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Cinemafile

Mike Kaspar

Cinemafile showcases the very best in independent, documentary and foreign films through our conversations with the more than 2,000 filmmakers who made them. Through Cinemafile we will do our best to bring the most interesting and accomplished filmmakers from around the world to your attention.

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  • English

Episodes 39

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  • S1 · E272
    Yesterday · 12 min

    Brailled It - Co-directors David Grabias & Brendon Schulze & Salome & Isaiah & Chris

    Every year, the top under-18 braille readers and writers from across the English-speaking world gather in Los Angeles to compete in the Braille Challenge. For one weekend, blind and low-vision kids are no longer the minority in the room. They're competing, forming friendships, going head-to-head against rivals, and being recognized not for their disability, but for their skill. In the captivating documentary film, BRAILLED IT, the camera is placed directly in their hands. As the kids document the competition themselves, their fragmented imagery and candid moments of nerves, boredom, joy, and triumph invite audiences to experience the event on their terms. Designed with audio description and accessibility at its core–not as an afterthought but as a fundamental creative tool–the film shifts authorship and perspective to the community on screen, revealing a world defined not by limitation, but by mastery, ambition, and the transformative power of literacy. Co-director David Grabias joins us to talk about this raucous and heartwarming film about a group of young people who want to be seen and heard. BRAILLED IT will open in select theaters nationwide beginning September 2026, with additional markets and community screenings to follow. Live brailling demonstrations, where audiences can have their name or short phrase brailled for them, will be held at many screenings, along with same-day filmmaking workshops for blind/low-vision youth. Screening dates and information can be found at brailledit.com. About the filmmakers - Suncatcher Productions is a women and disabled-led boutique film distribution company that amplifies intentional, representative stories to awaken audiences. Suncatcher specializes in theatrical distribution and prioritizes films about women, people with disabilities, and the environment. Since 2023, Suncatcher has led the theatrical release for thirteen feature films, including To Kill A Tiger, an Academy Award® nominee for Best Documentary Feature, and Slamdance winner Good Bad Things, a disability-themed rom-com that Suncatcher sold to Hulu and Music Box Films.

  • S1 · E271
    Monday · 21 min

    You Had to Be There - Director Nick Davis

    YOU HAD TO BE THERE is a hilarious, emotional, and revelatory documentary about the legendary 1972 Canadian production of Godspell that changed entertainment forever. The Toronto production of the musical about the life of Jesus starred a then-unknown cast of Martin Short, Eugene Levy, Gilda Radner, Victor Garber, Andrea Martin, Dave Thomas, et al, with Paul Shaffer serving as musical director – a crazy confluence of talent rivaling ‘Paris in the 20s.’ The production lit the spark that ignited the comedy revolution that followed, leading to Saturday Night Live, SCTV, and a host of movies and TV shows all the way up to Schitts’ Creek and Only Murders in the Building. The film features interviews with all the surviving members of the cast, plus Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mike Myers, and other show business luminaries who testify to the production’s profound and lasting influence. YOU HAD TO BE THERE is a hilarious, emotional, and revelatory documentary about the legendary 1972 Canadian production of Godspell that changed entertainment forever. The Toronto production of the musical about the life of Jesus starred a then-unknown cast of Martin Short, Eugene Levy, Gilda Radner, Victor Garber, Andrea Martin, Dave Thomas, et al, with Paul Shaffer serving as musical director – a crazy confluence of talent rivaling ‘Paris in the 20s.’ The production lit the spark that ignited the comedy revolution that followed, leading to Saturday Night Live, SCTV, and a host of movies and TV shows all the way up to Schitts’ Creek and Only Murders in the Building. The film features interviews with all the surviving members of the cast, plus Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mike Myers, and other show business luminaries who testify to the production’s profound and lasting influence. About the filmmaker - Nick Davis is a filmmaker and writer. Most recently he directed and produced YOU HAD TO BE THERE, a documentary about the 1972 Toronto production of Godspell. His film TED WILLIAMS: “THE GREATEST HITTER WHO EVER LIVED,” aired in 2018 on PBS’ American Masters series. Among his other films are BLOOD, SWEAT + GEARS, a documentary about a cycling team devoted to riding clean, JACK: THE LAST KENNEDY FILM, an Emmy-Award winning portrait of John F. Kennedy, which Davis directed for CBS. He performed with Gotham City Improv and You And What Army, and graduated from Harvard, where he was a founding member of the improv group On Thin Ice. He and Jane Mendelsohn recently formed Series of Dreams, whose current film is THIS ORDINARY THING, a film about non-Jews who helped Jews during the Holocaust. Featuring the voices of Helen Mirren, Jeremy Irons, Stephen Fry, Carrie Coon, and F. Murray Abraham among others, the film was nominated for a Cinema For Peace Dove Award and is currently streaming on iTunes, Amazon Prime, and other major streamers.

  • S1 · E270
    Sunday · 17 min

    You Can’t be Neutral on a Moving Train - Co-directors Deb Ellis & Denis Mueller

    You Con’t be Neutral on a Moving Train looks at the amazing life of the renowned historian, activist and author, Howard Zinn. Following his early days as a shipyard labor organizer and bombardier in World War II, Zinn became an academic rebel and leader of civil disobedience in a time of institutionalized racism and war. His influential writings shine light on and bring voice to factory workers, immigrant laborers, African Americans, Native Americans and the working poor. Featuring rare archival materials and interviews with Zinn and colleagues such as Noam Chomsky, You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train captures the essence of this extraordinary man who has been a catalyst for progressive change for more than 60 years. Narrated by Matt Damon • Featuring music by Pearl Jam, Woody Guthrie & Billy Bragg. Now available on https://www.ovid.tv About the filmmaker - Deb Ellis is a documentary filmmaker whose work includes the Academy Award short-listed film, HOWARD ZINN: YOU CAN’T BE NEUTRAL ON A MOVING TRAIN. This film was released theatrically on over 100 screens across the country, has had several multi-year broadcast contracts, and is still actively distributed on DVD and streaming video by First Run Features. Deb is currently finishing a film about Iraq and Afghan War veterans AWOL in Canada, PEACE HAS NO BORDERS. Deb is Associate Professor in the Film and Television Studies Program at the University of Vermont. About the filmmaker - Director Denis Mueller has been making films for 30 years. HOWARD ZINN: YOU CAN’T BE NEUTRAL ON A MOVING TRAIN was broadcast on the Sundance Channel, Link TV, and Free Speech Television. It was short-listed for an Academy Award nomination in 2005 and has recently been showed on Vermont PBS and the Savoy Theatre. Denis’ various films have been released on DVD and have also seen theatrical distribution.Beginning with the award-winning, FBI’S WAR ON BLACK AMERICA, which was co-produced and co-directed with Deb Ellis, he has charted the abuses by the FBI and other government agencies for over 20 years and has built an audience surrounding the subject throughout the years. Denis recently completed PEACE HAS NO BORDERS with collaborator Deb Ellis. He also was the co-director of the film, NELSON ALGREN: THE END IS NOTHING, THE ROAD IS ALL which recently was broadcast on Vermont Public Television, WTTW PBS and presented at The American Documentary Festival. His new film PEACE HAS NO BORDERS received an audience award at the Vermont Film Festival.

  • S1 · E94
    Sunday · 23 min

    *From the Archive* Wisdom of Happiness - Co-directors Barbara Miller

    Co-directors Barbara Miller and Philip Delaquis WISDOM OF HAPPINESS shows us a timeless truth: happiness is still possible, even in the midst of chaos and uncertainty. This powerful message of hope is delivered as a personal audience with one of the greatest living thinkers, Nobel Peace Prize winner, Tenzin Gyatso, known to billions around the world as the Dalai Lama. Speaking as a member of our single global community, he shares practical wisdom for finding peace, compassion, and hope in the midst of chaos. With disarming clarity and deep humanity, he invites us to imagine — and help create — a world where compassion is activated as our strongest force for change, and happiness is within reach for everyone. Co-director Barbara Miller (War Photographer, Domestic Violence) to talk about meeting the Dalai Lama in 1982, sitting down with one of the world’s greatest living thinkers the and 14th Dalai Lama for an on-camera interview, capturing the hardships that he and the people of Tibet have endured and working with Executive Producer Richard Gere.

  • S1 · E194
    Saturday · 18 min

    *Best of 2026* - Ghost in the Machine - Director Valerie Veatch

    Director Valerie Veatch navigates the torrential rapids of artificial intelligence with this mind-expanding investigative essay documentary that excavates the philosophical, cultural and political forces driving the global AI boom. Ghost in the Machine approaches ubiquitous questions like “What is AI?”, “Who is building it?”, and “What will humans become?” by exploring how emerging technologies have historically reshaped identity, culture and global power — while also exposing the current fronts of human exploitation without which AI would not function. Premiering at Sundance, Ghost in the Machine is a burningly urgent self-funded documentary treatise connecting the historic and on-going links between AI and eugenics. It pulls on nearly forty Zoom interviews with historians, scholars, computer scientists, and human rights activists, which are collaged together with archival clips. The film draws a fat sharpie marker line across time to make the lineages clear. The film slaps key conceptual post-it notes on the wall, such as how the term “Artificial Intelligence” was concocted as a marketing term to raise research funds. The concept of intelligence and the field of statistics were constructed to justify white supremacy. And the current promises of super-intelligence are merely pseudoscience drawing on those legacies of hype and racism. Valerie Veatch joins us for a spirited conversation. About the filmmaker - Hailing from London by way of New York by way of Seattle, Valerie Veatch is an acclaimed independent documentary filmmaker. Veatch is a writer, director, and producer of documentaries "Me @ The Zoo" (HBO), "Love Child" (HBO). Veatch is a graduate of the New School for Social Research with a degree in Culture and Media Studies. Her award-winning work deals with the intersection of technology and society. Her latest film is the documentary Ghost in the Machine, which premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival.

  • S1 · E269
    Friday · 15 min

    The Natural State Director Matthew Dougherty

    In 1989, Julie Thayer, a wealthy mother from New York City, went to the Swiss Alps to have her ego destroyed. The man she chose for the job was U.G. Krishnamurti, a radical Indian anti-guru who refused followers, refused donations, and told everyone who came to him to go away. Julie stayed — and filmed everything. The Natural State is built from that archive, hundreds of hours unseen for decades, and from the private journals Julie kept as U.G.'s psychological "blasting" carried her from states of ecstasy to the brink of devastation. The film's executive producers, Jane Campion and legendary Indian filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, both knew U.G. personally. Bhatt spent decades at his side and wrote his biography; Campion modeled Top of the Lake's guru GJ — Holly Hunter's enigmatic mystic — on her late friend. Director and co-editor of The Natural State Matthew Dougherty joins us in conversation. About the filmmaker - Matthew Dougherty is an award-winning filmmaker, editor, and IDA-nominated composer based in New York's Catskill Mountains. His composition work includes the IDA-nominated score for the 2025 SXSW Grand Jury Prize-winner Shuffle; the HBO documentary Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero; and Sundance premieres Kim's Video, Mardi Gras: Made in China, and Girl Model. After more than a decade of development, The Natural State is his directorial debut. About the filmmaker - Executive Producer Jane Campion is an Academy Award and Palme d'Or winning director, writer and producer. Her films and TV series include Power of the Dog, The Piano and Top of the Lake. Jane knew U.G. personally and the character G.J. played by Holly Hunter - in her TV series Top of the Lake is based on him. Jane is actively involved as a creative advisor on The Natural State. About the filmmaker - Executive Producer Mahesh Bhatt is a five-time National Film Award winning director, writer and producer, and one of the most influential figures in Hindi cinema. His films include Arth, Saaransh and Zakhm. Mahesh knew U.G. intimately for over thirty years and has written three books about him, including the best-selling biography U.G. Krishnamurti: A Life.

  • S1 · E268
    Thursday · 16 min

    The Hummingbird Paints Fragrant Songs - Co-directors Matteo Norzi & Èlia Gasull Balada

    Sara Flores, a visionary practitioner of kené—the design system of the Shipibo People—spent a lifetime with little recognition before finding herself, in her seventies, suddenly embraced by the global contemporary art world. As gallery invitations, a Dior collaboration, and international travel transform her family's fortunes, Sara struggles to reconcile her simple lifeway with the excesses of the West. When her body begins to fail, medical tests offer no clear answers, and an ayahuasca ceremony reveals a spiritual cause tied to both the evil eye of a neighbor and the Amazon's environmental crisis. On the day of her 75th birthday, Sara opens up in a stream of thought to her pet monkey, expressing a new awareness of her mortality. It's a political awakening that leads her to join a group of young land defenders fighting to reclaim Shipibo ancestral territory. After a trip to the United Nations in New York alongside the group's leader, Sara comes up with an idea on how to turn her art into activism. She decides to use the commission for her first museum exhibition in Lima to address the Peruvian state and begin a new body of work centered on the dream of Indigenous sovereignty: a flag for her Indigenous Nation. Directors Matteo Norzi and Èlia Gasull Balada join us in conversation about the gorgeous film. About the filmmakers - Èlia Gasull Balada is a NAACP Image Award-nominated filmmaker. In 2021, she was listed in the DOC NYC 40 under 40 list, and in 2023 she was selected to be part of the Berlinale Talents. Èlia has extensively worked as an editor and writer for documentaries and narrative films. Films include THE REBELLIOUS LIFE OF MRS. ROSA PARKS (Tribeca 2022), which won a Peabody Award and a Gracie Award, and received a Television Academy Honor. The Emmy and Peabody nominee THE SIT-IN: HARRY BELAFONTE HOSTS THE TONIGHT SHOW (Tribeca 2021) and the Emmy and Grammy nominee THE KING (Cannes 2017). On the narrative side, she edited SON OF MONARCHS, winner of the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival and worked on ICAROS: A VISION, which premiered at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival. More recent credits include SONS OF DETROIT (DOC NYC 2025) and NUMBER ONE ON THE CALL SHEET (Apple TV 2025). About the filmmaker - Matteo Norzi is an artist, writer, filmmaker, and Indigenous rights activist, born in Italy, and based in New York. His acclaimed directorial debut, the feature film ICAROS: A VISION, marked his first major collaboration with the Shipibo People and premiered in competition at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival. With years of firsthand experience and in-depth research on Amazonian cultures, he is the co-founder and executive director of The Shipibo-Conibo Center, the nonprofit organization that has brought to international recognition artists such as Sara Flores and Celia Vásquez Yui and that acts as the cultural advisor for this film.

  • S1 · E266
    September 9 · 16 min

    The Oldest Person in the World - Director Sam Green

    THE OLDEST PERSON IN THE WORLD is a decade-long odyssey chronicling the ever-changing record holders of the title of oldest person alive. As the title inevitably passes from one supercentenarian to the next, acclaimed filmmaker Sam Green traverses the globe to meet each new record holder, his personal fascination with what the title means becoming entangled with events and milestones in his own life. What begins as a portrait of longevity becomes a poignant meditation on the passage of time, the randomness of fate and the joy and profound human experience of being alive. Green encapsulates what it means and feels like to witness history through a single, extraordinary life while reflecting on the fleeting nature of our own, and the ones we love. About the filmmaker - Director Sam Green is a New York-based documentary filmmaker. THE OLDEST PERSON IN THE WORLD marked his seventh feature documentary at the Sundance Film Festival. His previous film, 32 SOUNDS (2025 Oscar Shortlist; Best Documentary, Cinema Eye Honors), played opening night of both the 2022 Sundance and SXSW festivals. Along with 32 SOUNDS (with JD Samson), Sam’s other recent “live documentaries” include A THOUSAND THOUGHTS (with the Kronos Quartet, 2018), THE MEASURE OF ALL THINGS (2014), THE LOVE SONG OF R. BUCKMINSTER FULLER (with Yo La Tengo, 2012), and UTOPIA IN FOUR MOVEMENTS (2010). With all of these works, he narrates the film in-person while musicians perform a live soundtrack. Sam’s 2004 feature-length film, THE WEATHER UNDERGROUND, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, was nominated for an Academy Award and was included in the Whitney Biennial. He is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

  • S1 · E265
    September 8 · 15 min

    Black Zombie - Director Maya Annik Bedward

    BLACK ZOMBIE digs beneath the blood-soaked spectacle of modern horror to uncover the zombie’s buried and unsettling origins. Long before it became associated with flesh-eating ghouls, the zombie was a living metaphor for slavery: not a monster, but the ultimate victim of colonial power. A symbol of stolen agency was recast as an object of fear, while Black spiritual traditions were distorted, sensationalized, and erased. Director Maya Annik Bedward traces the evolution of the zombie from colonial Haiti to contemporary Hollywood, reconsidering iconic films like WHITE ZOMBIE, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, and THE SERPENT AND THE RAINBOW alongside archival footage, vérité scenes, and interviews with cultural historians, artists, and genre legends including Yves-Grégory Francois, Mambo Labelle Déesse, Slash, Tom Savini, and Zandashé Brown. Part cultural reckoning, part horror remix, BLACK ZOMBIE exposes how a figure born from enslavement, spiritual belief, and resistance was transformed into one of pop culture’s most profitable monsters. Director Maya Annik Bedward joins us for an entertaining and informative converation. BLACK ZOMBIE will open in select theaters on September 11th starting in New York at Quad Cinemas and in Los Angeles at Laemmle's Nuart Theatre with national rollout to follow, courtesy of Kino Lorber. About the filmmaker - Maya Annik Bedward is an Afro-Caribbean-Canadian film director whose work blends history, resistance, and pop culture through bold, genre-bending storytelling. Her work has screened at TIFF, Hot Docs, BlackStar, and the New Orleans Film Festival. Her credits include the short films The Haircut (2018) and Why We Fight (2021), as well as the TV series LIDO TV (2022) and BLK: An Origin Story (2022). She is a founding member of the Black Screen Office, championing stories that center Black creativity and power.

  • S1 · E190
    September 7 · 20 min

    *Why Labor Day Matters* - Who Moves America - Director Yael Bridge

    UPS is the world’s largest package delivery company, moving millions of packages across 200 countries and territories every day. With their 2023 contract set to expire, the Teamsters mount increasing pressure on UPS to improve working conditions or face 340,000 workers walking off the job and grinding the global supply chains to a halt. WHO MOVES AMERICA joins UPS workers across the United States—a budding UPS driver in California, a veteran of the 1997 strike in New York, a part-time warehouse worker juggling college and multiple jobs in Kentucky, and their co-workers—as they organize, vote, and navigate the challenges of solidarity before their contract expires. On the heels of a tentative agreement, they debate whether they should accept the new contract proposal or vote it down and go on strike. From their position as the largest collective bargaining agreement in all of North America and their vital role in the economy, their decisions will have lasting implications. About the filmmaker - Yael Bridge is an Emmy-nominated filmmaker. Her first feature documentary, The Big Scary "S" Word, traces the history and resurgence of socialism in the U.S. and premiered at Hot Docs and sold to Hulu. Her second feature, Who Moves America, was funded by ITVS and is premiering at the True/False Film Fest 2026. She produced Classroom 4, which was nominated for a Critics' Choice Award, shortlisted for an Academy Award, and broadcast on POV. She also produced Left on Purpose, winner of the Audience Award at DOC NYC, and Saving Capitalism, a Netflix Original, starring former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich, which was nominated for an Emmy Award. As Director of Productions at Inequality Media, she created viral videos unpacking complex political issues that gained over 200 million views on social media. Yael was included in DOCNYC's 40 Under 40 list and was President of the Documentary Producers Alliance, where she now sits on the board. She holds an MFA in Documentary Film and Video from Stanford University and an MA in Media Studies from the New School.

  • S1 · E264
    September 7 · 16 min

    *Cinemafile Archive* - The Teacher - Director Farah Nabulsi

    A gripping and emotional drama filmed and set in the West Bank of Palestine, THE TEACHER, the debut feature from Oscar-nominated director Farah Nabulsi. The film stars renowned Palestinian actor Saleh Bakri (The Band's Visit) — who Farah dubs "the Daniel Day-Lewis of the Arab world" — and the acclaimed British actress Imogen Poots ("Outer Range", The Father, Green Room). Inspired by true events and having won over 18 International Film Festival Awards, THE TEACHER follows Palestinian schoolteacher Basem (Saleh Bakri) faces personal turmoil after a tragic incident involving his son. He finds solace in a deep bond with his student Adam and British social worker Lisa (Imogen Poots). Meanwhile, an American attorney and his wife push for the return of their son, an Israeli soldier held by a Palestinian resistance group, leading to tensions over a potential prisoner exchange. The intertwining stories highlight themes of empathy and conflict, culminating in a powerful narrative marked by unexpected twists. Director, Screenwriter and Executive Producer Farah Nabulsi (Today They Took My Son) joins us to talk about how the short she did with lead actor Saleh Bakri morphed into The Teacher, Working with Imogen Poots and Muhammad Abed El Rahman and the significance of releasing The Teacher in this fraught political environment. About the filmmaker - Farah Nabulsi is an Academy Award-nominated and BAFTA-winning Palestinian-British filmmaker and human rights advocate. She is the daughter of Palestinians who were fortunate enough to make a home in 1970's Britain — unlike the millions who continue to remain stateless in refugee camps. Born, raised and educated in London, Farah began her career as an institutional equity stockbroker. She ended up with a CFA designation at JP Morgan Chase before moving on to build a children-focused business that she ran for 10 years. Since 2016, she has been writing and producing fiction films inspired by socially relevant themes. Her first short film, Today They Took My Son, was endorsed by British director Ken Loach and screened at the United Nations. The Present, her directorial debut, which she also co-wrote and produced, premiered at Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival in 2020 and won the coveted Audience Award for Best Film. It went on to win over 60 International Film Festival Jury and Audience Awards, a BAFTA award, and it scored an Academy Award nomination. The Present was licensed internationally including to Canal+ and Netflix Worldwide. The Teacher, Farah’s directorial feature-length debut, had its World Premiere at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival. It had its MENA Premiere at the Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where it took home the Best Actor award and the main Jury Prize (the jury was headed by director Baz Lurhmann). The film stars renowned Palestinian actor Saleh Bakri and British actress Imogen Poots and has won over 15 International Film Festival Awards. Farah has been invited to serve as a jury member at numerous festivals and as a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

  • S1 · E263
    September 6 · 13 min

    The Incomer - Director Louis Paxton

    Sundance Award winning comedy, The Incomer is a modern folk fairy tale set on a remote Scottish island, where two siblings survive by hunting seabirds, retelling the stories of their ancestors, and defending the isle from dreaded Incomers'. Their world is upended with the arrival of an awkward council worker who has come to uproot them from their homeland on behalf of the government. Director Louis Paxton joins us for a lively conversation the making of his beautiful and heartwarming film. About the filmmaker - Louis Paxton is a writer and director from Edinburgh, Scotland. After studying at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, he completed an MA in Directing at the National Film and Television School in London. His award-winning short films-spanning comedy, drama, horror, and musical-have screened at festivals including Flickerfest, Glasgow Short Film Festival, LOCO Film Festival, and London Short Film Festival. His debut TV project, the sci-fi comedy The Spare Room, was selected for the BAFTA Rocliffe Drama Forum. In 2021, Louis directed the BBC Three comedy-drama Ladybaby, which was nominated for Best Comedy at the Broadcast Awards. In 2022, he received a BAFTA Scotland nomination for his short film Neville Is Dead, and was also nominated for Best Director at the New Voice Awards. His RTS- and Digital Broadcast-nominated BBC comedy short Calamity James followed in 2024. Louis has since directed episodes of the BBC One prime-time crime drama Shetland, as well as the BBC Three horror-comedy Wreck. He is developing original comedy series including Shearlings with BBC Comedy and Breadwinner with Birdie Pictures. His feature debut, The Incomer-an offbeat comedy supported by BFI and Screen Scotland, starring Domhnall Gleeson, Gayle Rankin and Grant O’Rourke, shot in 2025 and will have its premiere in 2026.

  • S1 · E262
    September 5 · 13 min

    Occupational Hazard: The First Coral Reefers - Director John H. Cunningham

    OCCUPATIONAL HAZARD: THE FIRST CORAL REEFERS is a feature documentary that journeys back to the 1970s and early 1980s to tell the origin story of Jimmy Buffett’s original Coral Reefer Band. Set against the creative backdrop of Key West, the film explores the musicians, friendships, touring years, and studio sessions that helped shape Buffett’s legendary sound. Through rare, never-before-seen archival footage and deeply personal interviews with founding members, tour managers, producers and music legends, OCCUPATIONAL HAZARD captures the camaraderie, chaos, and magic of an era that thrived on freedom and lived without a rulebook. Narrated by Academy-award winner Jeff Bridges, OCCUPATIONAL HAZARD offers fans a deeper look at the people behind the music and the era that helped define Jimmy Buffett’s lasting legacy. Directed by John H. Cunningham, award-winning festival favorite OCCUPATIONAL HAZARD: THE FIRST CORAL REEFERS features Kenny Chesney, Mac McAnally, songwriter Keith Sykes, and The Coral Reefer Band. About the filmmaker - John H. Cunningham is a filmmaker and USA TODAY bestselling author of the twelve- book Buck Reilly adventure series and The Last Raft, a reimagining of the Cuban embargo. Before film and fiction, he spent 35 years in commercial real estate, serving as an Executive Vice President and Regional Director in New York City for Alexandria Real Estate Equities (NYSE symbol ARE), where he was pivotal in developing a multi- billion dollar portfolio and establishing the city’s life science industry. Now splitting his time between Virginia, and Key West, John is focused on producing, directing, and writing. His unique background brings a fresh perspective to film, combining business acumen with a passion for compelling storytelling.

  • S1 · E261
    September 4 · 23 min

    Teenage Wasteland - Co-directors Amanda McBaine & Jess e Moss

    Set in 1991 in upstate New York, Teenage Wasteland follows a group of teenage misfits, inspired by a renegade English teacher, who embark on a student film project and uncover a vast conspiracy that is poisoning the ground beneath their feet. Banding together to confront the indifferent adults, corrupt politicians and a violent criminal organization threatening their small town, they produce an investigative documentary that causes shockwaves in their community. Teenage Wasteland is a coming-of-age story based on exclusive access to hundreds of hours of candid, humorous and nostalgic video outtakes, and the cooperation of Fred Isseks and his intrepid students as they reckon – thirty years later – with a defining event in their lives and a remarkable story of civic courage. Co-director Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine stop by to talk about their harrowing true story of teenagers growing into fearless truth tellers. Teenage Wasteland is now available on NETFLIX. About the filmmaker - Director, Producer, Writer Jesse Moss’ directing work includes Girls State and Boys State (winner, 2020 Sundance Grand Jury Prize), both with Amanda McBaine, War Game (with Tony Gerber), The Overnighters (winner of the Sundance Special Jury Prize), The Mission and Mayor Pete. He won Primetime Emmy® Awards for Girls State (directing) and Boys State (Outstanding Documentary). He has twice been nominated by the Directors Guild of America (DGA) for his work, and twice shortlisted for the Academy Award for Feature Documentary. About the filmmaker - Director, Producer, Writer Amanda McBaine’s directing work includes Girls State, Boys State (winner, 2020 Sundance Grand Jury Prize) and The Mission, with Jesse Moss. She produced The Overnighters, winner of the Sundance Special Jury Prize, Mayor Pete and The Bandit. She won Primetime Emmy® Awards for Girls State (directing) and Boys State (Outstanding Documentary). She is a Directors Guild of America (DGA) nominee for Boys State and twice shortlisted for the Academy Award for Feature Documentary.

  • S1 · E260
    September 2 · 12 min

    The Cycle of Love - Director Orlando von Einsiedel

    Orlando von Einsiedel's THE CYCLE OF LOVE begins in 1977, PK, with a 23-year-old street artist from a marginalized “untouchable” family in Delhi as he sets out on an extraordinary 6,000-mile journey across continents with little more than a handful of paintbrushes and a secondhand bicycle. Driven by an unwavering desire to reunite with Lotta, the Swedish woman who had captured his heart, he travels through unfamiliar landscapes, navigating borders, language barriers, and the limits imposed by class and circumstance. What begins as a deeply personal quest unfolds into a remarkable story of resilience, chance, and human connection. Along the way, PK encounters strangers who offer kindness, skepticism, and support, revealing the unpredictable ways in which lives intersect across cultures. Director Director Orlando von Einsiedel joins us for a spirited conversation on his own journey and what the story of P.K. and Lotta taught him about the power of love. About the filmmaker - The Cycle of Love Director Orlando von Einsiedel is an Academy Award–winning director and founder of the UK-based creative studio Grain Media. His work includes the Academy Award–winning THE WHITE HELMETS and the Academy Award–nominated VIRUNGA, as well as the BIFA-winning EVELYN, the Emmy-nominated LOST AND FOUND and CONVERGENCE: COURAGE IN A CRISIS, the Platino-nominated THE LOST CHILDREN, and the critically acclaimed Netflix series HEART OF INVICTUS. His latest project, THE CYCLE OF LOVE, is forthcoming. As an executive producer, his credits include the Academy Award–winning LEARNING TO SKATEBOARD IN A WAR ZONE (IF YOU’RE A GIRL), the Emmy-nominated SCOUTS HONOR, and the Emmy Award–winning BUY NOW!.

  • S1 · E259
    August 24 · 15 min

    The Sun Never Sets - Director Joe Swanberg

    Wendy (Dakota Fanning) believes she's perfectly happy in her relationship, until her older boyfriend, Jack (Jake Johnson), who is divorced with children, insists they take a break to make sure she's truly okay giving up on the idea of marriage and babies. During this time, Wendy unexpectedly runs into her ex, Chuck (Cory Michael Smith), who reignites her carefree and spontaneous side, and suddenly seems to want a family. The three of them navigate a chaotic, confusing, and often funny relationship triangle, reminding us that the pursuit of love is beautiful and messy all at once. The film was shot on 35mm on location in Alaska. One of the greatest truly independent filmmakers Director, Writer, and Editor Joe Swanberg joins us to talk about his latest film, The Sun Never Sets. About the filmmaker - Joe Swanberg is the director of over 20 features, including HANNAH TAKES THE STAIRS, DRINKING BUDDIES and HAPPY CHRISTMAS. He co-starred in and co-directed NIGHTS AND WEEKENDS with Greta Gerwig and AUTOEROTIC with Adam Wingard, in addition to acting in and directing one of the segments of the original V/H/S film. He has directed episodes of television for HBO, 20th Century Studios and Netflix, where he created the series EASY and wrote, directed, produced and edited all 25 episodes over three seasons. As an actor he has appeared in lead roles for Josephine Decker, Ti West, Mickey Keating and Adam Wingard, and he has produced features for Lynn Shelton, Alex Ross Perry, Dustin Defa and Zach Clark, amongst many others. He lives in Chicago.

  • S1 · E258
    August 24 · 21 min

    Hanging by a Wire - Director Mohammed Ali Naqvi

    Hanging by a Wire recounts the true story of a routine school commute that turned terrifying when a makeshift cable car's wire snapped, leaving eight passengers — including six schoolboys — suspended hundreds of feet above a ravine in the remote foothills of the Pakistani Himalayas. With the clock ticking before the remaining cable was expected to fail, an unlikely band of local rescuers raced against time to bring them home safely. Drawing on firsthand testimony and remarkable on-the-ground footage, the film is a tense, true-life portrait of courage, community, and the class divides that complicated the rescue effort. Hanging by a Wire premiered on opening day of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival in the World Cinema Documentary Competition, where it played to sold-out crowds. Abramorama will release the film in North American theaters in August 2026, with the film arriving for its streaming debut in late 2026. About the filmmaker - Mohammed Ali (Mo) Naqvi is an award-winning director, producer, and writer, and a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Television Academy. His latest film, Hanging by a Wire, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in the World Cinema Documentary Competition. Mo produced two seasons of the Netflix Original Top 10 docu-series Turning Point and received the inaugural Emmy's Television Academy Honor for the Showtime Original Shame. His acclaimed directorial work includes the Emmy-nominated Among the Believers (PBS/Netflix), Insha'Allah Democracy (Lionsgate/STARZ/BBC), the Emmy-nominated and Asian Media Award–winning The Accused: Damned or Devoted? (BBC/PBS/ARTE), and Pakistan's Hidden Shame (Channel 4 UK), which won the Grand Jury Prize at the United Nations Association Film Festival. As a producer, his fiction credits include Big River (Berlin Film Festival), produced by legendary Japanese filmmaker Takeshi Kitano's Office Kitano, and I Will Avenge You Iago, starring Giancarlo Esposito. Naqvi has received two Amnesty International Awards and earned nominations for an Independent Spirit Award, a Cinema Eye Honor, and the UNESCO–Fellini Prize. Beyond filmmaking, Mo is a founding member of the Crescent Collective at the Cannes Film Market and has served as Chairman of Pakistan's Academy Awards Selection Committee (2023–2025) and as the former Artistic Director of the Tasveer Film Market, part of Tasveer, North America’s only Oscar-qualifying South Asian film festival. Originally from Karachi, his work and collaborations span the US, Europe, and Japan.

  • S1 · E257
    August 23 · 14 min

    Finding Emily - Director Alicia MacDonald

    From the producers of Bridget Jones’s Diary and Love Actually comes the heartfelt new romantic comedy FINDING EMILY. Sensitive musician Owen (Spike Fearn) meets the woman of his dreams during a late shift at the Manchester City University Student Union. They flirt, they drink, they dance, then suddenly, she’s whisked off into the night by her friends, heading out to the next party. Thinking quickly, Owen asks for her name and number, but when he texts her the next morning, he discovers one digit is missing. Determined to reconnect, Owen sets out to find her using the only information he has - her first name. A cynical, headstrong American psychology student Emily Raine (Angourie Rice), who sees in Owen the makings for a perfect case study for her thesis on the futility of romantic attachment. Together, they inadvertently spark a hilarious campus-wide frenzy that turns the lovesick Owen’s world upside down, forcing Emily to question her own choices as each half of the unlikely duo ponders what the future might hold. About the filmmaker - Known for her distinctive brand of comedy, character-focused narratives and stellar cinematic visuals, director Alicia MacDonald has joined The Corner Shop roster for commercial representation in the UK and US. From the very beginning Alicia excited audiences with her well-observed short films (‘Otherwise Engaged and Domestic Policy’) and popular sketches (‘Bad News and Taxing’) that demonstrated her impressive ability to balance comedic satire with grounded emotional depth. She went on to work with comedy giants Stephen Merchant (‘The Outlaws’ for BBC) and Lena Dunham (‘Too Much’ on Netflix) in which she provided the same level of confidence and care in capturing nuanced and honest performances for high-end tv. Her hotly anticipated debut feature film ‘Finding Emily’ (made with Working Title Films and Focus Features) is released in UK cinemas on 22nd May and in the US on 29th August.

  • S1 · E256
    August 23 · 14 min

    Learning to Fly - Director Max Lowe

    LEARNING TO FLY follows former competitive runner turned photographer Aisha McAdams as she embarks on a journey to document the triumphs and struggles of some of the biggest names in ultra running, such as Jim Walmsley, Eszter Csillag and Vincent Bouillard, as they compete at the Western States Endurance Run in the Mountains of Eastern California and the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) in the French Alps. While photographing and interviewing these elite runners, Aisha confronts her own painful and complex past, and the reasons why she had to step away from racing, a pursuit that had once brought her a much-needed sense of freedom, joy and belonging. LEARNING TO FLY had its world premiere at last year's Telluride Film Festival and will be released in theaters in the US beginning August 21 including the Angelika Film Center in New York and the Laemmle Monica Film Center in Los Angeles. About the filmmaker - Director / Producer Max Lowe is known for his ability to capture deeply human stories on some of the most exposed edges of the world, Max Lowe has honed his skill as a director and photographer in his search of narratives unheard. From his home in the mountains of Montana to now countless countries and landscapes across the globe, Max has been witness to stories spanning the gap of the human experience. Max directed his first feature doc “Torn” which premiered at Telluride Film Festival in 2021 and is now available on Disney+ and Hulu with National Geographic Docs, and followed that with the short documentary "Camp Courage" which is available on Netflix and was shortlisted for the 95th Academy Awards for best short doc. Max has since partnered with Academy Award winning producer Evan Hayes on his follow up feature doc “Learning to Fly.” With a background in observational journalistic style storytelling honed over years of telling human driven narratives around the globe. Max has emerged with a distinct style by which he crafts his narratives unheard.

  • S1 · E255
    August 22 · 20 min

    MOOCH - Director Jeff Ryan

    Set against the backdrop of suburban New Jersey golf courses, MOOCH is about Shane, played by Jeff Ryan, at nearly thirty and still the oldest caddy at his local golf club, he has mastered the art of getting by without ever quite growing up. When a botched theft of four hundred dollars unexpectedly lands him a job digging up dirt for a charismatic New Jersey nightclub owner, he finds himself navigating amateur investigations, broken relationships, and increasingly questionable decisions. Equal parts heartfelt and absurd, MOOCH is an offbeat golf crime comedy about friendship, ambition, and the long road toward adulthood. MOOCH showcases a wide variety of wild characters with terrific acting. Director, writer and lead actor joins us for a spirited conversation on the challenges and the rewards of a debut feature film and working with a slew of talented collaborators.

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