Shows / Cinemafile
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.
Episodes
CinemafileBlack Chariot - Director Robert Goodwin
Robert Goodwin wrote, produced, and directed this lost gem of American independent cinema. Opening during a tense meeting between members of an underground…
CinemafileTime and Water - Director Sara Dosa
Renowned Icelandic poet and author Andri Snær Magnason is chasing something elusive. As the glacial ice of his homeland melts, he constructs a cinematic time…
CinemafileWelcome Space Brothers - Director Jodi Wille
WELCOME SPACE BROTHERS is a feature documentary about The Unarius Academy of Science, an extraterrestrial-channeling spiritual school and self-healing…
CinemafileMiddle Life - Director Pavan Moondi
MIDDLE LIFE follows Andie, a perfectionist wedding planner in her mid-thirties and a new mother, who has meticulously crafted her life but still feels…
CinemafileWILD INSIDE - Director Penny Lane
What would happen if a captive-born owl with no survival skills tried to make it on his own in New York City? In WILD INSIDE, we discover the answer is more…
CinemafileThe Last Picture Shows - Director Rustin Thompson
Filmmaker Rustin Thompson journeys into the American West on a search for traces of what was once a center of small-town life: the movie theater. On the trip…
CinemafileAmerican Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez - Director David Alvarado
American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez chronicles how writer /playwright / director Luis Valdez illuminated the Mexican American experience on stage and…
CinemafileSIA: Nostalgic for the Present - Co-director Daniel Askill (Sia)
Sia: Nostalgic for the Present is a bold, genre-defying experience that trades pop pageantry for pure artistry. Awe-inspiring vocals, breathtaking…
CinemafileHorsegirls - 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…
CinemafileBaby 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…
CinemafileShoot 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…
CinemafileOjai 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…
CinemafileColor 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…
CinemafileThe 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…
CinemafileSherman’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…
CinemafileMary 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…
CinemafileBoy George & Culture Club - Director Alison Ellwood
For the first time, band members Boy George, Roy Hay, Mikey Craig, and Jon Moss come together to share their complete story, offering candid insights into…
Cinemafilemother, you have not died yet, but you will, and when you do,... - Director Advik Beni
Director Advik Beni's winsome and unconventional narrative drama "mother, you have not died yet. but you will. and when you do, you will finally be alive…
CinemafileThe Last Place on Earth - Director David Booth 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…
CinemafileThe Welcome Table - Josh Fox (Oscar Nominated filmmaker)
THE WELCOME TABLE, directed by Academy Award®-nominated filmmaker Josh Fox (“Gasland”), tells the story of climate refugees across six continents, celebrating…
CinemafileShow Me the Line - Director Kelsey Ianuzzi
When Alabama's Supreme Court declares IVF embryos are legally children, the immediate fallout devastates families. For acclaimed reproductive journalist and…
CinemafileAward-winning! - Honeyjoon - Director Lilian T. Mehrel
In this light-and-dark comedy, HONEYJOON, June and her Persian-British mother Lela travel to the romantic Azores islands for a grief anniversary, with…
CinemafileAward winning Doc! - The Gas Station Attendant - Director Karla Murthy
As a young boy, H.N. Shantha Murthy ran away from home to escape the extreme poverty of his Indian village. He travelled the country in search of work, holding…
CinemafileFLAG DAY - Co-directors Melissa Shea & Andrew Shea
Set in the small farming community of Three Oaks, Michigan — home to the nation’s largest Flag Day parade — Flag Day is a verité portrait of ritual, identity…
CinemafileCabali & the Tiki Mug Obsession - Director Joshua Dragotta & Subject Doug “Fini” Finical
In this wildly entertaining documentary Cabali & the Tiki Mug Obsession Director Joshua Dragotta explores the colorful subculture of Tiki enthusiasts who…
CinemafileAbout Gregg Allman: The Music of My Soul - Director James Keach & Producer Michael Lehman
This enthralling music documentary traces the turbulent, transcendent life of Gregg Allman — from a childhood ruptured by his father’s murder to the soulful…
CinemafileSkin of Youth - Director Ash Mayfair
Set in the shadowy underworld of 1990s Saigon, Skin of Youth follows San, a transgender sex worker navigating desire, survival, and the fight for…
CinemafileBy Hook or By Crook - Co-directors Silas Howard & Harry Dodge
Groundbreaking when it was made and still fiercely innovative today, BY HOOK OR BY CROOK chronicles three weeks in the life of a handsome, gender-bending…
CinemafileMANAS - Director Marianna Brennand
On the Amazon rainforest island of Marajó, 13-year-old Tielle lives in an isolated riverside enclave with her family. She idolizes her older sister, who…
CinemafilePromised Sky - Director Erige Sehiri
An Ivorian pastor and former journalist, Marie, opens her home in Tunisia to three generations of migrant women: Naney, Jolie, and Kenza. A mother desperate to…
CinemafileThis Ordinary Thing - Director Nick Davis
Haunting and unforgettable, THIS ORDINARY THING tells the story of non-Jews who helped save Jewish people across Europe during The Holocaust. The film combines…
CinemafileMagic Hour - Director / co-writer / co-lead actor Katie Aselton
Charlie and Erin escape to the desert to navigate an unexpected and challenging new phase of their relationship. Magic Hour is a story of love, perception…
CinemafileFind Your Friends - Director Izabel Pakzad
Amber and her four best friends flee Los Angeles for a girls’ trip in Joshua Tree, only to find themselves unwelcome in a desert town simmering with quiet…
CinemafileCarolina Caroline - Director Adam Carter Rehmeier
Acclaimed director Adam Carter Rehmeier’s romantic crime thriller stars Samara Weaving (READY OR NOT, BORDERLINE) as Caroline Daniels, whose desire to leave…
CinemafileFood Roots - Director Michele Josue & Subject Billy Dec
Emmy award-winning Filipino American film director Michele Josue (Matt Shepard is a Friend of Mine) masterfully blends cinematic storytelling with intimate…
CinemafileGeorgia O’Keeffe: The Brightness Of Light - Directors Paul Wagner & Producer Ellen Casey Wagner
Georgia O’Keeffe is widely revered as the “Mother of American Modernism” and the greatest woman artist of the 20th century. In the 1920s, O’Keeffe became…
CinemafileShakti - Director Nani Sahra Walker
Shakti is the narrative film debut of Nani Sahra Walker. A single mother, Durga, enrolls her young daughter, Lila, in a private painting class, in order to…
CinemafileForastera - Director Lucia Aleñar Iglesias
In her provocative and gripping debut film, FORASTERA Director Lucia Aleñar Iglesias hones in on young woman, Cata, (Zoe Stein) has to deal with the trauma of…
CinemafileSpacewoman - Director by Hannah Berryman & Subject Commander Eileen Collins
Astronaut Eileen Collins was the first woman to pilot and command an American spacecraft. SPACEWOMAN beautifully captures Eileen’s journey, from her…
CinemafileThe 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…
CinemafileAsk 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…
CinemafileBeen 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…
CinemafileAmerican 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…
CinemafileLinda 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…
CinemafileAn 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…
CinemafileSteve 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…
CinemafileConbody 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…
CinemafileSteal This Story, Please! - Co-director Tia Lessin (Carl Deal)
Undeterred by armed soldiers, smooth-talking politicians, and riot police, journalist Amy Goodman has reported some of the most consequential stories of our…
CinemafileOmaha - Director Cole Webley
In his award-winning feature film debut director Cole Webley drops us into the lives of a struggling family, a young girl and her brother are awoken by their…
CinemafileBlue Heron - Director Sophy Romvari
In her award-winning feature film debut Sophy Romvari takes us back to the late 1990s, eight-year-old Sasha and her Hungarian immigrant family relocate to a…
CinemafileErupcja - Director Pete Ohs (with Charli XCX)
A romantic vacation goes awry when a volcanic eruption strands Bethany (Charli XCX) and her soon-to-be fiancé, Rob (Will Madden) in Warsaw, Poland. Bethany…
CinemafileChanging Lanes - Director Ben Wolf
Ben Wolf’s utterly fascinating new documentary, CHANGING LANES, chronicles the tragic death of a beloved teacher killed in a hit-and-run crash in Greenpoint…
CinemafileEvery Contact Leaves a Trace - Director Lynne Sachs
EVERY CONTACT LEAVES A TRACE is a thought provoking overview of our digital era. We mostly live in a time and place where real life connections become rarer…
CinemafileSerafina Palandech - Executive Director Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival
Founded in 2007, the inaugural Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival (SDFF) launched with a bold vision and 44 carefully curated films, shining a spotlight on…
CinemafileLa Scala: The Force of Destiny - Director Anissa Bonnefont
In La Scala: The Force of Destiny, Director Anissa Bonnefont, accompanied by cinematographer Martina Cocco, invites the audience into the creative hive that is…
Cinemafile* SXSW Award Winner* Daughters of the Forest - Director Otilia Portillo Padua
DAUGHTERS OF THE FOREST is a story of entanglements: between humans and mushrooms; the visible and the invisible; generational knowledge and modern science…
CinemafileSHUFFLE - Subject and mother oF Daniel, Laura Helvey
SHUFFLE unravels a web of public policy and private interest preying on a desperate population for the sake of profit.In the wake of the opioid epidemic…
CinemafileThe Serpent’s Skin - Director Alice Maio Mackay
Twentysomething Anna (Alexandra McVicker) leaves her small, transphobic hometown to start a new life in the city with her sister when she quickly finds herself…
CinemafileWonders of the Wolf - Director Angie Ruiz
WONDERS OF THE WOLF was filmed in Yellowstone National Park primarily in the Lamar Valley. It features the Park's famed wolf Matriarch, 907F. She lived to be…
CinemafileJimmy and the Demons - Director Cindy Meehl
For six decades, Jimmy Grashow's intricate woodcuts and fantastical sculptures have graced museums and galleries, iconic album covers and over a thousand…