for her tenth time and her hope to inspire other women, especially her daughters. Lucy describes how her earlier film "Blindsight" (2006) about a group of blind Tibetan youths trying to cl...

Two years ago, Sonya Childress and Sarah Driver founded Color Congress to support documentary organizations led by people of color in the United States. They serve over 100 organizations that have long been overlooked and underfunded. Color Congress has given out grants, convened a conference, and is preparing to launch a new distribution initiative. Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers interviews Sonya and Sahar about how Color Congress is filling a void and what they've learned about building alli...

"Skywalkers: A Love Story" (on Netflix) profiles the couple Ivan Beerkus and Angela Nikolau who attempt to climb the second tallest building in the world. It's both illegal and highly dangerous. Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers interviews filmmaker Jeff Zimbalist about how he and co-director Maria Bukhonina captured this adventure like a heist movie. Subscribe to our Substack newsletter Doc Voices. On Instagram: @purenonfiction @thompowers1

“Sorry / Not Sorry” reexamines the case of Louis C.K. In 2017, the New York Times reported that five women accused him of sexual harassment. He responded "these stories are true." Nine months later, he returned to performing and started to reshape his story. Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers talks to filmmakers Caroline Suh and Cara Mones about what they learned when they dug deeper into his story. In the film, they speak to Jen Kirkman, Abby Schachner, and Megan Koester — who spoke up about his...

"Copa 71" tells the story of an international women's soccer competition held in 1971, two decades before FIFA sanctioned an official Women's World Cup. Taking place in Mexico City's massive Azteca stadium, it was the largest live audience for any women's sporting event ever. But it was erased from history. Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers interviews filmmakers Rachel Ramsay and James Erskine about how they found the participants who waited 50 years to tell their story. Subscribe to our Substac...

ESPN’s 30 for 30 broke the formula of sports documentaries by enlisting independent filmmakers. Now the series celebrates its 15th anniversary. Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers recently moderated a live conversation at the DGA Theater in New York City to look at three new 30 for 30 titles. We hear from: - The Luckiest Guy in the World director Steve James and producer Marquis Daisy - Minister of Defense directors Ken Rodgers and Courtland Bragg - The Great Heisman Race of 1997 producer Carolyn ...

Pure Nonfiction partnered with The Ankler for a live event in Los Angeles that highlighted documentary projects eligible for this year’s Emmys. On this episode, host Thom Powers interviews the teams behind five different feature docs: - Sarah Gibson and Erin Lee Carr on Stormy - Lance Oppenheim and Kathleen Lingo on Spermworld - Justin Wilkes, Lisa Henson, and Brian Henson on Jim Henson Idea Man - Bao Nguyen on The Greatest Night in Pop - Alex Gibney on In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Sim...

Pure Nonfiction partnered with The Ankler for a live event in Los Angeles that highlighted documentary projects eligible for this year’s Emmys. On this episode, host Thom Powers interviews the teams behind five different episodic series: - Andrew Jarecki on The Jinx - Part Two - Prentice Penny on Black Twitter: A People’s History - Sam Lipman-Stern and Adam Bhala Lough on Telemarketers - Jasha Klebe on Our Planet II - Fisher Stevens on Beckham Whether or not you’ve seen these projects, the inter...

"Flipside" is a personal essay film in which director Chris Wilcha grapples with middle age by trying to document the New Jersey record store where he worked as a teenager. In the process, he returns to multiple other documentary projects that never came to fruition - interweaving interviews with jazz photographer Herman Leonard, TV writer David Milch, radio host Ira Glass, writer Starlee Kine, director Judd Apatow, comedian Uncle Floyd, and others. This subject hits close to home for Pure Nonf...