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.

14H AGO

Sentimental Value - Editor Olivier Bugge Coutté - Oscar nominated

Joachim Trier’s riveting drama, Sentimental Value, follows sisters Nora and Agnes has they reunite with their estranged father, Gustav, a once-renowned director who offers Nora a role in what he hopes will be his comeback film. Nora turns it down, but soon discovers he's given the part to an eager young Hollywood star. The two siblings must now navigate a complicated relationship with Gustav while dealing with an American actress dropped right into the middle of their complex family dynamics. Sentimental Value has been nominated for 9 2026 Oscars, including: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress (2), Best International Feature Film, Best Screenplay and Best Editor, Olivier Bugge Coutté (Our Guest). About the filmmaker - 2026 Oscar nominee Olivier Bugge Coutté is an editor based in Denmark is a graduate of the National Film and Television School where he studied alongside his longtime collaborator, Joachim Trier. While some of his other credits include Thelma, The Apprentice, The Promised Land, Beginners and Copenhagen Does Not Exist, Olivier has cut all of Trier's films, including The Worst Person in The World which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best International feature, and the most recent film, Sentimental Value, which won the grand prize at the Cannes Film Festival this year.

13 min
3D AGO

Mistake - Director Honey Lauren

MISTAKE is a nuanced, historical drama about an intersex child born in 1941 who is forced to grow up as a man named Larry in the deep South of the 1970’s. As he struggles with self-loathing over his unique and socially forbidden identity, he desperately seeks to find family and friends who will understand and support him. A surprise discovery of love and friendship with Lily, another town outsider, brings him joy and acceptance, while he must also deal with the heartbreaking violence and uncompromising bigotry of his small-town rural life. Lauren’s feature film is, above all, a standout love story, full of empathy, that celebrates difference. It marks the debut of a sensitive filmmaker who seeks to create compassion for outsiders. About the filmmaker - Honey Lauren is a multi award winning writer, director and actress, with over 100 film and TV credits and dozens of commercials. Emancipated at 16, Honey began studying at A.C.T. in San Francisco. From there she joined The Angels Of Light, an infamous theatre and dance group, which was an offshoot of the Cockettes, a drag group that featured such stars as Sylvester and Divine. Directors Honey has worked with include Luc Besson, Francis Ford Coppola, counter culture maven, Doris Wishman and Paul McCarthy. Honey has written for directors that include Abel Ferrara and Melvin van Peebles. Many of her screenplays won multiple awards. As a director her short film, DOT GOT SHOT won five major festivals including BEST FEMALE FILMMAKER and the acclaimed, WOMAN WITH A VISION AWARD. Honey’s short documentary HAPPY HANDS with Tippi Hedren, won six film awards, and qualified for the Academy Awards in 2014. Honey’s short film WIVES OF THE SKIES garnered over 40 awards. Honey is set to direct her next feature RIFLE DOLL in 2026.

17 min
FEB 19

2026 Sundance - Who Killed Alex Odeh - Co-directors Jason Osder & William Lafi Youmans

In October 1985, Santa Ana, California was shaken by a brazen act of political violence when Palestinian American Alex Odeh, a beloved teacher and community leader, was killed by a tripwire bomb planted in his office. Despite substantial evidence and identified suspects, the case was never solved. Who Killed Alex Odeh? reopens the mystery, tracking a renewed investigation in real time as new leads emerge, long-buried records come to light, and the forces behind a political assassination are finally confronted. Unfolding like a detective thriller, the film weaves archival footage, firsthand testimony, and new reporting to expose the violent fundamentalist networks behind the attack and the institutional failures that protected them. As the investigation deepens, the story widens to reveal how the extremist ideology that fueled Odeh’s murder did not disappear - it evolved, gaining traction and legitimacy in the modern political landscape. Directed by Jason Osder and William Lafi Youmans, a Jewish American and a Palestinian American, Who Killed Alex Odeh? is both a gripping cold-case pursuit and a timely examination of political violence, asking what it means when acts of terror go unresolved, and how justice denied continues to shape the world we live in. About the filmmaker - Jason Osder (co-director/producer) is the director of LET THE FIRE BURN. It premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and went on to play more than 50 film festivals and won the best editing prize at RIDM, the IDA Prize in Editing, the Cinema Eye Honor for Editing and the Independent Spirit Truer than Fiction Award. Jason is Associate Professor at The George Washington University. About the filmmaker - William Youmans (co-director/producer) is an Associate Professor in Residence Northwestern University in Qatar. Youmans holds a Ph.D. as well as a J.D. He sits on the board of the Arab America Foundation. As an experienced researcher on Arab American history and Middle East politics, he is the project’s subject-matter expert on Alex Odeh.

16 min
FEB 19

Removal of the Eye - Co-directors Artemis Shaw & Prashanth Kamalakanthan

Kallia and Ram are at their wits' end with their sleepless baby when they realize Kallia’s Greek mother is on a secret mission to exorcise the family from the evil eye. Trapped between the pressures of new age parenting, old world superstitions, and meddling in-laws, they fight to hold onto their dreams. Inspired by the cultural clash that took place after moving into the same Manhattan apartment building as Shaw’s parents shortly before their son’s birth, filmmakers Shaw and Kamalakanthan turn the lens on themselves as new parents Kallia and Ram—roles that they originated in their award-winning lo-fi comedy New Strains (2023 IFFR Special Jury Award winner) that represent loose alternative versions of themselves. About the filmmakers - Struck by a lack of authentic films about new parenthood and the world of infants more generally, the married filmmaking couple sought to capture the experience of making a movie while in the midst of childcare. Further adapting to real-life conditions, the film incorporated the needs of Shaw’s mother, who suffers from a neurological disorder and blindness. Shot over three months in and around their New York apartment with improvised dialogue and no crew, the production worked around the baby’s schedule and the filmmakers’ day jobs.

24 min
FEB 19

Crime & Parody - Director Will Thwaites

Nearly a decade before Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert came under attack for their political humor, an unknown comedian from Ohio finds himself in even more serious trouble for making fun of the government. Crime & Parody follows the story of Anthony Novak, an amateur comedian who creates a parody Facebook page mocking his local police department. The page is satire, but the police take it very seriously. They raid Anthony’s home, throw him in county jail, and charge him with a felony punishable by up to 18 months in prison. Soon national headlines mushroom and The Onion head writer Mike Gillis authors the satirical publication's first-ever brief to the U.S. Supreme Court in defense of parody. Anthony’s case helps raise questions that continue to grow more urgent: how do you hold the government accountable in a system that punishes those who exercise their First Amendment rights while law enforcement is protected by expanded qualified immunity? Crime & Parody director Will Thwaites joins us for a spirited conversation on the why and how of restricting our basic, constitutionally protected civil rights is not funny, at all. About the filmmaker - Will Thwaites is a documentary filmmaker based in Brooklyn, New York. He's worked on projects for Netflix, Amazon, National Geographic, and PBS. Will was a producer on the acclaimed Netflix series: Full Swing and My Next Guest with David Letterman. He started his career at Kartemquin Films (Oscar-nominated producers of Minding the Gap and Hoop Dreams) where he worked on the Emmy Award-winning film, The Homestretch.

22 min
FEB 18

The Other Roe - Director Wendy Eley Jackson & Executive Producer Donia Hames Robinson

The Other Roe uncovers the powerful, long-overlooked story behind Doe v. Bolton, the historic Supreme Court case that was decided on the same day as Roe v. Wade yet has been largely erased from public memory. While Roe became a national symbol, Doe quietly provided the broader legal framework that shaped reproductive rights for generations. The film centers on Margie Pitts Hames, a trailblazing civil rights attorney whose courage and brilliance were essential to the modern fight for bodily autonomy. Through archival footage, intimate interviews, and contemporary reflections, THE OTHER ROE traces Hames’s journey as she takes on a segregated hospital system, challenges the state of Georgia, and stands before the United States Supreme Court to argue a case that would redefine the meaning of “medical necessity” and expand access to abortion nationwide. As the nation revisits battles over reproductive freedom, The Other Roe brings forward the missing chapter of this landmark moment. The film restores recognition to the women who fought and paid dearly for rights that are once again under threat. The Other Roe is a reclamation of legacy, a re-examination of justice, and a reminder that history is never complete until all its voices are heard. Director Wendy Eley Jackson and Executive Producer Donia Hames Robinson stops by to discuss the importance of the often overlooked Doe V Bolton decision is and how it the legal principles brought to bear are more important then ever.

20 min
FEB 18

Smile… The Worst is Yet to Come - Director Chloe Lenihan & Writer / Lead actor Joseph Mancuso

SMILE…the Worst is Yet to Come tells the story of Elder Millenial’s, BEN and BIRDIE, who are feeling the pressure of time. After closing his bar and suffering a heart attack-ish incident, Ben is struggling to find his purpose. Birdie put her photography ambitions on hold to be the financially “stable one” as a nurse, but is secretly exploring creative pursuits. Several failed IVF attempts have driven a wedge between them. They retreat to Big Bear Lake to reignite romantic sparks, but their efforts fail every time. Things get further upended when they meet JANUARY and JEREK, early-20s, Gen-Z influencers looking for content. Joining us is the Director Chloe Lenihan, as well as the writer and co-lead actor Joseph Mancuso. About the filmmaker - Chloe Lenihan is a writer, director, producer, and actor based in Los Angeles. She holds an M.F.A. in Creative Producing from Columbia University. Her thesis film, How Far She Went, garnered many accolades including “Best Female Student Filmmaker” by DGAEast and “Best Student Film” at BendFilm Festival before its broadcast premiere on KQED’s “Film School Shorts” series, hosted by PBS. Chloe co-wrote, directed, and starred in the dark comedy All-American Sex Offender, which won “Best Web Series” at HollyShorts Film Festival and is currently streaming on Amazon Prime. She has participated in Stowe Story Lab, and Cine Qua Non’s Storylines and Revision Labs with her feature script Metanoia. About the filmmaker - Writer/ Lead Actor “Ben”/ Executive Producer Joseph Mancuso is a Los Angeles based actor, writer, and editor. He spent 20 years in theater, performing on renowned NYC stages like The Cherry Lane and The Public, starring in Hanoch Levin’s American debut, Retzach. His TV and film credits include The Blacklist, Blue Bloods, Shades of Blue, and Pee Wee’s Big Holiday. As a producer and editor, Joseph has worked on projects for A&E, National Geographic, and Netflix, including the docuseries Against the Odds, which has 8 million YouTube views.

20 min
FEB 9

33 PHOTOS FROM THE GHETTO - Director Jan Czarlewski

Currently available on HBO, director Jan Czarlewski’s riveting documentary film 33 PHOTOS FROM THE GHETTO tells the story of the only known photographs from inside the Warsaw Ghetto during the April 1943 uprising and its brutal repression that were not taken by German forces. The images, taken secretly by 23-year-old Polish firefighter Leszek Grzywaczewski, who witnessed the devastating response to the uprising as a member of the Warsaw Fire Service, present a rare civilian account of one of World War II’s darkest moments. The film traces two families, one of which is Jewish, who preserved the images for decades but hadn’t brought them to light. 80 years after their creation, the son of the photographer finds the forgotten negatives and launches an investigation. With a team of researchers, archivists, and animators who use near-forensic precision to reconstruct locations and contexts, they trace the circumstances of those tragic days and the lives captured in each frame. Director Jan Czarlewski joins us to talk about the many twists and remarkable turns that led to the discovery of these devastating photos and the courageous civilians who kept these photos from being lost forever.

17 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

152
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© Copyright 2026 Mike Kaspar
Show Website

Cinemafile