Cinemafile

Mike Kaspar

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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.

6D AGO

The Midway Point - Director Lucca Vieira

The Midway Point is a heartfelt coming-of-age drama that explores identity, belonging, and emotional growth through the lens of a young man navigating life on the autism spectrum. Set in modern-day California. The film captures the struggles and beauty of adolescence, friendship, and first love – reminding us that sometimes, one connection can change everything. The film offers an authentic and sensitive portrayal of autism. Celebrating neurodiversity and challenging stereo-types through cinematic storytelling. Its emotional resonance and universal themes make it both deeply human and globally accessible. Starring Sean Ryan Fox("The Righteous Gemstones"), Catharine Daddario ("Second Chances"), Thora Birch (American Beauty, The Walking Dead, Hocus Pocus), Julie Benz ("Dexter," Rambo, Saw V), Audra Wise (Case Closed: the Legal Queen Returns"), Wes Studi (Avatar: Fire and Ash, Avatar, The Last of the Mohicans, Dances with Wolves) About the filmmaker - Lucca Vieira is an award-winning 20-year-old Brazilian-born filmmaker based out of South Florida. He has been producing skits, animations and videos since the age of eight. At just 16, his debut short film, 'Parkland: Stories from the Survivors', was screened at four film festivals nationwide, and his latest horror short, "Silhouette," was selected at over eight film festivals across the U.S. and Canada. Additionally, his awards include two National YoungArts Foundation Merit prizes, a Scholastic Art and Writing Award, and a Best Student Short award at the Miami Short Film Festival. Now, at age 20, he has written and directed his first ever feature film, 'The Midway Point,' starring, among others, Thora Birch ('American Beauty'), Wes Studi ('The Last of the Mohicans,' 'Heat'), and Julie Benz of 'Dexter' fame.

15 min
MAY 20

Ask E. Jean - Director Ivy Meeropol

Ask E. Jean is the riveting story of E. Jean Carroll’s life, from her early days as Miss Cheerleader USA to her rise as a trailblazing journalist, author, and beloved advice columnist. Carroll broke barriers as the first female editor at Esquire, Playboy, and Outside, helping to redefine women’s roles in media with her sharp wit and fearless voice. In recent years, she reignited public discourse by standing up to power, becoming the only woman to beat Donald Trump twice in court, and sparking a national conversation about truth, accountability, and resilience. This film is a portrait of an indomitable woman who proved it’s never too late to reclaim your voice, rewrite your story, and change the world. Directed and produced by award winning filmmaker Ivy Meeropol (Heir to An Execution, Roy Cohn: Bully, Coward, Victim) and produced by award winning filmmakers Laura Bickford (Traffic, Beast Of No Nation) and Annabelle Dunne (Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold, Everything Is Copy). About the filmmaker - IVY MEEROPOL premiered Ask E. Jean, her feature documentary film about the advice columnist and journalist E. Jean Carroll who sued Donald Trump for rape and defamation and won, at the 2025 Telluride Film Festival. The film has gone on to show at festivals across the country, winning the Grand Jury Award for Best Documentary at The Hot Springs International Documentary Festival, and audience awards at Key West, Sun Valley, and Palm Springs. Ask E. Jean was the closing night film at DOCNYC, and Opening Night film at the Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival. Her previous feature documentary AFTER THE BITE, about the explosion of great white sharks and seals on Cape Cod, premiered July 2023 on HBO. She premiered her HBO documentary ROY COHN: BULLY, COWARD, VICTIM at the 2019 New York Film Festival and in 2020 the film was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Historical Documentary. She was the Senior Story Producer on the CNNFilms documentary THE END: INSIDE THE LAST DAYS OF THE OBAMA WHITE HOUSE, which premiered at the National Archives in Washington, DC, and was one of the highest rated of CNN’s Original films. She directed and produced the feature INDIAN POINT, about an aging nuclear power plant close to New York City, which was honored with the Frontline Award for Journalism in a Documentary Film and aired on NHK during the anniversary of Fukushima in Japan. Ivy created and directed the nonfiction series THE HILL (Sundance Channel), about Congressman Robert Wexler (D-FL) and his young staff (nominated for best series by the International Documentary Association). She produced the feature documentary MUSEUM TOWN, which premiered at SXSW, and has produced and directed for the Emmy Award winning climate change series YEARS OF LIVING DANGEROUSLY (National Geographic) and for DEATH ROW STORIES (CNN), Executive Produced by Alex Gibney and Robert Redford. Ivy’s debut film, HEIR TO AN EXECUTION (HBO), explored the legacy of her grandparents Ethel and Julius Rosenberg. It premiered at Sundance and was shortlisted for an Academy Award. Ivy was a Sundance Institute Fellow and has been awarded grants from the Sundance Documentary Fund, the NY State Council for the Arts, and the MacArthur Foundation. She is a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences

22 min
MAY 16

Been Here Stay Here - Director David Usui

On a remote island in the Chesapeake Bay, a deeply rooted Christian fishing community grapples with the quiet erosion of their land and their traditions. Their centuries-old way of life, sustained by faith and the rhythms of the bay, is now at a poignant crossroads—one that may force them from the only home they’ve ever known. BEEN HERE STAY HERE offers rare, unfiltered access to a place where climate and faith intersect, in a way that feels both unexpected and essential. It’s a canary in the coal mine story- an early glimpse of what thousands of coastal communities may soon face, yet it avoids political rhetoric offering something more grounded and human. This documentary is both a portrait of a disappearing island and a clear-eyed look at how belief, identity, and home are tested when the future arrives faster than expected. About the filmmaker - David Usui has spent over 15 years crafting character-driven documentaries as a director and cinematographer. His work, which has been featured in The New York Times, PBS, ITVS, The Atlantic, and VICE, reflects a commitment to storytelling that is both intimate and expansive. Usui's collaboration with the legendary Albert Maysles on In Transit- a film that captures the stories of travelers along Amtrak’s “Empire Builder” route- premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and was awarded the Special Jury Prize for Best Feature Documentary. In 2009, he co-founded Lost & Found Films, a production company that crafts visually rich and emotionally grounded nonfiction films. He studied philosophy and human ecology at Western Washington University and later taught documentary filmmaking as an adjunct professor at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism.

23 min
MAY 11

American Solitaire - Director Aaron Davidman

AMERICAN SOLITAIRE explores the United States’ deep cultural connection to guns through the intimate story of a wounded veteran navigating the emotional aftermath of war. As he struggles to reintegrate into a society where firearms are revered and gun violence is pervasive, he embarks on a journey to heal himself and, by extension, challenge his country to allow for a broader vision of a soldier’s path to healing. Slinger came home from war. But the battle isn't over. American Solitaire stars Joshua Close (WAYWARD, FARGO) as a veteran unraveling in the aftermath of combat, adrift in a country that celebrates guns but has little language for the damage they leave behind. Written and directed by Aaron Davidman, the film is a raw, urgent portrait of one man's journey back to himself. About the filmmaker - Aaron Davidman is a writer, actor, director and producer. He is drawn to stories of ethnic history and cultural complexity that challenge our assumptions of the “other”. To research AMERICAN SOLITAIRE, he traveled the U.S. for a year talking to people about guns. He has written, directed and performed at theatres around the country. His play, WRESTLING JERUSALEM, a solo performance about Israel/Palestine, toured internationally from 2014-2019. In 2016, the play was made into a feature film, starring Mr. Davidman (Amazon Prime + APPLE TV+). He designed post-screening programs for community dialogue and works with the Google School for Leaders, using his film as a catalyst for understanding Complexity and Multiple-Perspectives. Mr. Davidman received his theatrical training at Carnegie Mellon University, earned a BA from the University of Michigan and an MFA in creative writing/playwriting from San Francisco State University. He was a recipient of the TIKKUN Award in 2016 for WRESTLING JERUSALEM’S evocation of “radical empathy”. AMERICAN SOLITAIRE is his directorial cinematic debut.

22 min
MAY 11

Linda Perry: Let It Die Here - Director Don Hardy

Director Don Hardy’s (Citizen Penn) intimate documentary portrait Linda Perry: Let It Die Here chronicles the life and career of the Grammy and Golden Globe nominated songwriter, producer, and 4 Non Blondes frontwoman. Iconic in the nineties for the era-defining hit “What’s Up”, Linda Perry has spent the past three decades reinventing herself as one of pop music’s most prolific behind the scenes hitmakers. Her songwriting and production credits include Dolly Parton, Christina Aguilera, P!nk, Adele, Miley Cyrus, Celine Dion, Alicia Keys, Gwen Stefani, The Chicks, Ariana Grande, Weezer, and more.Beyond the scope of her career, Let It Die Here is an exploration of identity, vulnerability, and creativity. Filmed over several years, the documentary captures Perry as she confronts personal change and a crossroads in her career. The film features unprecedented access to Perry’s creative process, along with new performances and candid interviews with close friends, collaborators, and family, including Dolly Parton, Christina Aguilera, Brandi Carlile, Sara Gilbert, and Kate Hudson. About the filmmaker - Don Hardy is an award-winning documentary filmmaker who recently completed production on a new feature documentary, Citizen Penn, that tells the story of the birth and growth of Sean Penn's aid organization J/P HRO after a catastrophic earthquake shook Haiti in 2010. Citizen Penn premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2020 and debuted on Discovery+ in May of 2021. Don wrapped the first season of a new documentary series for Disney+ called Pick of the Litter in early 2020. The series is based on the documentary film of the same name he produced and directed in 2018. The film was purchased by IFC Films/Sundance Selects and premiered in theaters and on VOD in August of 2018. It quickly became one of the most successful documentaries of the year. Don served as executive producer and show-runner for the Disney+ series and directed several of the episodes. Don's previous film, Theory of Obscurity, about the legendary music and art collective known as The Residents, premiered at SXSW in 2015 and was released theatrically by Film Movement in April of 2016.

22 min
MAY 6

An Autumn Summer - Director Jared Isaac & Cinematographer Brandon Somerhalder

An Autumn Summer is a coming of age love story that tells the tale of Kevin (Mark McKenna) and Cody (Lukita Maxwell), a young couple spending the final month before college in a magical Michigan lake town, chasing an endless summer. Per Jared Isaac: “The story is real, the place is real, and it’s a feeling I’ve wanted to bottle up and take with me wherever I am. It’s pure and uncynical, unapologetically romantic. It’s about the few individuals who stay with us forever, whether we’re conscious of it or not.” The film stars Apple+' hit series Shrinking's break-out actress Lukita Maxwell (upcoming in A24's Backrooms) and Wayne/Sing Street's Mark McKenna. An Autumn Summer can bee seen theatrically in select theaters, including Los Angeles, beginning on May 8th. It will also be expanding from there theatrically across the country and will be available on digital platforms to stream beginning on June 2. About the filmmaker - Jared Isaac is a writer, director, and producer. He attended the University of Miami, where he studied mathematics and economics before turning fully to filmmaking. An Autumn Summer marks his feature directorial debut, which he independently wrote, produced, and directed, drawing from personal experience and long-standing creative relationships. The film premiered on the festival circuit, where it received strong critical and audience response, including Best Director Phoenix Film Festival 2025. Following An Autumn Summer, Isaac adapted Zane Grey’s Riders of the Purple Sage for Samuel Goldwyn Films, expanding his work into literary adaptation and studio-backed feature development. He is currently developing future narrative projects. About the filmmaker - Brandon Somerhalder is an American cinematographer/producer raised between Colorado and Kansas, and currently based in Los Angeles. After initially studying analog photography, he attended University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts. After graduating with a degree in Film Production, he continued his pursuit of telling real-world stories by photographing issue-driven documentaries around the world; He was the co-director of photography on the Oscar-nominated short documentary A CONCERTO IS A CONVERSATION. He was producer and cinematographer on Oscar-winning short documentary THE QUEEN OF BASKETBALL. Recent projects as Director of Photography include the Netflix documentary series LIVE TO 100: SECRETS OF THE BLUE ZONES, THE EYES OF GHANA, executive produced by Barack and Michelle Obama, and the 2025 Sundance Film Festival Audience Favorite Award winning documentary COME SEE ME IN THE GOOD LIGHT, acquired by Apple TV+ and Academy Award nominated for Best Documentary Feature 2026. AN AUTUMN SUMMER marks his first and only narrative feature to date.

28 min
MAY 5

Steve Schapiro: Being Everywhere - Director Maura Smith

Steve Schapiro: Being Everywhere is both an intimate final conversation with a man who was the quintessential “fly on the wall” and a dazzling reminder of the power of photography to bear witness, inspire change, and preserve legacy. Over the course of his career, Schapiro’s images appeared on the covers of Life, Look, Time, Newsweek, Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, Sports Illustrated, People, and Paris Match. An activist as well as a documentarian, he brought the Civil Rights Movement to the world through indelible images of the March on Washington, the Selma to Montgomery march, and the struggle for voter registration across the South. From Andy Warhol, David Bowie, James Baldwin, and Barbra Streisand to Muhammad Ali, John Lewis, and Ray Charles — and no fewer than six U.S. Presidents, Kennedy, Nixon, Johnson, Carter, Clinton, and Obama — Schapiro’s camera was everywhere. He was with Robert F. Kennedy and his family on his last Christmas morning, at the Lorraine Motel in the wake of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, and on the sets of The Godfather, Taxi Driver, and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off among others. His work not only chronicled history, it helped define how history is remembered. About the filmmaker - As a graduate of the USC Cinema Department, Maura Smith went on to direct "Towing" with Sue Lyon and Joe Mantegna. While being an honors student in the MFA Screenwriting Program at Columbia University, Smith received first prize for the Zaki Gordon Memorial Award for Excellence in Screenwriting. Smith has directed for such companies as Sony Music, BBC TV, and Paramount. Her most recent work, Steve Schapiro: Being Everywhere chronicles the life and work of her husband, Steve Schapiro

21 min
MAY 3

Conbody vs Everybody - Director Debra Granik *Oscar nominated

Filmed over eight years, this five-part documentary series from director Debra Granik combines a remarkable, against-the-odds story of grit, survival, and redemption with an incisive look at the harms of America’s prison industrial complex. After years in and out of prison, former drug dealer turned entrepreneur Coss Marte is determined to take control of his future by building Conbody, a New York City gym with a unique social purpose: to employ formerly incarcerated people like himself in an attempt to combat the high rate of recidivism. As Marte wages an uphill battle against the stigma of incarceration and the realities of a relentlessly gentrifying city where second chances are hard to come by, what emerges is both an inspiring portrait of a man on a mission and a powerful examination of a system that continues to punish people even after they have served their time. About the filmmaker - Debra Granik started working in film and video in the Boston grassroots media movement in the late 80’s. She studied politics at Brandeis University and her first forays into operating a camera and collaborating on political documentation were with Boston based media groups such as the Women’s Video Collective. While in Boston she had the good fortune to be able to take classes at Mass College of Art, Studio for Interrelated Media, which exposed her to a great variety of film work and traditions. At NYU, she made several short films, one of which, Snake Feed, garnered an award at Sundance, which led to involvement in the Sundance Screenwriting and Directing Labs. She expanded the story from Snake Feed into a longer script which formed the basis for the feature Down to the Bone, created with her producing partner, Anne Rosellini. Down to the Bone, was awarded the Best Director prize at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. Her next film, Winter's Bone, was nominated for four Oscars, including Best Picture, and won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. Granik and co-writer Anne Rosellini were Oscar nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay. Her most recent film, Stray Dog, created with Tory Stewart is a feature length documentary.

19 min

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

194
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© Copyright 2026 Mike Kaspar
Show Website

Cinemafile