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228: Contessa Gayles on "Songs From the Hole"

Author
Pure Nonfiction
Published
Thu 28 Aug 2025
Episode Link
https://www.purenonfiction.net/episodes/228-contessa-gayles-on-songs-from-the-hole

"Songs From the Hole," now playing on Netflix, won the SXSW Audience Award and the Blackstar Jury Prize for its artful approach to telling a story about solitary confinement. "It's eye-opening in a way you may have forgotten your eyes could still be opened," wrote critic Daniel Fienberg in The Hollywood Reporter. Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers interviews director Contessa Gayles about her career path from working inside CNN to going independent. Her other films include "The Feminist on Cellblock Y" and "The Debutantes."

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