Jamie Kastner is a member of a family of filmmakers. He is the nephew of actor
Peter Kastner and filmmaker
John Kastner. Kastner's grandmother, Rose, served as an associate producer on several of John Kastner's films, while his mother, Susan Kastner, was involved in the production of several of Jamie Kastner's films as a researcher. Kastner's wife Laura Baron Kastner is producer and business partner at Cave 7 Productions. Kastner worked as an associate producer and researcher on several of John Kastner's films, including 1997's
Hunting Bobby Oatway. Jamie Kastner's films explore such topics as pop culture, political and social issues, crime and identity. His first documentary was
Free Trade Is Killing My Mother (2003), a black comedy about protest. Films such as
Djangomania! (2005),
Kike Like Me (2007) and
Recessionize! For Fun and Profit! (2011) employ both comedy and a first-person,
road movie format.
Kike Like Me, which follows Kastner as he travels to several countries exploring the notion of modern Jewish identity, premiered at
HotDocs in 2007. The film won the Audience Award at Munich Dokfest and was shortlisted for the
Grierson Award in 2008. Kastner has also worked as a producer and writer on several television series, as a newspaper reporter and features writer, playwright, critic and television host. In 2017,
The Harold Greenberg Fund supported the adaptation of ''
The Skyjacker's Tale into a dramatic feature film, titled, The Skyjacker's Son'', with Kastner as screenwriter. ==Filmography==