Harry Belafonte died this week at age 96. Years ago he resolved to leave behind an account of his life in the memoir "My Song" and the documentary "Sing Your Song". Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers interviewed Belafonte and his daughter Gina in 2013 as part of the Montclair Film Festival. The conversation was recorded in front of a live audience at NJPAC in Newark, New Jersey."Sing Your Song", directed by Susanne Rostock, is available on video on demand.

E. Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin have explored the mentality of risk takers over several films. They won an Oscar for Free Solo. Their latest documentary "Wild Life" tells the love story of Doug and Kris Tompkins who earned a fortune leading the clothing brands North Face and Patagonia, then left their corporate lives to devote themselves to conservation. Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers interviewed Chai and Jimmy in Copenhagen at the CPH:DOX festival where "Wild Life" had its international premiere. The film, produced by National Geographic, is being released in theaters in April and comes to Disney+ on May 26. In this conversation, the filmmaking couple also discuss their first collaboration "Meru" about a harrowing expedition that Jimmy undertook with Conrad Anker and Renan Ozturk.On Instagram: @chaivasarhelyi @jimmychin @thompowers1 @purenonfiction

Chase Joynt has explored transgender topics in several films including "No Ordinary Man" about jazz musician Billy Tipton and his latest "Framing Agnes", now available on VOD. Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers interviews Chase to discuss how trans experience has traditionally been filtered by outsiders across the spectrums of medicine, academia and media. Chase also reflects on what it means to be releasing this film against a backdrop of backlash, violence and anti-trans legislation."Framing Agnes" premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival where it won the Audience Award in the Next section. "Framing Agnes" draws upon a rare archive of interviews with trans and gender non-conforming people conducted in the 1950s. The interviews were undertaken by sociologist Harold Garfinkel who is portrayed by Chase in the film's reenactments. The director enlists other trans actors to perform the transcripts of subjects who were interviewed by Garfinkel. The cast includes Zackary Drucker as Agnes, Jen Richards as Barbara and Angelica Ross as Georgia.Chase gives credit to other collaborators on the project including sociologist Kristen Schilt and historian Jules Gill-Peterson. On Instagram: @chasejoynt @thompowers1 @purenonfiction

Russian dissident Alexei Navalny is profiled in the Oscar-nominated film “Navalny” at a critical stage when he’s trying to uncover the Russian agents who tried to kill him. Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers interviews director Daniel Roher who completed the film in his late 20s. Today, its success may seem preordained, but Daniel explains it was anything but that.

"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 from the hazards of the polluted city. Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers talks to director Shaunak Sen about how he scrapped his first year of filming to start over. Shaunak discusses the contributions of cinematographer Benjamin Bernhard ("Aquarela") and editor Charlotte Munch Bengtsen ("The Truffle Hunters") in the creation of one of the year's most visually striking films. "All That Breathes" is now playing on HBO Max.On Instagram: @purenonfiction @shaunak_sen

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 the fiction film "Smooth Talk" that won the Sundance Grand Jury Prize in 1986. Those films and others are now streaming in a collection of her work on the Criterion Channel. Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers interviews Joyce about her new memoir “Lady Director” where she reflects candidly on the highs and lows of her career, including her documentary education at Drew Associates and her clashes with producers Sydney Pollack and Harvey Weinstein that almost caused her to give up filmmaking.Follow @purenonfiction on Instagram; and sign up for our free newsletter.

During China's feudal era, women kept in seclusion developed a secret language called nüshu. Hidden Letters profiles two millennial women in China who are among the very few people keeping the language alive. The film was named to the Oscars' Short List of 15 documentary features that will be narrowed to five nominees later this month. Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers interviews director Violet Du Feng about changes for women in China, the effects of capitalism in the country and her goals to reach both Chinese and western audiences. The conversation includes references to Lisa See's novel "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan"; and the film's producers Mette Cheng Munthe Kaas and Jean Tsien (who was previously interviewed on episode 130).On Instagram: @hiddenlettersfilm @purenonfiction

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: How I Became Latina. Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers interviews Lorine and Raquel along with the film’s executive producer Henry Calfant, a pioneering chronicler of the Bronx hip hop scene who produced “Style Wars” and directed “Flyin’ Cut Sleeves."After a two year hiatus, Pure Nonfiction has resumed its live screening series at New York’s IFC Center. The spring season takes place on Tuesday nights through the end of May. This conversation was recorded before a live audience for the season’s opening night on April 5, 2022. If you’re in New York City, join us in person!

W. Kamau Bell has a wide-ranging career in stand-up comedy, TV hosting, podcasting, and more. Now he directs the four-part Showtime series "We Need to Talk About Cosby". It explores the once beloved entertainer who's been accused by over 60 women of rape, sexual assault, and harrassment. Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers talks to Kamau about how he navigated the intense emotions around Cosby's legacy.Hear Kamau discussing different aspects of the series on Larry Willmore: Black on the Air and Fresh Air. For more on his work, visit wkamaubell.com.