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The Oldest Person in the World

(Sam Green, 2026)

Ohio Premiere

A crowd of people hold microphones from different news agencies up to an elderly woman.

As charming and life-affirming as movies get, Wex favorite Sam Green’s latest uses his interviews with the oldest humans alive to playfully ask life’s eternal questions.

Filmmaker Sam Green has been fascinated with the Guiness Book of World Records since his childhood. Filmed over 10 years, this delightful feature spans countries and cultures as Green meets the current record holders for the oldest person alive—a title that, needless to say, never lasts very long. What begins as a portrait of longevity becomes a meditation on the passage of time, the randomness of life, and the joy and profound human experience of being alive. Green is a frequent Wex guest, from his recent live documentary performances of 32 Sounds (2022) and A Thousand Thoughts (2018) with the Kronos Quartet to his numerous visits to work on projects in the Film/Video Studio. It’s a treat to present his crowd-pleasing new film! (87 mins., DCP)

See the complete Unorthodocs 2026 lineup,

IMAGE CAPTION
The Oldest Person in the World, courtesy of Assembly Releasing.

"Surprisingly, almost confrontationally life-affirming."

In the press

About the filmmaker

Sam Green

Sam Green received his master’s degree in journalism from the University of California, Berkeley. His most recent projects are “live documentaries” including 32 Sounds (2022), A Thousand Thoughts (2018) in collaboration with the Kronos Quartet, The Measure of All Things (2014), and The Love Song of R. Buckminster Fuller (2012), all of which were performed at the Wex. These works are performed live, with Green narrating and musicians performing the soundtrack. Green’s 2004 feature-length film, the Academy Award-nominated documentary The Weather Underground, was created with support from the Wex’s Film/Video Studio. Green was included in the 2019 Whitney Biennial, and in 2014 he was accepted as a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Program Support

Unorthodocs 2026 is part of the 2026 FotoFocus Biennial: The Long View.

SUPPORT FOR UNORTHODOCS 2026 PROVIDED BY

FotoFocus

SUPPORT FOR FILM PROGRAMS PROVIDED BY

Rohauer Collection Foundation

WEXNER CENTER PROGRAMS MADE POSSIBLE BY

Greater Columbus Arts Council

Ohio Arts Council, with support from the National Endowment for the Arts

CampusParc

The Columbus Foundation

The Ohio State University

Wexner Center Foundation Board

With special thanks to our members

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The Oldest Person in the World