72: Jed Rothstein on “The China Hustle”

Could China be responsible for the next Wall Street crash? Filmmaker Jed Rothstein explores that question in “The China Hustle.” After the 2008 market crash, American investors started paying close attention to the growth in Chinese companies. The film follows the founder of a small investment firm named Dan David who got bullish on Chinese companies until he sensed something was wrong. Then he switched to becoming a short seller and betting on their failure. Variety praised “The China Hustle" as “wildly entertaining” as it helps to explain the complex machinations of global finance.

Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers interviewed Rothstein in front of a live audience at New York's IFC Center for the Stranger Than Fiction series. Rothstein discusses his approach to David and other interview subjects including attorney Mitchell Nussbaum and General Wesley Clark.

The film’s executive producers have appeared on past episodes of Pure Nonfiction. Hear Alex Gibney on episode 16 (touching upon “Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room”) and episode 60 (focusing on Rolling Stone) ; and Frank Marshall on episode 44.

On Twitter: @boerumhillfilm @TheChinaHustle @thompowers @PureNonfiction

Pure Nonfiction is distributed by the TIFF podcast network.