Thom Powers

Thom Powers is the documentary programmer for the Toronto International Film Festival; and artistic director of America's largest documentary festival DOC NYC. He hosts the podcasts Pure Nonfiction for the TIFF podcast network and Documentary of the Week for New York's public radio station WNYC. He programs for the digital platform Sundance Now; the Miami Film Festival; and the Stranger Than Fiction series at New York's IFC Center. He is a co-founder of the Cinema Eye Honors; the Garrett Scott Documentary Grant; and the Montclair Film Festival. He teaches documentary producing at the School of Visual Arts; and previously taught for 12 years at New York University's SCPS. Before working as a festival programmer, Powers spent a decade directing documentaries for HBO and PBS; and had a previous career in publishing at Fantagraphics Books. He grew up in the Detroit suburbs and now lives with his wife Raphaela Neihausen and their son Bez in Montclair, New Jersey.