
Pure Nonfiction: Inside Documentary Film
If you love documentary films, hear from the top storytellers on Pure Nonfiction. Host Thom Powers is well-connected in this world as a documentary curator for the Toronto International Film Festival, DOC NYC, and SundanceNow Doc Club. He leads conversations that are frank, funny and revealing. Listen to interviews with Oscar-winning filmmakers Barbara Kopple, Alex Gibney, and Roger Ross Williams; as well as the directors of “Making a Murderer,” “Weiner” and “OJ: Made in America.” Often the stories behind the scenes are as dramatic as what’s on the screen. On Twitter, Facebook, Instagram: @purenonfiction. Subscribe now.
Latest episodes

Mar 28, 2019 • 39min
102: Baseball on Drugs in “Screwball”
Hear their previous interview on episode 42 discussing “Cocaine Cowboys.”On Twitter: @billycorben @alfredspellman @thompowers @PureNonfiction

Mar 21, 2019 • 37min
101: Alex Gibney on how Theranos fooled Silicon Valley
See Tricia Todd's documentary "Agile, Mobile, Hostile: A Year with Andre Williams"On Twitter: @alexgibneyfilm @HBODocs @thompowers @PureNonfiction

Mar 9, 2019 • 29min
100: Inside “The Case Against Adnan Syed” on HBO
On Twitter: @disarmingfilms @rabiasquared @HBODocs @thompowers @PureNonfiction

Feb 28, 2019 • 38min
99: D.A. Pennebaker, Seth Meyers, John Mulaney & more on Stephen Sondheim’s “Company"
On Twitter: @PHfilms @sethmeyers @mulaney @AlexBuono @ReneeGoldsberry @ABrightMonster @RealRichardKind @thompowers @purenonfiction

Feb 21, 2019 • 58min
98: Tim Wardle, Sandi Tan & RaMell Ross on "Pushing Boundaries"
This is the fourth and final installment of conversations from the DOC NYC Short List. Previous episodes were: 90: Getting Political 91: Portrait Documentaries 95: Getting PersonalOn Twitter: @ttwardle @sanditan @ramellross @thompowers @purenonfiction

Feb 14, 2019 • 26min
97: "United Skates" with Tina Brown & Reggie Brown
On Twitter: @UnitedSkatesDoc @HBODocs @thompowers @purenonfictionIf you’re in New York, visit us at Pure Nonfiction at IFC Center.

Feb 7, 2019 • 43min
96: Talal Derki on filming in Syria
On Twitter: @thompowers @purenonfiction

Jan 31, 2019 • 46min
95: Free Solo, Minding The Gap & Getting Personal
Thanks to SVA MFA Social Documentary Program for their recording support. On Twitter: @ABombach @thereelrudyv @BingLiu89 @alexhonnold @thompowers @purenonfiction

Jan 22, 2019 • 37min
94: Sundance 2019 Preview
Films discussed (in chronological order):Knock Down the House The BrinkWhere’s My Roy Cohn? American FactoryMiles Davis: Birth of the Cool Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am Ask Dr. Ruth Mike Wallace Is Here Untouchable The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley Sea of Shadows Tigerland Maiden Apollo 11 and Vanity Fair on Apollo 11 The Biggest Little Farm Untitled Amazing Jonathan Documentary Cold Case Hammarskjöld This is Personal Hail Satan? Thanks to the hard-working publicists who met our podcast deadline, especially the folks at Acme, Brigade, Cinetic, Dish Communications, DKC, Falco Ink, HBO Documentary Films, Magnolia, Neon, Participant Media, Susan Norget Promotions, Sunshine Sachs and apologies to anyone we’ve forgotten.On Twitter: @thompowers @PureNonfiction

Jan 17, 2019 • 41min
93: Astra Taylor on “What is Democracy?”
This interview was recorded at SVA’s MFA Social Documentary department.On Twitter: @astradisastra @thompowers @PureNonfiction