Pure Nonfiction: Inside Documentary Film

Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady have been making films as a team for over 20 years. They have a fierce dedication to the art of observational documentary, even as that form becomes harder to finance. Among their celebrated titles are One of Us, 12th & Delaware, and the Oscar-nominated Jesus Camp. Their latest film Folktales follows three teens in Norway learning outdoor survival skills at a folk high school where they bond with sled dogs. The film is being distributed to U.S. theaters by Magnolia Pictures. 

Hear our previous interview with Heidi and Rachel from 2016 talking about Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You on episode 14.

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Our Emmy contender conversations conclude with a look at three stand out biographies. Host Thom Powers interviews these directors:

R.J. Cutler on "Martha" (Netflix) 

David Gelb with cinematographer Adam Bricker on "Chef's Table: Legends" (Netflix)

Laurent Bouzereau on "Music By John Williams" (Disney+)

Recorded live in Los Angeles at Documentary Spotlight, co-presented by The Ankler.

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Thom Powers hosts conversations on three Emmy contenders:

"Will & Harper" (Netflix) with participant Harper Steele

"Social Studies" (FX) with director Lauren Greenfield and participants Sydney Shear, Dominic Brown, Jonathan Gelfond

"Chimp Crazy" (HBO) with director Eric Goode and executive producer Jeremy McBride

Recorded live in Los Angeles on June 8, 2025 at Documentary Spotlight, co-presented by The Ankler.

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Recorded live in New York City, Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers interviews the filmmakers behind four Emmy contenders:

Michelle Khare of "Challenge Accepted" (YouTube)

Lance Oppenheim of "Ren Faire" (Max)

Liz Garbus of "Gone Girls: The Long Island Serial Killer" (Netflix)

"The Fall of Diddy" (ID) team of Mary Robertson, Emma Schwartz, Yoruba Richen 

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Live from New York City, Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers interviews the directors behind several projects contending for Emmy nominations:

Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson on "Ladies and Gentlemen...50 Years of SNL Music" from Peacock; and "Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius)" from Hulu

Reginald Hudlin on "Number One on the Call Sheet" from Apple TV+

David Tedeschi on "Beatles ‘64" from Disney+

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Kenya's Sam Soko is a prominent figure in the rising wave of African documentary. He won international attention for his films Softie and Free Money at Sundance, TIFF and elsewhere. In this interview recorded at CPH:DOX, he explains there's a new crisis for African documentary. Cutbacks at USAID have hurt filmmakers who relied on NGOs for work. Whether or not you've seen Sam's films, this conversation evokes a critical moment for global storytelling. 

Titles mentioned in his conversation include: Softie, Free Money, Matabeleland, and The Battle for Laikipia.

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"Blue Road: The Edna O'Brien Story" profiles the Irish novelist who broke taboos both in her writing and her personal life. Her early novels were denounced by the Catholic Church and banned by the Irish Censor Board. This stunning film puts her legacy into a new perspective. "Blue Road" premiered at TIFF and is now playing in theaters in Ireland and the UK, but hasn't yet found U.S. distribution. Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers interviews director Sinead O'Shea whose previous films include "Pray for Our Sinners" and "A Mother Brings Her Son to be Shot." 

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“Secret Mall Apartment” tells the story of a group of artists who found a hidden space a Rhode Island mega mall that they occupied for four years while evading security. Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers interviews Jeremy Workman about how he convinced the artists to tell their story after they had turned down other documentary makers for over 15 years. He also discusses his day job editing movie trailers; and what he learned from his father, the filmmaker Chuck Workman.

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Frederick Wiseman: An American Institution is the title of a career retrospective currently running at New York's Film at Lincoln Center through March 5. Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers interviews Wiseman at age 95 about how he maintained his independence for over five decades. They discuss a range of topics including what's happening with his 2005 documentary "The Garden" that was never released.

Hear our previous interview with Wiseman on episode 55. You can also find his films on Kanopy.

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Four interviews about films on the Oscars Shortlist for Documentary Feature: supervising editor David Teague and animator Renata Galindo on FRIDA; co-director Angela Patton on DAUGHTERS; producer Rafael Marmor on WILL & HARPER; director Shiori Ito on BLACK BOX DIARIES. Recorded live in New York City on January 5, 2025 at Documentary Spotlight, co-presented by Pure Nonfiction and The Ankler, and moderated by Thom Powers.

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On Instagram: @purenonfiction @thompowers1