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Why John Wilson made a documentary about concrete

October 29, 2026 · 25 min

Show notes

Documentary filmmaker John Wilson has a very particular way of seeing the world. For his acclaimed HBO series How To With John Wilson, he wandered the streets of New York City with a camera, following his curiosity into some bizarre and unexpectedly moving encounters with ordinary people. Now, he’s released his first feature documentary, The History of Concrete, using a similarly unconventional approach. John talks to Tom Power about how the camera has helped him connect with people in ways he never thought possible, why it was so hard to fund a movie about cement, and how a mundane material led to an unexpectedly spiritual reflection on impermanence.

All episodes of Q with Tom Power

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