Mike Lerner (filmmaker)

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Mike Lerner
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Occupation
  • documentary film maker

Mike Lerner is a film director and producer. He has directed Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer (2013), and Klarsfeld (2022). He has produced multiple documentary films and series including Hell and Back Again (2011), Rafea: Solar Mama (2012), The Square (2013), The Departure (2017), The Great Hack (2019), The Kleptocrats (2018), The Vow (2020–22), The Meaning of Hitler (2020), F*ck this Job (2021), Flight/Risk (2022), and Defiant (2023).

Contents

Lerner has been nominated for an Academy Award and two Primetime Emmy awards.

Career

In 2007, Lerner alongside Martin Herring and Ian Wright launched Roast Beef Productions, a production company focusing on producing documentary films. [1] In 2023, Roast Beef signed a first-look deal with All3Media International. [2]

In 2011, Lerner produced Hell and Back Again directed by Danfung Dennis, revolving around the War in Afghanistan. [3] The film and Lerner went onto be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film. [4]

In 2012, Lerner executive produced Rafea: Solar Mama directed by Jehane Noujaim and Mona Eldaief, revolving around a woman who travels to be a solar engineer, it had its world premiere at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival in September 2012, and was broadcast on PBS in November 2012. [5] [6] [7]

In 2013, Lerner produced and directed Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer alongside Maxim Pozdorovkin, revolving around the court cases surrounding Russian feminist protest group Pussy Riot, the film went onto be broadcast on HBO and BBC Storyville. [8] [9] [10] That same year, Lerner executive produced The Square directed by Noujaim, which went onto be nominated for an Academy Award and Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special. [11] [12]

In 2015, Lerner produced The Russian Woodpecker directed by Chad Gracia, which followed Fedor Alexandrovich's investigation into the Chernobyl disaster, it went onto win the Sundance Grand Jury Prize and be nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary Feature. [13] [14] In 2017, Lerner executive produced The Departure directed by Lana Wilson. [15]

In 2019, Lerner executive produced The Great Hack directed by Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer, revolving around the Facebook–Cambridge Analytica data scandal, which went onto be nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award, and a BAFTA Award for Best Documentary. [16] [17] That same year, he executive produced Unmasking Jihadi John: Anatomy of a Terrorist for HBO Documentary Films and Channel 4. [18] [19]

In 2021, Lerner produced F*ck This Job directed by Vera Krichevskaya, revolving around a woman deciding to open an independent television station TV Rain, in Russia. [20] In 2022, Lerner directed Klarsfeld alongside Martin Herring revolving around Beate Klarsfeld and Serge Klarsfeld, who confronted and hunted Nazi war criminals. [21] That same year, Lerner produced Flight/Risk directed by Karim Amer revolving around Boeing 737 crashes. [22] In 2023, Lerner produced Defiant also directed by Amer, following Disinformation in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. [23] [24]

Apart from films, Lerner has produced The Vow for HBO, [25] Who Is Ghislaine Maxwell? for Starz and Channel 4, [26] [27] and Spacey Unmasked for Channel 4. [28]

Filmography

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References

  1. ↑ Cooper, Sarah (June 9, 2011). "Mike Lerner". Screen International . Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  2. ↑ Ritman, Alex (March 13, 2023). "TV Giant All3Media Signs Exclusive First-Look Deal With Doc Specialist Roast Beef (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  3. ↑ Staff, NPR (February 20, 2012). "One Marine's Journey To 'Hell And Back Again'". NPR . Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  4. ↑ Hell And Back Again – Documentary Feature – Oscars 2012
  5. ↑ "Rafea: Solar Mama" (PDF). Human Rights Foundation . Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  6. ↑ Torgovnick May, Kate (November 1, 2012). "Visit the Barefoot College in a new film from TED Prize winner Jehane Noujaim". Ted . Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Solar Mamas". IVTS . Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  8. ↑ Kermode, Jennie. "Predicting a Riot". Eye for Film. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  9. ↑ Fleming, Mike Jr. (January 20, 2013). "Sundance: Another Docu Deal As HBO Acquires 'Pussy Riot–A Punk Prayer'". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer". BBC . Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Mike Lerner". Primetime Emmy Award . Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  12. ↑ Kingsley, Patrick (January 20, 2014). "The Square: an Egyptian Oscar nominee that won't be shown in Egypt". The Guardian . Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  13. ↑ "One World doc Russian Woodpecker explores possible links between Chernobyl and nearby Soviet radar". Radio Prague . March 11, 2016. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  14. ↑ McNary, Dave (November 24, 2015). "'Carol,' 'Spotlight,' 'Beasts of No Nation' Lead Spirit Awards Nominations". Variety . Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  15. ↑ Macaulay, Scott (October 13, 2017). "Director Lana Wilson Talks Gaining Trust, Valuing Life and Her Wise, Empathetic Suicide Prevention Doc, The Departure". Filmmaker . Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  16. ↑ "The Great Hack". Primetime Emmy Awards . Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  17. ↑ "The full list of nominations for the Baftas 2020". The Guardian. January 7, 2020. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  18. ↑ Billington, Alex (July 19, 2019). "Trailer for HBO's Doc 'Unmasking Jihadi John: Anatomy of a Terrorist'". First Showing. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  19. ↑ Chignall, Selina (May 6, 2019). "Channel 4, HBO team on "Jihadi John" documentary". Real Screen. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  20. ↑ Hoad, Phil (February 22, 2022). "F@ck This Job review – optimism in short supply at Putin's least favourite TV channel". The Guardian. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  21. ↑ Ritman, Alex (April 20, 2021). "'Collective' Director Alexander Nanau to Exec Produce Doc About Nazi Hunters Beate and Serge Klarsfeld (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  22. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (August 1, 2022). "Prime Video Dates Fall Movie Slate: Harry Styles' 'My Policeman', Lena Dunham's 'Catherine Called Birdy', Sylvester Stallone's 'Samaritan', 'Good Night Oppy' & More". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  23. ↑ Mullen, Pat (August 9, 2023). "Thom Powers on the Buzz and Biz of TIFF Docs". POV Magazine. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  24. ↑ "Defiant". 2023 Toronto International Film Festival . Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  25. ↑ "THE VOW, a portrait of NXIVM, debuts August 23". Warner Bros. Discovery . August 6, 2020. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  26. ↑ Ritman, Alex (February 5, 2021). "Ghislaine Maxwell Doc in Works From Channel 4, Dorothy Byrne, Roast Beef (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  27. ↑ Ravindan, Manori (October 10, 2021). "Starz Swoops for 'Ghislaine Maxwell: Life on Trial' From All3Media International (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  28. ↑ "Channel 4 announce new Kevin Spacey Documentary Series from Roast Beef Productions". Channel 4 . June 27, 2022. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
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