Pure Nonfiction: Inside Documentary Film

Sex and technology are the focus of the new Netflix series “Hot Girls Wanted: Turned On.” Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers interviews the series’ creators Rashida Jones, Jill Bauer and Ronna Gradus. They previously made the similarly titled feature documentary “Hot Girls Wanted” about young women entering the world of amateur porn. Bauer and Gradus […] The post PN 46: Rashida Jones, Jill Bauer & Ronna Gradus on “Hot Girls Wanted” appeared first on Pure Nonfiction.

Jane Jacobs, author of “The Death and Life of Great American Cities,” changed the way we think of urban planning. Matt Tyrnauer’s new documentary “Citizen Jane” tells the story of her epic battles with New York power broker Robert Moses. On this episode, Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers interviews Tyrnauer about the film and his […] The post PN 45: Matt Tyrnauer on “Citizen Jane” appeared first on Pure Nonfiction.

“Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “Jurassic World” and “Sully” are among Frank Marshall’s stellar producing credits. Now his company Kennedy/Marshall has a documentary division. Their latest film is “Finding Oscar” about the search for a boy who survived an infamous 1982 massacre in Guatemala’s civil war in the jungle hamlet of Dos Erres. The film’s […] The post PN 44: From Indiana Jones to Guatemala’s Civil War – Frank Marshall & Ryan Suffern appeared first on Pure Nonfiction.

Steven Spielberg is the executive producer for the new 3-part Netflix series “Five Came Back” about the Hollywood directors who put their fiction careers on hold during World War II as they went to make propaganda documentaries for the U.S. government. The five were Frank Capra, John Ford, William Wyler, George Stevens and John Huston. […] The post PN 43: Laurent Bouzereau & Mark Harris on “Five Came Back” appeared first on Pure Nonfiction.

“Cocaine Cowboys” is a cult classic exploring the 1980s drug trade in Miami. Packaged like a gangster film, the documentary links the criminal underworld to the city’s real estate boom. On this episode of Pure Nonfiction, host Thom Powers interviews “Cocaine Cowboys” director Billy Corben and producer Alfred Spellman during the 2017 Miami Film Festival. […] The post PN 42: Made in Miami – Billy Corben & Alfred Spellman on “Cocaine Cowboys” appeared first on Pure Nonfiction.

Danae Elon’s latest film “P.S. Jerusalem” is a first person account of moving back to the city of her childhood after living abroad for 17 years. A key presence in the film is her late father Amos Elon who was a widely read author of books and essays on Israel. Before his death in 2009, […] The post PN 41: Danae Elon on “P.S. Jerusalem” appeared first on Pure Nonfiction.

“Eyes on the Prize” is a landmark documentary series chronicling the history of the civil rights movement. Debuting on public television in 1987, it remains just as riveting 30 years later. Now the making of the series is covered in a new book called “True South” by the filmmaker-turned-author Jon Else. He gives a vivid […] The post PN 40: “True South” – Jon Else on Henry Hampton & “Eyes on the Prize” appeared first on Pure Nonfiction.

“Chinatown” created a mythology out of California’s water politics. Now Marina Zenovich investigates a modern version of that story in her documentary “Water & Power: A California Heist” airing on National Geographic. Her film, executive produced by Alex Gibney, draws upon the reportage of journalist Mark Arax, questioning the collusion between California politicians and Big […] The post PN 39: Marina Zenovich on Roman Polanski & California’s water crisis appeared first on Pure Nonfiction.

New Orleans Saints football player Steve Gleason became a sports hero one year after Hurricane Katrina when he blocked a kick that became a symbol of the city’s comeback. In 2011, he announced he had ALS – known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease – that typically causes death in two to five years. The documentary “Gleason” […] The post PN 38: Clay Tweel on “Gleason” appeared first on Pure Nonfiction.

Hear the five Oscar nominated directors for Documentary Feature. We present highlights from our past interviews with filmmakers Roger Ross Williams (“Life, Animated”), Gianfranco Rosi (“Fire at Sea”), Ava DuVernay (“13th”), Ezra Edelman (“O.J.: Made in America”), and Raoul Peck (“I Am Not Your Negro”). Want to hear even more? Listen to these episodes: Ezra […] The post PN 37: Oscar Nominees for Documentary Feature appeared first on Pure Nonfiction.

John Heilemann, the veteran political reporter, is one of three creators – along with Mark Halperin and Mark McKinnon – of the new Showtime documentary “Trumped: Inside the Greatest Political Upset of All Time.” The project draws upon their reportage from the weekly series “The Circus” that spanned the entire campaign season over 26 episodes. […] The post PN 36: John Heilemann on “Trumped” appeared first on Pure Nonfiction.

Before Trump’s travel ban for Syrians, we sat down with Orwa Nyrabia at the Sundance Film Festival where he was attending workshops. Three years ago, he produced “Return to Homs,” directed by Talal Derki, about the resistance movement in his hometown. The film won Sundance’s Jury Prize for World Documentary and is now available on […] The post PN 35: Syrian Filmmaker Orwa Nyrabia In Exile appeared first on Pure Nonfiction.

The Sundance Film Festival is always full of surprises. Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers begins this episode with reflections on the 2017 festival and the real-life characters who passed through it. The center of the episode is a wide-ranging interview with Mohamed Nasheed, the former president of the Maldives, who was profiled in the 2011 […] The post PN 34: Island President Mohamed Nasheed in Exile appeared first on Pure Nonfiction.

The Sundance Film Festival remains a hot spot for launching documentary films. Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers got an early look at several films premiering at the festival. In Part One of the podcast, he previews prominent trends from the U.S. Documentary Competition represented by the films “Trophy”, “The Force” and “Strong Island”; and notable […] The post PN 33: Inside Sundance with Josh Braun appeared first on Pure Nonfiction.

What mystery lies behind the windowless building in Manhattan at 33 Thomas Street? In the short documentary “Project X,” Oscar-winning filmmaker Laura Poitras (“Citizenfour”) teams with journalist Henrik Moltke to explore the building’s secrets. The film employs the voices of actors Rami Malek and Michelle Williams reading from NSA documents in the Snowden archives. Now […] The post PN 32: Laura Poitras & Henrik Moltke on Project X appeared first on Pure Nonfiction.

Bryan Stevenson, Raoul Peck & Ezra Edelman took part in a panel titled “American Histories,” moderated by Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers. It took place at the DOC NYC festival just three days after Donald Trump was elected President. The discussion covers three films – “I Am Not Your Negro,” directed by Peck; “OJ: Made […] The post PN 31: Race, History, Trump & Documentary appeared first on Pure Nonfiction.

Sheila Nevins is a lover and a fighter. When she joined HBO in its early years, the label “documentary” evoked something educational. She turned it into something entertaining with her passion and tenacity. In this wide ranging interview with host Thom Powers, Nevins discusses her early days working with the Maysles brothers, her forays into […] The post PN 30: Madam President: Sheila Nevins on HBO Documentary Films appeared first on Pure Nonfiction.

Volcanoes are the focus of Werner Herzog’s new film “Into the Inferno,” now playing on Netflix. He teams with volcanologist Dr. Clive Oppenheimer (author of “Eruptions that Shook the World”) to visit volcanoes in the South Pacific, Indonesia, Iceland, North Korea and beyond. They first met at the top of Antarctica’s volcano Mt Erebus during […] The post PN 29: Werner Herzog on “Into the Inferno” appeared first on Pure Nonfiction.

Winner of the Berlin Film Festival’s top jury prize in 2016, “Fire at Sea” takes place on the Italian island of Lampedusa. Located near the African coast, Lampedusa is a prime destination for refugees traveling by boat. Filmmaker Gianfranco Rosi spent months filming with residents of the island and on board an Italian Navy ship […] The post PN 28: Gianfranco Rosi on “Fire at Sea” appeared first on Pure Nonfiction.

After “Super Size Me,” director Morgan Spurlock teamed with producer Jeremy Chilnick to form the production company Warrior Poets. Their latest film is “Rats,” based on the book by Robert Sullivan, conceived as a nonfiction horror movie. The film uses New York exterminator Ed Sheehan as a fountain of knowledge about vermin as it examines […] The post PN 27: Morgan Spurlock & Jeremy Chilnick on “Rats” appeared first on Pure Nonfiction.