Filmmaker Dan Mirvish on New Film '18½' and Watergate's Legacy

By Courtney Bierman

Published July 11, 2022 at 1:00 PM CDT

Key art from the movie 18½ depicting a black-and-white image of Richard Nixon edited to make him appear to hold scissors and a reel of magnetic tape. — Dan Mirvish is the director of the new movie "18½" now playing at the Ruth Sokolof Theater.

The new film "18½" is the latest from Omaha-born filmmaker Dan Mirvish. The film is a Watergate thriller and dark comedy about a transcriptionist and reporter who find the infamous 18-and-a-half minutes of missing tape from Richard Nixon’s White House recordings.

Mirvish is an award-winning filmmaker and co-founder of the Slamdance Film Festival. His films include "Omaha The Movie," "Open House," "Between Us," and "Bernard and Huey." Today Mirvish discusses the film’s thematic relevance to today, how his filmic influences, including mentor Robert Altman, played into its conception, and what the efficacy of political art is in today’s climate.

"18½" is playing now through July 14 at the Ruth Sokolof Theater.

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Courtney Bierman

Courtney is back in her hometown after graduating from the University of Kansas in 2019 with degrees in journalism and film. While at KU, she was the arts and culture editor of the University Daily Kansan and had a summer internship at KCUR, Kansas City's NPR member station. She has three pet rats and has seen almost every Audrey Hepburn movie.

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