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by 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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- Today15 min
Everest: The Other Side - Co-directors Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi (Jimmy Chin)
Everest: The Other Side chronicles an epic story of two elite ski mountaineers Jim Morrison and Hilaree Nelson who fell deeply in love while reaching the pinnacle of their sport. Their drive sharpened into a shared dream: to climb and ski the direct North Face of Everest — the most difficult and dangerous climb on the mountain and the most coveted ski line on Earth. Thousands have summited the mountain via Nepal's southeast ridge, but only a handful have ever reached the top by this route, and no one has successfully skied down. Already known for their extraordinary feats in the mountains and no strangers to loss, Morrison and Nelson stake everything on this daunting challenge. From National Geographic Documentary Films and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin — the Oscar® -winning filmmakers behind Free Solo and Meru — Everest: The Other Side is an intimate portrait of two people bound by love, ambition and the pursuit of the impossible.About the filmmaker - Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi is an Academy® Award-winning filmmaker with a storied history of critically acclaimed films. In 2019, she, along with co-director and co-producer Jimmy Chin, was awarded the Academy® Award and a BAFTA for Best Documentary Feature for “Free Solo,” an intimate, unflinching portrait of rock climber Alex Honnold. The film also received seven primetime Emmy® Awards. In 2023, she co-directed her first scripted feature, “Nyad” for NETFLIX, which saw both stars Annette Bening and Jodie Foster receive Academy Award nominations. More recently, she directed and produced “Love+War” for National Geographic Documentary Films, about acclaimed war photographer Lynsey Addario, and “Lost in the Jungle,” the incredible true story of four children who survived a plane crash in the Colombian jungle. The latter film won the Outstanding Current Affairs Documentary Emmy for 2025. In 2021, she co-directed the BAFTA and DGA nominated documentary “The Rescue,” chronicling the enthralling, against-all-odds story that transfixed the world in 2018: the daring rescue of 12 boys and their coach from deep inside a flooded cave in northern Thailand. Other projects include “Return to Space”, about SpaceX and NASA’s first joint spaceflight, which hit the Top 10 on Netflix’s most-watched films list, and the series “Edge of the Unknown” for National Geographic. Vasarhelyi was also honored with a Peabody and a News & Documentary Emmy Award for co-directing and producing the acclaimed National Geographic series“Photographer.” Her feature “Meru” won the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival in 2015 and was on the 2016 Oscar shortlist for Best Documentary Feature. Vasarhelyi’s other films as a director include “Incorruptible” (Truer Than Fiction Independent Spirit Award 2016); “Youssou N’dour: I Bring What I Love” (Oscilloscope, 2009), which premiered at the Telluride and Toronto Film Festivals; “A Normal Life” (Tribeca Film Festival, Best Documentary 2003); and “Touba” (SXSW, Special Jury Prize Best Cinematography in 2013). Vasarhelyi has directed two New York Times Op Docs, two episodes of Netflix’s nonfiction design series “Abstract” and two episodes of ESPN’s nonfiction series “Enhanced.” She has received grants from the Sundance Institute, the Ford Foundation, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Bertha Britdoc and the National Endowment for the Arts. She is a member of the DGA, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) and The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), and she holds a bachelor’s in comparative literature from Princeton University. Vasarhelyi lives in New York City with her children, daughter, Marina, and son, James.
- Today14 min
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 is the director of the award-winning documentary Let the Fire Burn about the 1985 confrontation between the group MOVE and the Philadelphia police that claimed the lives of eleven people. Supported in part by the Sundance Institute, Let the Fire Burn premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival where it won the best editing in a documentary award and a jury special mention for best new documentary director. The film went on to play film festivals around the world, air nationally on PBS, and receive the Independent Spirit Truer than Fiction Award. Jason is an Associate Professor of Media and Public Affairs at The George Washington University. He creates online courses on media production for LinkedIn Learning and occasionally writes about film.About the filmmaker - William Lafi Youmans is an Associate Professor at George Washington University's School of Media and Public Affairs. Broadly interested in questions of transnationalism, power and communication, his primary research interests include global media, Middle East politics, and Arab-American studies. Youmans is the author of Unlikely Audience: Al Jazeera's Struggle in America. He is currently a fellow with the GW Humanities Center and was an Inclusion Imperative visiting faculty fellow at the Dresher Center for the Humanities at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County last year. Photo credit: Massimo Municchi
- 3 days ago11 min
LADY - Director Samuel Abrahams
Director Samuel Abrahams' high concept film, LADY, zeroes in on a seemingly deluded aristocrat Lady Isabella (Sian Clifford) who has hired a struggling director Sam (Laurie Kynaston) to document life at her imposing country estate, Ravenhyde Hall. When he discovers that the promise of a Netflix commission was a lie, and that Isabella only wants him there to film her taking part in a ridiculously low- stakes regional talent show held at the Hall, he’s ready to quit—until he realizes the narcissistic Lady is, quite literally, turning invisible. Though from different worlds, they form an unexpected bond, but when Sam uncovers the tragic reason Isabella hasn’t left Ravenhyde Hall in years, he questions whether his film exploits her trauma. As the talent show approaches and Isabella’s invisibility spreads, can they both confront their fears before she disappears completely? Director Samuel Abrahams joins us for a spirited conversation on how he managed to successfully navigate the thin line between vulnerable and delusional, between comedy and cruelty. About the filmmaker - Director / Writer Samuel Abrahams is a BAFTA and Webby-nominated writer & director, with two Cannes Lions wins for his commercials. Samuel’s first short Connect was nominated for a BAFTA, won the Jury Award at Encounters Film Festival, and was inducted into the BFI National Archive. His film Offline Dating amassed over 20 million combined views and sparked international debate around technology and modern romance. Sam has helmed global ad campaigns for brands like Apple, Sony, and Google. He studied Fine Art at Chelsea College of Art and is a member of the Directors Guild of America. Lady, starring Sian Clifford (Fleabag) is his feature debut.
- 4 days ago13 min
Tenzing - Director Jennifer Peedom
Based on true events, "Tenzing” chronicles the little-known story of Tenzing Norgay (Genden Phuntsok), a gifted Himalayan climber who, alongside New Zealand mountaineer Edmund Hillary (Tom Hiddleston), became the first to summit Mount Everest. Encouraged by his wife Dawa (Thinley Lhamo), Tenzing finds an ally in expedition secretary Jill Henderson (Caitríona Balfe). Together, they persuade Colonel John Hunt (Willem Dafoe) that Tenzing belongs on the British climbing team, rather than merely serving it. Where Western climbers see "Everest" as something to be conquered, Tenzing reveres "Chomolungma" as the sacred mother goddess. What follows is an ascent defined as much by the tensions between backgrounds, classes and competing ambitions as by the perils of the mountain itself. But high above the world, empire, rank and aspiration fall away, leaving two outsiders bound by mutual respect and trust — and for Tenzing, the fulfillment of both a life-long dream and a spiritual calling. Directed by award-winning filmmaker Jennifer Peedom, “Tenzing” is a story of greatness that refuses to be diminished — and the love that makes it possible.About the filmmaker - Jennifer Peedom is a BAFTA-nominated Australian director and producer whose work spans documentary and narrative film. Peedom has spent more than two decades working in the Himalayas and on Everest. Her relationship with the region and the Sherpa community began through her early work as a filmmaker in high-altitude environments and has shaped some of the defining projects of her career. Peedom’s directing credits include the internationally acclaimed feature documentaries “Solo,” “Sherpa," “Mountain," “River” and “Deeper." “Sherpa" premiered at the Telluride Film Festival, won the Grierson Award for Best Documentary at the BFI London Film Festival, and was nominated for the BAFTA for Best Documentary. It became one of Australia’s most successful theatrical documentaries— a benchmark Peedom surpassed with her next film, “Mountain,” made in collaboration with the Australian Chamber Orchestra. Peedom’s work has screened at major international festivals including Telluride, TIFF, SXSW, San Sebastián and Busan, and has received numerous awards and nominations, including recognition from the Australian Directors’ Guild and the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts. Peedom co-founded and runs the Sydney-based production company Stranger Than Fiction Films, whose credits include "David Stratton: A Cinematic Life," which screened at Cannes Classics, and "Harley & Katya," winner of the International Emmy Award for Sports Documentary. The company’s most recent release, “Silenced," is a documentary feature about human rights lawyer Jennifer Robinson and her fight against the weaponization of defamation laws to silence women in the wake of the #MeToo movement. The film premiered to acclaim at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival.
- 5 days ago7 min
PULP: What Do You Do For An Encore? - Director Garth Jennings
PULP: What Do You Do For An Encore? is a celebration of one of Britain's most unusual bands, captured during their triumphant 2025 tour. Directed by longtime collaborator Garth Jennings and narrated by PULP frontman, Jarvis Cocker, the film weaves together footage from their ingenious live show with four decades of never-before-seen archival material, charting the band’s circuitous journey from Sheffield outsiders to unlikely cultural icons. Featuring twenty songs spanning the course of their career, PULP: What Do You Do For An Encore? is a tribute to a band of misfits whose sharp social commentary, sarcastic yet sincere wit, and enduring empathy with their audience continue to resonate across generations. PULP: WHAT DO YOU DO FOR AN ENCORE? is a MUBI Production directed by Garth Jennings and edited by Barney Pilling (The Grand Budapest Hotel, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris).About the filmmaker - Garth Jennings is a film director, writer and artist. He has directed numerous music videos and commercials through his co-owned production company Hammer & Tongs. His work includes videos for Blur, Radiohead, Beck, R.E.M., Fatboy Slim and Vampire Weekend. He directed the feature film The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and wrote and directed the semi-autobiographical film Son of Rambow. Garth went on to write and direct the animated films Sing and Sing 2 with Illumination Entertainment which grossed more than a billion dollars at the box office, and the short film Sing Thriller, which premiered on Netflix in October 2024. In 2019, he wrote and directed the short film Madame, which was screened and presented in various international film festivals and awarded the title of Best Short. He is the author of four children’s books: The Wildest Cowboy, The Deadly Seven, The Good, the Bad and the Deadly Seven, and The Curse of the Deadly Seven. He also directed the live shows of the band Pulp for their worldwide concert tours both in 2023 and in 2025. Garth is currently writing and directing his next movie.About the subject - Jarvis Cocker is a musician & broadcaster from the north of England. He formed the band Pulp in 1978 whilst at secondary school. They went on to become one of the most successful UK groups of the 1990s. Between 2009 & 2017 he presented the BBC 6Music programme Jarvis Cocker’s Sunday Service as well as the ongoing, award-winning BBC Radio 4 documentary series Wireless Nights. He has honorary doctorates from both Sheffield Hallam University and Central Saint Martin’s School of Art (which he attended 1988-91). His lyric collection Mother, Brother, Lover was published by Faber in 2011. Good Pop, Bad Pop, his first work of long-form prose, was published by Jonathan Cape in 2022. The Sunday Service is back on air this year as Someday Service.
- 1 weeks ago17 min
*Now screening at Coast Film & Music Festival - The Last Place on Earth - Director David Gardner & Producer Shayne McGrath
THE LAST PLACE ON EARTH is a thrilling, nine-year journey into the heart of Sumatra’s Leuser Ecosystem—a 2.6-million-hectare rainforest where tigers, elephants, rhinos, and orangutans still roam free. Filmed by a dedicated mostly Indonesian crew, this investigative documentary follows a group of extraordinary wildlife activists as they risk everything to save one of Earth’s last untouched wildernesses from the devastation of the illegal palm oil industry. From dramatic animal rescues and high-stakes arrests of poachers to the reforestation of thousands of hectares, each victory underscores the power of human determination in the face of overwhelming odds. “The Last Place on Earth” reveals the urgent need to protect our planet’s most irreplaceable treasures before it’s too late. Director David Booth Gardner joins us in conversation.About the filmmaker - A visionary entrepreneur, David Booth Gardner possesses a diverse professional background in sports PR/management and as a writer, director and producer. Having produced hundreds of hours of programming for leading networks and Fortune 500 companies, Gardner knows exactly what it takes to successfully execute media projects for brands of all sizes. CEO & CO-FOUNDER, LIKUID ART
- 1 weeks ago12 min
*Now screening* Coast Film and Music Festival - The Cycle of Love - Director Orlando von Einsiedel
In 1977, PK, a 23-year-old street artist from a marginalized “untouchable” family in Delhi, set 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!.
- 2 weeks ago15 min
Miss Representation: Rise Up - Director Jennifer Siebel Newsom
Over a decade after Miss Representation exposed the media's contribution to the under- representation of women in leadership, Miss Representation: Rise Up dives deep into the cultural backlash against women's agency and power. With the proliferation of AI and deepfakes, this new era of tech-facilitated violence is exacerbating sexism and misogyny towards women and girls, in an attempt to control and silence them. With inspiring young women at its core, Miss Representation: Rise Up interweaves young women’s personal journeys alongside powerful voices in media, culture, leadership, and academia to reimagine a future that finally uplifts women and girls. We are joined by the Director and Producer of Miss Representation and Miss Representation: Rise Up! Jennifer Siebel Newsom.About the filmmaker -Jennifer Siebel Newsom is an award-winning filmmaker, influential thought leader on gender equality, and the First Partner of California. After graduating with honors from Stanford University and Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, she wrote, directed, and produced the award-winning documentary Miss Representation (2011), which explores the media's misrepresentation of women and girls and theresulting underrepresentation of women in positions of power and influence in America. As a result of Miss Representation's impact, she launched The Representation Project, a nonprofit organization that uses film, media, and education as catalysts for cultural transformation. Her subsequent films — The Mask You Live In (2015), The Great American Lie (2019), and Fair Play (2022) — further explored masculinity, systemic inequality, and domestic inequity. Jennifer also executive- produced the Emmy Award-winning and Academy Award-nominated The Invisible War (2012), and the Emmy Award-winning documentaries The Hunting Ground (2015) and On the Record (2020).
About Cinemafile
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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