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.Subscribe to our Substack newsletter Doc Voices.On Instagram: @purenonfiction@thompowers1
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221: Sinead O'Shea on Edna O'Brien
"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." Subscribe to our Substack newsletter Doc Voices.On Instagram: @purenonfiction @thompowers1
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220: Jeremy Workman on "Secret Mall Apartment"
“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.Subscribe to our Substack newsletter Doc Voices.On Instagram: @purenonfiction @thompowers1
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219: Frederick Wiseman at 95
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.Subscribe to our Substack newsletter Doc Voices.On Instagram: @purenonfiction @thompowers1
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218: Shortlisters, part 2
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.Subscribe to our Substack newsletter Doc Voices.On Instagram: @purenonfiction @thompowers1
If you love documentary films, hear from the top storytellers on Pure Nonfiction. Host Thom Powers is well-connected in this world as a documentary curator for the Toronto International Film Festival, DOC NYC, and SundanceNow Doc Club. He leads conversations that are frank, funny and revealing. Listen to interviews with Oscar-winning filmmakers Barbara Kopple, Alex Gibney, and Roger Ross Williams; as well as the directors of “Making a Murderer,” “Weiner” and “OJ: Made in America.” Often the stories behind the scenes are as dramatic as what’s on the screen. On Twitter, Facebook, Instagram: @purenonfiction. Subscribe now.
Ireland