Hear the world's top storytellers talk all things documentary film. Host Thom Powers is as well-connected as it gets in this world as a documentary curator for TIFF and other renowned festivals. He wrote the book "Mondo Documentary" that is “required reading for fans of nonfiction cinema,” says Judd Apatow. Our podcast guests range from documentary legends to emerging talent. Follow us on Instagram and Substack at @purenonfiction.
239: Poh Si Teng on "American Doctor"
American Doctor (2026) · Jun 4, 2026
234: Ryan White & Megan Falley on "Come See Me in the Good Light"
Come See Me in the Good Light (2025) · Jan 5, 2026
232: Apocalypse in the Tropics
Apocalypse in the Tropics (2025) · Dec 4, 2025
228: Contessa Gayles on "Songs From the Hole"
Songs from the Hole (2024) · Aug 28, 2025
227: Heidi Ewing & Rachel Grady on "Folktales"
Folktales (2025) · Jul 24, 2025
220: Jeremy Workman on "Secret Mall Apartment"
Secret Mall Apartment (2025) · Mar 27, 2025
216: "Queendom" with Agniia Galdanova & Igor Myakotin
Queendom (2021) · Jan 7, 2025
214: Adam Kinzinger & Steve Pink on "The Last Republican"
The Last Republican (2024) · Jan 2, 2025
213: Alex Gibney & Alexis Bloom on "The Bibi Files"
The Bibi Files (2024) · Dec 31, 2024
208: Johan Grimonprez on "Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat"
Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat (2024) · Nov 21, 2024
204: Shiori Ito on "Black Box Diaries"
Black Box Diaries (2024) · Oct 24, 2024
203: Elevating documentary craft in "Nocturnes"
Nocturnes (2024) · Oct 17, 2024
202: On filming "Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story"
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (2024) · Oct 10, 2024
201: Angela Patton & Natalie Rae Robison on "Daughters"
Daughters (2020) · Oct 3, 2024
199: "No Other Land" directors Basel Adra and Yuval Abraham
No Other Land (2024) · Sep 5, 2024
196: Jeff Zimbalist on "Skywalkers: A Love Story"
Skywalkers: A Love Story (2024) · Jul 18, 2024
195: Rethinking Louis C.K. in "Sorry / Not Sorry"
Sorry/Not Sorry (2024) · Jul 11, 2024
194: "Copa 71" Restores a Lost History
Copa 71 (2024) · Jun 20, 2024
190: Chris Wilcha — from "This American Life" to "Flipside"
Flipside (2022) · Jun 6, 2024
188: Margreth Olin on "Songs of Earth"
Songs of Earth (2023) · May 23, 2024
184: Clair Titley on "The Contestant"
The Contestant (2007) · May 2, 2024
180: Asmae El Moudir on "The Mother of All Lies"
The Mother of All Lies (2024) · Mar 28, 2024
177: Carla Gutierrez on "Frida"
Frida (2024) · Mar 7, 2024
175: S. Leo Chiang on "Island in Between"
Island in Between (2023) · Feb 15, 2024
172: Nicole Newnham on “The Disappearance of Shere Hite”
The Disappearance of Shere Hite (2023) · Nov 30, 2023
171: "Every Body" Profiles Intersex Activists
Every Body (2023) · Nov 22, 2023
170: Raoul Peck on "Silver Dollar Road"
Silver Dollar Road (2023) · Nov 16, 2023
169: Mstyslav Chernov on “20 Days in Mariupol"
20 Days in Mariupol (2023) · Oct 26, 2023
168: Vinay Shukla on "While We Watched"
While We Watched (2023) · Oct 5, 2023
167: Sébastien Lifshitz on "Casa Susanna"
Casa Susanna (2022) · Aug 24, 2023
166: Maite Alberdi on "The Eternal Memory"
The Eternal Memory (2023) · Aug 17, 2023
165: D. Smith on "Kokomo City"
Kokomo City (2023) · Aug 10, 2023
162: Roger Ross Williams on Donna Summer, "The 1619 Project" and "Cassandro"
Cassandro (2023) · May 30, 2023
161: Elvis Mitchell on "Is That Black Enough for You?!?"
Is That Black Enough for You?!? (2022) · May 18, 2023
159: Lisa Cortés on "Little Richard: I Am Everything"
Little Richard: I Am Everything (2023) · May 4, 2023
158: Harry Belafonte on "Sing Your Song"
Sing Your Song (2012) · Apr 27, 2023
157: E. Chai Vasarhelyi & Jimmy Chin on "Wild Life"
Wild Life (2023) · Apr 13, 2023
156: Chase Joynt Explores Transgender History in "Framing Agnes"
Framing Agnes (2022) · Apr 6, 2023
155: Daniel Roher on "Navalny"
Navalny (2022) · Mar 3, 2023
154: Oscar-nominated Shaunak Sen on "All That Breathes"
All That Breathes (2022) · Feb 7, 2023
152: Violet Du Feng on "Hidden Letters"
Hidden Letters (2024) · Jan 10, 2023
151: Rebeca Huntt on "Beba"
Beba (2022) · Dec 5, 2022
150: “La Madrina” of the South Bronx
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022) · Apr 14, 2022
147: Stanley Nelson on "Attica" and a Retrospective
Attica (2021) · Jan 29, 2022
146: Alex Pritz on “The Territory” at Sundance
The Territory (2022) · Jan 27, 2022
145: Joe Hunting on “We Met in Virtual Reality” at Sundance
We Met in Virtual Reality (2022) · Jan 25, 2022
144: Ramin Bahrani on “2nd Chance” at Sundance
2nd Chance (2022) · Jan 23, 2022
143: Isabel Castro on “Mija” at Sundance
Mija (2022) · Jan 21, 2022
142: Sara Dosa on “Fire of Love” at Sundance
Fire of Love (2022) · Jan 19, 2022
141: Richard Rowley on “American Insurrection”
American Insurrection (2021) · Jan 6, 2022
140: Ry Russo-Young on her “Nuclear Family”
Nuclear Family (2021) · Dec 9, 2021
137: Sonia Kennebeck on “Enemies of the State”
Enemies of the State (2021) · Aug 11, 2021
133: Remembering Leon Gast & “When We Were Kings”
When We Were Kings (1996) · Mar 18, 2021
128: Bao Nguyen on Bruce Lee in “Be Water”
Be Water (2020) · Jan 21, 2021
124: Jeff Orlowski on “The Social Dilemma”
The Social Dilemma (2020) · Oct 7, 2020
119: Going Undercover with “The Mole Agent”
The Mole Agent (2020) · Sep 2, 2020
113: Inside "American Factory"
American Factory (2019) · Jan 30, 2020
106: Werner Herzog on “Meeting Gorbachev”
Meeting Gorbachev (2019) · Apr 25, 2019
104: Penny Lane on "Hail Satan?"
Hail Satan? (2019) · Apr 11, 2019
103: Alison Klayman on Steve Bannon in “The Brink”
The Brink (2015) · Apr 4, 2019
102: Baseball on Drugs in “Screwball”
Screwball (2019) · Mar 28, 2019
97: "United Skates" with Tina Brown & Reggie Brown
United Skates (2018) · Feb 14, 2019
93: Astra Taylor on “What is Democracy?”
What Is Democracy? (2018) · Jan 17, 2019
92: Aretha Franklin in “Amazing Grace,” Lost and Found
Amazing Grace (2018) · Dec 6, 2018
87: Sandi Tan on “Shirkers"
Shirkers (2018) · Oct 25, 2018
84: Matt Tyrnauer on “Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood”
Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood (2018) · Jul 26, 2018
83: Jason Kohn on "Love Means Zero"
Love Means Zero (2017) · Jul 19, 2018
81: Tim Wardle on “Three Identical Strangers”
Three Identical Strangers (2018) · Jul 5, 2018
80: Jonathan Safran Foer & Christopher Quinn on “Eating Animals”
Eating Animals (2018) · Jun 28, 2018
78: Liz Garbus on The New York Times in "The Fourth Estate"
The Fourth Estate (2018) · May 31, 2018
72: Jed Rothstein on “The China Hustle”
The China Hustle (2018) · Apr 5, 2018
PN 67: “Control Room” Revisited with Josh Rushing
Control Room (2004) · Feb 23, 2018
PN 66: Attorney Gloria Allred on “Seeing Allred”
Seeing Allred (2018) · Feb 15, 2018
PN 61: Jennifer Brea on “Unrest”
Unrest (2017) · Dec 21, 2017
PN 59: Yance Ford on "Strong Island"
Strong Island (2017) · Nov 30, 2017
PN 56: Agnès Varda & JR on “Faces Places”
Faces Places (2017) · Oct 19, 2017
PN 55: Frederick Wiseman - From "Titicut Follies" to "Ex Libris”
Titicut Follies (1967) · Sep 6, 2017
PN 50: D.A. Pennebaker on "Monterey Pop" at 50
Monterey Pop (1968) · Jun 22, 2017
PN 49: Steve James From "Hoop Dreams" to "Abacus"
Hoop Dreams (1994) · May 18, 2017
PN 46: Rashida Jones, Jill Bauer & Ronna Gradus on "Hot Girls Wanted"
Hot Girls Wanted (2015) · Apr 27, 2017
PN 45: Matt Tyrnauer on "Citizen Jane"
Citizen Jane (2009) · Apr 20, 2017
PN 43: Laurent Bouzereau & Mark Harris on “Five Came Back"
Five Came Back (2017) · Apr 6, 2017
PN 42: Made in Miami - Billy Corben & Alfred Spellman on “Cocaine Cowboys”
Cocaine Cowboys (2006) · Mar 30, 2017
PN 41: Danae Elon on “P.S. Jerusalem”
P.S. Jerusalem (2015) · Mar 23, 2017
PN 38: Clay Tweel on “Gleason"
Gleason (2016) · Feb 23, 2017
PN 29: Werner Herzog on “Into the Inferno”
Into the Inferno (2016) · Nov 3, 2016
PN 28: Gianfranco Rosi on “Fire at Sea”
Fire at Sea (2016) · Oct 27, 2016
PN 27: Morgan Spurlock & Jeremy Chilnick on “Rats”
Rats (2003) · Oct 20, 2016
PN 25: Directing "Amanda Knox”
Amanda Knox (2016) · Oct 6, 2016
PN 24: Kirsten Johnson on “Cameraperson”
Cameraperson (2016) · Sep 29, 2016
PN 13: “Life, Animated” director Roger Ross Williams
Life, Animated (2016) · Jun 30, 2016
PN 12: Talking “Tickled" with David Farrier & Dylan Reeve
Tickled (2016) · Jun 23, 2016