Pure Nonfiction: Inside Documentary Film

Werner Herzog talks about the history of Germany, the Soviet Union and dispenses marital advice on this episode. His latest film “Meeting Gorbachev” is based on interviews he conducted with the former Soviet leader over 2017-18. The film was co-directed by his longtime producer André Singer.Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers interviewed Herzog at TIFF Doc […] The post 106: Werner Herzog on “Meeting Gorbachev” appeared first on Pure Nonfiction.

Kronos Quartet performs live for the documentary “A Thousand Thoughts” about the group’s history. The film is directed by Sam Green, who narrates the live performances, and Joe Bini. Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers interviews Green and Kronos founder David Harrington about this unique act of live cinema. On Twitter: @kronosquartet @PureNonfiction @thompowers The post 105: Sam Green & David Harrington on Kronos Quartet appeared first on Pure Nonfiction.

“Hail Satan?” looks at the Satanic Temple that started six years ago as political provocation and grew into an international movement. Director Penny Lane (“Our Nixon,” ‘Nuts!”) and producer Gabriel Sedgwick got drawn into the topic by a Village Voice article by Anna Merlan. Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers interviews Lane about key members of […] The post 104: Penny Lane on “Hail Satan?” appeared first on Pure Nonfiction.

Director Alison Klayman (“Ai Wei Wei: Never Sorry”) spent a year on the road with Steve Bannon as he met with European right wing leaders to spread his nationalist ideology. That journey is captured in “The Brink.” The film’s producer Marie Therese Guirgis started the project with a Bannon connection from outside politics. Fifteen years […] The post 103: Alison Klayman on Steve Bannon in “The Brink” appeared first on Pure Nonfiction.

“Cocaine Cowboys” director Billy Corben and producer Alfred Spellman talk to Pure Nonfiction  host Thom Powers about their new comic documentary “Screwball” covering  the baseball drug scandal that disgraced Yankee Alex Rodriguez and other players. Hear their previous interview on episode 42 discussing “Cocaine Cowboys.” On Twitter: @billycorben @alfredspellman @thompowers @PureNonfiction The post 102: Baseball on Drugs in “Screwball” appeared first on Pure Nonfiction.

HBO’s documentary “The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley” looks at the case of Elizabeth Holmes who created the company Theranos promising to revolutionize the field of blood-testing. The company swiftly rose to be valued at billions of dollars, but was eventually exposed as a fraud. Host Thom Powers interviews director Alex Gibney and […] The post 101: Alex Gibney on how Theranos fooled Silicon Valley appeared first on Pure Nonfiction.

Serial, the podcast, won millions of listeners to the story of the 1999 Baltimore murder of Hae Min Lee that sent her ex-boyfriend Adnan Syed to prison. Now the case is re-opened by private investigators in a new 4-part series “The Case Against Adnan Syed” on HBO. Episode one had its world premiere at Pure […] The post 100: Inside “The Case Against Adnan Syed” on HBO appeared first on Pure Nonfiction.

D.A. Pennebaker’s1970  documentary “Original Cast Album: Company” captures the dramatic recording session of the Stephen Sondheim musical. The film is a cult classic among Broadway fans. Now it’s the target of a loving parody in the third season of Documentary Now!, the IFC TV series created by Seth Meyers, Fred Armisen, Bill Hader and Rhys Thomas. Their […] The post 99: D.A. Pennebaker, Seth Meyers, John Mulaney & more on Stephen Sondheim’s “Company” appeared first on Pure Nonfiction.

“Three Identical Strangers,” “Shirkers” and the Oscar-nominated “Hale Country This Morning, This Evening” are the focus of this conversation about pushing stylistic boundaries in documentary. Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers interviewed the filmmakers at DOC NYC in November 2018. This is the fourth and final installment of conversations from the DOC NYC Short List. Previous […] The post 98: Tim Wardle, Sandi Tan & RaMell Ross on “Pushing Boundaries” appeared first on Pure Nonfiction.

Tribeca Audience Prize winner “United Skates” treats you to a dazzling display of roller skating styles in black communities across America. For several generations, roller rinks provided a place for skaters to come together in harmonious movement. Now that tradition is threatened by rinks closing throughout the country. Cities are more likely to give tax […] The post 97: “United Skates” with Tina Brown & Reggie Brown appeared first on Pure Nonfiction.

Syrian director Talal Derki has twice won the Sundance Film Festival’s World Cinema Best Documentary Award for “Return to Homs” and “Of Fathers and Sons.” That first film traced the early years of Syria’s civil war. Derki working with a team of camera people followed two peaceful protestors – national soccer star Abdul Basset Sarout […] The post 96: Talal Derki on filming in Syria appeared first on Pure Nonfiction.

“Free Solo,” “Minding the Gap,” “On Her Shoulders” and “The Sentence” are four outstanding documentaries from the past year that test the boundaries of filmmakers to keep a critical distance. Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers interviewed the filmmakers on a panel titled “Getting Personal” at the 2018 DOC NYC festival. Alexandria Bombach (“On Her Shoulders”) […] The post 95: Free Solo, Minding The Gap & Getting Personal appeared first on Pure Nonfiction.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Steve Bannon, Miles Davis & Toni Morrison are among the prominent documentary subjects at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers got an early look at many of the year’s most anticipated films. In this third annual Sundance preview, he shares exclusive clips and insights on what to expect. Films […] The post 94: Sundance 2019 Preview appeared first on Pure Nonfiction.

Cornel West, Wendy Brown and Rev William Barber are among the thinkers and activists captured in the new film “What is Democracy?”. Filmmaker Astra Taylor previously made two other documentaries on philosophers “Zizek!” and “Examined Life.” In addition to her work as a filmmaker, she’s also the author of “The People’s Platform” and the forthcoming “Democracy May […] The post 93: Astra Taylor on “What is Democracy?” appeared first on Pure Nonfiction.

In 1972, Aretha Franklin recorded her biggest selling album “Amazing Grace” as a live gospel performance over two nights at a Los Angeles church, under the direction of Reverend James Cleveland. The event was recorded by camera crews led by Sydney Pollack. Due to technical problems, the project was abandoned and the footage stored for […] The post 92: Aretha Franklin in “Amazing Grace,” Lost and Found appeared first on Pure Nonfiction.

The art of portrait documentaries is discussed with five filmmakers: Wim Wenders (“Pope Francis: A Man of His Word”), Rashida Jones and Alan Hicks (“Quincy”), Morgan Neville (“Won’t You Be My Neighbor?) and Susan Lacy (“Jane Fonda: A Life in Five Acts”). This conversation was recorded at DOC NYC before a live audience. The filmmakers […] The post 91: Mr. Rogers, Quincy Jones, Jane Fonda & Pope Francis Walk Into a Bar appeared first on Pure Nonfiction.

Filmmakers Michael Moore (Fahrenheit 11/9), Julie Cohen (RBG), Annie Sundberg (Reversing Roe) and Stephen Maing (Crime + Punishment) sat down with Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers for a panel called “Getting Political” at the DOC NYC PRO conference on November 9, 2018. The date marked the two year anniversary of Donald Trump’s election and came […] The post 90: Michael Moore, Julie Cohen, Annie Sundberg & Stephen Maing on “Getting Political” appeared first on Pure Nonfiction.

Short documentaries are thriving on platforms like Netflix, HBO and New York Times Op-Docs. This year, the DOC NYC festival picked 12 short docs for its first ever Short List: Shorts. Programmer Opal H. Bennett talks to Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers to highlight some the year’s leading Short Doc awards contenders that are currently […] The post 89: Opal H. Bennett on Short Documentaries appeared first on Pure Nonfiction.

Wim Wenders, Rashida Jones, and Michael Moore are among the hundreds of documentary filmmakers coming to New York City for the DOC NYC festival from November 8 to 15. DOC NYC artistic director and Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers gives a preview of the festival loaded with clips from films. He interviews key members of […] The post 88: DOC NYC Preview 2018 appeared first on Pure Nonfiction.

Winner of the 2018 Sundance Directing Award for World Documentary, Sandi Tan makes her debut with “Shirkers,” now on Netflix. She grew up in Singapore. As a teenager in the 1980s, she had an outsider’s sensibility, obsessed with punk rock, fanzines, and indie film. She took a film class from a middle-aged American man named […] The post 87: Sandi Tan on “Shirkers” appeared first on Pure Nonfiction.