Cinemafile

Mike Kaspar

5.0 (1)
Film Interviews

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.

17h ago

Horsegirls - Director Lauren Meyering and Actor Lillian Carrier

After her mother’s illness returns, 22-year-old Margarita, a young woman with autism, discovers the world of hobbyhorsing and sets out to prove her independence to her mother—stick horse and all. HORSEGIRLS stars breakout newcomer Lillian Carrier (“Everything's Gonna Be Okay”) and Gretchen Mol (Millers In Marriage, American Gigolo), who is featured in Taylor Sheridan’s hit Paramount+ drama series “Tulsa King.” The cast also includes Jerod Haynes (Native Son) and Tony Hale (Love Simon, Toy Story 4). Written and directed by Lauren Meyering, the film is produced by Alix Madigan (Winter’s Bone, Hold Your Breath), Michael Sherman (The Truffle Hunters, Her Smell) and Mackenzie Breeden (Dad's Dead Damnit, Praying Mantis). HORSEGIRLS premiered in competition at the 2025 Tribeca Film Festival and recently led the winners at the Seattle Film Festival, taking home the Grand Jury Best Feature Film award, with Gretchen Mol awarded Best Actress and Lillian Carrier winning Outstanding Performance. Horsegirls also won the Cordillera International Film Festival Best Feature Film Audience Choice award. About the filmmaker - Director and writer Lauren Meyering is passionate about creating content that is visually compelling, female-driven, and thought-provoking. Her work often follows characters on a “coming-of-age” journey—regardless of what that age may be. In addition to narrative work, Lauren has filmed across five continents with global nonprofits, crafting documentaries rooted in empathy and human connection. Her script Horsegirls was featured on the 2020 Black List. Lauren’s work has been recognized by the Women at Sundance Financing Initiative and screened at festivals nationally and internationally.She is a freelance writer and director based in Los Angeles, and also works as a film educator, mentoring youth across the LA and Orange County area.
1d ago

Baby Doe - Director Jessica Earnshaw

Thirty years ago, Gail Ritchey, a young woman from a conservative Christian community in rural Ohio, gave birth alone and left her newborn in the woods. Now a devoted mother of three, her quiet suburban life shatters when DNA evidence links her to the infamous cold case of “Geauga’s Child. ” Arrested for murder and vilified in the media, authorities dismiss her claim that the baby was stillborn. Facing a possible life sentence, Gail and her family must confront religious stigma, community judgment, and long-buried shame in the fight for her freedom.. Directed by Jessica Earnshaw (JACINTA), BABY DOE looks beyond the headlines to reveal the human complexity of Gail’s case, exploring how women’s health, justice, and powerful outside forces shape stories like hers. About the filmmaker - Jessica Earnshaw is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and photojournalist. Her work focuses on criminal justice, familial relationships, and women. Her photography has appeared in National Geographic, The Marshall Project, Mother Jones Magazine, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and NPR, amongst others. Her first documentary feature, JACINTA (Hulu/ABC News, 2021), won the Albert Maysles Best New Documentary Director Award at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2020. JACINTA has received nominations from the International Documentary Association for best feature documentary and best director, as well as two Cinema Eye nominations for best debut feature and a spotlight award. Her film BABY DOE (2025, Impact Partners), a feature documentary, will premiere in competition at the 2025 SXSW Film Festival. Jessica was named one of DOC NYC’s “40 under 40” in 2020, she’s a graduate of the International Center of Photography and lives in Brooklyn, New York.
2d ago

Shoot the People - Director Andy Mundy-Castle

Director Andy Mundy-Castle's Shoot The People is an intimate documentary capturing photographer and activist Misan Harriman’s journey documenting global protest movements that drive social change. Following Harriman as he highlights the resilience of grassroots activists fighting for equality, civil rights, and social justice, the film showcases the intersectionality of these movements and their collective power. With historical context, interviews with activists, and explorations of digital activism, the documentary reveals how Harriman’s lens brings the world’s activism to light, inspiring viewers to recognize their own power in shaping a more just society. About the subject - Misan Harriman is a renowned photographer, filmmaker, and social activist celebrated for his powerful imagery that captures pivotal moments in contemporary history. As the first Black photographer to shoot a British Vogue cover in the magazine’s 104-year history, Misan has gained international acclaim for his work documenting social justice movements, including the Black Lives Matter protests, as well as his striking portraits of influential figures like Rhianna, Tom Cruise, Julia Roberts, and Cate Blanchett. Misan’s 2023 short film ‘The After,’ produced by Nicky Bentham (Neon Films), was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film. His work has been featured in Vogue, TIME, and The Guardian, solidifying his place as a leading voice in visual storytelling. Beyond his photography, Misan is a passionate advocate for change, using his platform to spotlight issues of inequality and human rights. With a keen eye for emotional depth and cultural significance, he approaches each project with a mission to inspire and provoke thought, creating images that resonate deeply with audiences around the world. About the filmmaker - Andy is the Founder of award-winning indie production company Doc Hearts, known for producing high-end content, especially TV that authentically represents diverse communities with nuance and impact. Andy is a BAFTA- and RTS-winning producer whose credits include the critically acclaimed ‘White Nanny, Black Child’ (Channel 5/BFI), ‘Jimmy Akingbola: Handle With Care’ (ITV/ Peacock), ‘Lenny Henry: The Commonwealth Kid’ (BBC1) and The Fade (Netflix). After being a staffer at the BBC, Andy created numerous TV formats including ‘Go Green With The Grimwades’ (C5), ‘Reu & Harper’s Wonder World’ (C5), ‘The Black Lesbian Handbook’ (Channel 4), ‘Britain’s Abandoned Playgrounds’ (C4) and ‘What Did I Do Last Night?’ (Current TV / Al Jazeera) which was voted pick of MIPCOM and won best format at the Content Innovation Awards. He is currently creating his first animated IP with the former president of the Jim Henson Co. Peter Schube. Andy has an MA in Documentary Filmmaking, he was elected to the inaugural Board of the UK’s Documentary Film Council in 2024. He has also been a recipient of the Commonwealth Broadcasting Award and alumni of the IDFA Academy.
6d ago

Ojai Film Society (Free Summer Series) - Nicholas Weissman & Brady Hahn

Each summer they bring together over 3,000 attendees to watch movies under the stars through their Free Summer Series at Ojai’s iconic Libbey Bowl, making it one of the largest free event series. For nearly four decades, the Ojai Film Society (OFS) has presented Free Summer Series with quality independent, foreign, documentary, and classic films to the Ojai Valley, making us one of the largest free event series in the Ojai Valley. Their audience is a true cross-section of the people who live in this community, with attendees ranging in age from infants to 96+ years of age. We welcome everyone — no matter one's age, race, gender, economic background, political views, or physical capabilities — outdoors, in community, for FREE. About our guest - Ojai Film Society President Nicholas Weissman is an EP and director at Vacationland, a documentary studio that makes uncommon films on common ground. With over 15 years of experience in production, Weissman has led projects for major print and network news outlets. He is passionate about telling stories that help make the world make sense, collaborating with a community of award-winning filmmakers across the globe. He has worked with commercial clients such as Amex, Land Rover, Cadillac, Volvo, British Airways, Ray Ban, Visit California, Nike, Levi's, Microsoft, and Intel; and traveled to more than 20 countries to capture and share diverse perspectives and experiences. His feature, “For Ahkeem, “premiered at Berlinale Film Festival and won a 2018 Cinema Eye Honors Award. Recent films include “We the Power” for Patagonia, “Havana Libre,” “A Wonderful Kingdom,” and Soraya Simi’s “Row of Life”. He is a Sundance Producing Fellow, DOC NYC 40 under 40, and active member of the Brooklyn Filmmakers Collective. About our guest - Ojai Film Society Vice President Brady Hahn is an award-winning consultant and Founder of The Noodle Collective. She has over fifteen years of experience advising organizations and individuals on developing and scaling impactful programs, over 150 B2B partnerships, and 800 multi-lateral activations reaching millions of professionals globally. Her client work has contributed to PRWeek and Iris Awards nominations, and a MarCom Award Honorable Mention. Brady's forthcoming book, Women of the Valley: A Biographical History of the Ojai, California, will be published in the summer of 2026. She is also the editor of the Amazon best-selling workbook, “Choose Yourself: A 12-week Journey to Becoming the God of Your Own Heart” and co-author of The Women's Professional Conference Experience & Impact Study. Her research and advocacy work has ensured 1,200 women have spoken at professional conferences and provided over 1,000 event organizers with equity tools. Brady has appeared in Inc.com, Convene Magazine, and "Your Network Is Your Net Worth" (Atria Books, 2013) and spoken for The Female Quotient, Create & Cultivate, Social Media Week, Boston University, and University of Southern California.
Jul 8

Color Congress (Project Elev8te Doc) Co-Executive Director Sonya Childress (Shara Driver)

Color Congress is an ecosystem-builder that is committed to organizations led by people of color that serve nonfiction filmmakers, leaders, and audiences of color across the United States and US islands. We are a membership organization that includes film festivals, artist support and narrative change entities, micro cinemas, filmmaker collectives, and public media. We serve this ecosystem by supporting, resourcing, connecting, and championing these organizations to build their collective power. Our vision is to actualize a reimagined documentary landscape toward one that strengthens people of color visibility, voice, and power, laying the groundwork for a future of the field that is a more powerful force for social change. Elev8Docs is a Color Congress learning initiative supporting research for over two dozen nonfiction films by directors of color, all nominated by our member organizations. This initiative exclusively focused on Color Congress member-supported films and sought to address Color Congress members’ concerns about the film distribution crisis. Designed as a series of eight experiments, Elev8Docs focused on distribution barriers that filmmakers of color face, from a lack of cultural competency among mainstream marketing and PR agencies to a lack of data on diverse audience tastes and nonfiction consumption habits. The initiative offered a unique opportunity to advance solutions that help films reach their intended audiences and to lay the foundation for an effective distribution infrastructure in a changing landscape.
Jul 5

The Goose That Laid the Golden Egg - Director Doug Bremner

After the death of her son, Amanda Bellaconda seeks the help of Dr Jack Forteo to understand why teenagers are suddenly taking their own lives after taking a medication for acne. Carinaderm is the goose that keeps laying golden eggs, an acne medication bringing in a billion dollars a year for the Renzon Pharmaceutical Company. When Dr. Forteo sees a potentially lethal side effect of their blockbuster acne pill, Renzon doesn’t hesitate to pull out the stops with personal attacks and accusations of fraud, bringing Forteo’s marriage and career to the brink of destruction. With nothing left to lose, Forteo goes on a journey to revisit a tragedy from his own past. When he unearths painful secrets and deceptions that parallel those he has discovered in the pharmaceutical company, his voyage of self-discovery gives him strength to resume his struggle, leading to the ultimate conclusion. About the filmmaker - Douglas Bremner is professor of psychiatry and a researcher. He did brain imaging research on the effects of an acne medication, isotretinoin (Accutane), on the brain, and as a result became an expert witness in multi-district litigation related to depression and suicide in teenagers who had taken the drug. The research was funded by private donations from affected families. THE GOOSE THAT LAID THE GOLDEN EGG is a fictionalized story with elements of truth. In reality, the plaintiffs settled with the drug manufacturer and part of the settlement was that they couldn’t talk about the settlement.
Jul 2

Sherman’s March & Remake - Director Ross McElwee

Sherman’s March - Director Ross McElwee - Armed with a 16mm camera and a grant to make a documentary about the lingering aftermath of William Tecumseh Sherman’s 1864 march to the sea, Ross McElwee gets sidetracked. After his girlfriend breaks up with him, Ross shifts his attention from the historical to the personal, to the battlefield of modern love, and embarks on a sociological chronicle that documents the courting rites and rituals of the New South. Remake - Director Ross McElweeIn Remake, filmmaker Ross McElwee turns his lens on the passage of time and the uneasy space between documenting life and understanding it. The film traces McElwee’s relationship with his son Adrian, and the fragile bond the camera created between them while Adrian was alive, and now that he’s gone. About the filmmaker - Ross McElwee has made eleven feature-length documentaries as well as a number of shorter films. Sherman’s March has won numerous awards, including Best Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival. Sherman’s March was also chosen for preservation by the Library of Congress National Film Registry in 2000 as a “historically significant American motion picture.”Bright Leaves" premiered at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival’s Directors’ Fortnight and was nominated for Best Documentary by both the Director’s Guild of America and the Writer’s Guild of America. McElwee’s In Paraguay premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2008, and he returned to Venice in 2011 to premiere Photographic Memory. In 2005, complete retrospectives of McElwee’s films were presented at the Museum of Modern Art in New Y ork and later in Paris, Brussels, Milan, Lisbon, New Zealand, Seoul, Quito, and Nyon, Switzerland. Four of his films were featured in a selection of western documentaries shown for the first time in Tehran, and in 2015, McElwee presented his films in Changchun, Guangzhou, and Beijing, China.
Jul 2

Mary Oliver, Saved by the Beauty of the World - Director Sasha Waters

If poetry had a pop icon, Mary Oliver would be it. Celebrated bestseller, Pulitzer Prize winner, lover of dogs and long walks in the woods, openly queer but intensely private, Oliver was America’s unlikely contemporary mystic, stalking the ponds and forests of Cape Cod for nearly 50 years in order to open herself – and her readers – to the known and unknowable world. Featuring interviews with her close friends, including John Waters, never-before-seen personal photos, notebooks, and correspondence from her archive, and recitations of her work by Stephen Colbert, Lucy Dacus, Steve Buscemi, and Oprah Winfrey, Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World considers the poet’s long lifetime of work in context, capturing the uniqueness of her world and the natural beauty that inspired her. About the filmmaker - Director, Producer, Co-editor Sasha Waters is a moving image artist trained in photography and 16mm cinema. Her films pursue ecstatic, metaphorical realism from the relations and materials of ordinary life. Her 2018 feature Garry Winogrand: All Things are Photographable won a Special Jury Prize at the SXSW Film Festival, and her 2024 short Ghost Protists had its premiere at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. She is a 2026-2027 recipient of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Fellowship and a Professor of Film at VCU’s School of the Arts in Richmond, VA. Her other films include; This American Gothic (2008), Chekhov for Children (2010, feature), You Can See the Sun in Late December (2010), An Incomplete History of the Travelogue, 1925 (2012), Our Summer Made Her Light Escape (2012), An Incomplete History of Pornography, 1979 (2013), Burn Out the Day (2014), A Partial History of the Natural World, 1965 (2015), Garden of Stone, (2015), dragons & seraphim (2017).

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.

Creator

Mike Kaspar
Years Active

2025 - 2026
Episodes

223
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© Copyright 2026 Mike Kaspar
Show Website

Cinemafile