PN 17: Barbara Kopple - From Harlan County to Sharon Jones

Two-time Oscar winner Barbara Kopple is back with a new film about soul singer Sharon Jones in a year when she battles cancer and prepares for her comeback with The Dap Kings. In this wide-ranging interview with Thom Powers, she talks about her apprenticeship with the Maysles brothers; “Harlan County USA” on striking coal miners; “Wild Man Blues" about Woody Allen; “Shut Up and Sing” about the Dixie Chicks; and her latest “Miss Sharon Jones!” playing in theaters this summer.

Om Podcasten

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.