Mila Turajlić has spent over 20 years exploring the legacy of Yugoslavia. Now she has two new films that draw upon the extraordinary archive of cameraman Stevan Labudovic who traveled the world in the 1950s and 60s capturing the anti-colonial fight for independence across Africa and Asia. The films are "Non-Aligned" and "Ciné-Guerillas" both subtitled "Scenes from the Labudovic Reels." On Instagram: @purenonfiction @thompowers1 ..read more

"The Mother of All Lies" won the Cannes Film Festival directing prize for Un Certain Regard and was Morocco's official submission for the Oscars. First time filmmaker Asmae El Moudir discusses how she overcame obstacles in the eight year experience of making the film. Host Thom Powers interviewed Asmae in front of a live audience at the CPH:DOX festival. Watch the film's trailer. On Instagram: @purenonfiction @thompowers1 ..read more

"In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon" covers the highs and lows of the musician's career as he goes into the studio to create his most recent album "Seven Psalms" that was released in 2023 to critical acclaim. Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers interviewed filmmaker Alex Gibney live at the CPH:DOX festival in Copenhagen. Alex describes how he approached sensitive topics including the break up of Simon & Garfunkel, the importance of free association in filmmaking, and hard won lessons learned in his career. Hear our previous interviews with Alex Gibney on episodes 16, 86 and 101. On I ..read more

Carla Gutierrez is a renowned documentary editor, known for films such as "RBG" and "Julia." Now she makes her directorial debut with "Frida" about the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers interviews Carla about her bold choices to tell the story mainly through Frida's own words and bring movement to the paintings through animation. "Frida" is streaming on Amazon Prime, starting March 15, 2024. On Instagram: @purenonfiction @thompowers1 ..read more

Alissa Wilkinson stands out amongst film critics for writing extensively about documentaries. She was based at Vox.com for many years, but a few months ago she moved to The New York Times where she launched a column called Documentary Download. This was welcome news to Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers who years ago wrote the wishful post Wanted: Documentary Critics. Thom and Alissa discuss the state of film criticism and what's unique about reviewing nonfiction. For more on Alissa, see Alissawilkinson.com. On Instagram: @purenonfiction @thompowers1 ..read more

Filmmaker S. Leo Chiang reflects on the relations between Taiwan and China in the Oscar nominated short "Island in Between" streaming from The New York Times Op-Docs. Leo travels to the Kinmen Islands that belong to Taiwan, but lie near the coast of China on the front lines of geopolitics. Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers interviews Leo about the film and his career working between the United States, Taiwan and China. Leo discusses his 2019 documentary Our Time Machine, the PBS series Asian Americans, the creation of the Asian American Documentary Network, A-Doc, and his collaborations wi ..read more

Fifteen films have been chosen for the Oscars documentary short list, the round that comes before nominations. Pure Nonfiction partnered with The Ankler to spotlight seven of the Oscar contenders at a live event in Los Angeles on January 4, 2024. On this episode, host Thom Powers interviews Luke Lorentzen (A Still Small Voice), Nisha Pahuja (To Kill a Tiger), Lauren Domino (American Symphony), and Maite Alberdi (The Eternal Memory). Photo: The Ankler publisher Janice Min and podcast host Thom Powers ..read more

In "The Disappearance of Shere Hite," Oscar-nominated director Nicole Newnham ("Crip Camp") profiles the sex researcher who soared to success in the 1970s, but then faded into obscurity. Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers talks to Newnham about navigating Hite's complex personality, how the film team uncovered the author's private writings and brought them to life with the collaboration of Dakota Johnson. On Instagram: @purenonfiction @thompowers1 ..read more

Filmmaker Julie Cohen ("RBG") profiles three intersex activists in her new film "Every Body," now streaming on Peacock. One of those activists is Alicia Roth Weigel who recently published her memoir "Inverse Cowgirl". Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers interviews them about dispelling misinformation and celebrating intersex lives ..read more

In his new film "Silver Dollar Road", Oscar-nominated director Raoul Peck ("I Am Not Your Negro") focuses on the Reels family in North Carolina, who fought for decades to protect their waterfront property passed down from generation to generation. The film chronicles how the Reels withstood fraudulent land claims, violence, and having two family members sent to jail for eight years because they refused to vacate their home. Peck builds upon the work of reporter Lizzie Presser who wrote about the Reels in an article jointly published by ProPublica and The New Yorker; and videographer Mayeta Cla ..read more