People | Lina the Film

Directors & Producers

Oleksiy Oliyar is a seasoned producer and interviewer who created more than a hundred documentary stories, shown in national and international festivals. He gained his main experience in the Ukraїner project, where he discovered unknown places and people and participated in the development of reporting in Ukraine. He has produced documentary and reports for NPR, La Presse, De Standaard, Politico, Delfi, Meadowlark, Danzico & Company, Steve McCurry and National Geographic.

Mykola Nosok is a documentary director based in Kyiv, Ukraine. Mykola works as a main director at the media company “Ukraïner” since 2016. He has worked on various Ukrainian subject matters including national minorities, Holodomor, Ukrainian identity, value of memory, Russian-Ukrainian war and others. In 2022 his documentary series “De-occupation” was nominated for the Shevchenko National Prize (the highest state prize of Ukraine for works of culture and arts). Mykola directed the feature documentary CUPRESSUS in 2024, which was selected by more than five film festivals and was nominated for Best Documentary at the ОКО - International Ethnographic Film Festival, Carpathian Mountain International Film Festival and Ukraina Festiwal Filmowy. He is currently working on a new feature documentary TILIA -- an intimate journey into the world of a Ukrainian family bringing a baby into the world during the global pandemic. This child celebrates its first birthday amidst the turmoil of the Russian-Ukrainian war.

James Weitz is a seasoned filmmaker renowned for his expansive interviews with diverse personalities. From the favelas and barrios to the upscale neighborhoods of New York’s Upper Eastside, he navigates disparate worlds with ease. His fascination with unique personalities and niche subcultures has led him on journeys across more than 40 countries, from Cuba to Kolkata.

Starting his career with ESPN, James showcased previously underrepresented regional sports to a worldwide audience. He has directed and produced compelling documentary and topical content for giants like Meta, Disney, Hulu, Fox Sports and ABC News. As a creator and EP, James made his mark in documentary television with the ABC/Disney show “Looks of Love”, a riveting exploration of African-American hair culture.

James has crafted memorable branded content for Fortune 500 companies such as Nike, Adidas, Cadillac, Ford and HP. Currently he is collaborating as a creative producer alongside Mira Nair on a feature film about girls basketball in the Northern Himalayas.

Olha Oborina is a cinematographer from Kyiv, Ukraine. She works in music videos, advertisements, fashion and future films, and documentary projects. She is a graduate of Karpenko-Kary National University of Theatre, Cinema & Television, theInstitute of Screen Arts. Olya worked with such music artists as ONUKA, SÔRA, KRUTЬ. Usually she works with the PODYH brand (“KYIV MODERNISM”, “BRAMA”, “KHYZHA”, “MEREZHYVO” сollections). Olya has two cinematography awards for the films “Ursa major”(“Dispersion)”. She filmed art-project with artist Katya Butchatska “Izium to Liverpool”, which was created with 12 cameras in the train and shown in the Liverpool Cathedral at the Eurovision festival. When Russia started full-scale invasion, she began working in liberated territories at the frontlines. She filmed stories about the consequences of Russian occupation, stories about civilian people and the Ukrainian army. She currently works at the media company “Ukraïner” as a main cinematographer and coordinator of cinematographers.

Complete Credits

Directors: Mykola Nosok, Oleksiy Oliyar

Cinematographers: Olha Oborina, Sofiia Buhrii, Oleksiy Petrov, Oleksandr Sokurenko

Executive Producers: Cindy Gantz, Silke Johnstone

Producers: Oleksiy Oliyar,, James Weitz

Creative Producer: Claire Dallison Weitz

Editor: Mykola Nosok

Co-Editor: Claire Dallison Weitz

Supervising Sound Editor: Claire Dallison Weitz

Sound Engineer: Pavlo Litovkin

Audio Post Production Services: Sound Force Studio

Composer and Audio Post Production Coordinator: Margaryta Kulichova

Sound designer and Dialogue Editor: Johnny Farah

Re-recording Mixer: Tarun Madupu

Translation: Nataliya Dutko

Soundtrack: Kyiv Classic Orchestra, Melody by M. Skoryk

Special Thanks: Josh Taft, Maria Novikova, Eileen Shields-West, Elizabeth Stein, Matt Danzico, Sweety Keshari, Nicole Vandenberg, Rob Taylor, John Benitz, Paula DuPre’Pesmen