Some stories are too heavy for the screen.
We make them anyway.
“From its winding chase sequences to its immersive camera work… William Kaufman’s The Channel is a brisk, white-knuckle crime flick.”
— Robert Daniels, The New York Times
The Filmmaker
William Kaufman is an American filmmaker known for creating hard-edged genre films that fuse visceral action with grounded human emotion.
His work explores themes of loyalty, survival, brotherhood, violence, and moral consequence through stories rooted as deeply in character as action and atmosphere. Combining realism, tension, atmosphere, and emotional weight, Kaufman has developed a distinctive voice in modern genre cinema.
Kaufman first broke through with the cult action film Sinners and Saints (2010), launching a prolific directing career that has included collaborations with Sony Pictures, 20th Century Studios, and Paramount Pictures. While his films are celebrated for their authenticity, tactical precision, and kinetic action sequences, they are equally driven by flawed characters navigating pressure, corruption, family, and survival.
Kaufman recently directed the sci-fi action epic Osiris (2025), starring Linda Hamilton and Max Martini, followed by the action thriller Man of War (2026), starring LaMonica Garrett alongside Jason Patric and Andrew Howard.
Raised in a nomadic family shaped by his father's international work, Kaufman spent his early years living in London, Bangkok, and Japan before eventually settling in Texas and later making New Orleans his home. That global upbringing continues to influence his filmmaking — combining an outsider's perspective with deeply human stories about identity, displacement, loyalty, and survival.
“Brutal, stylish and utterly gripping... exceptional work from writer-director William Kaufman.”
Edinburgh International Film Festival · Best of FestThe Studio
Born in the Irish Channel. Built for the world.
Irish Channel Studios is a New Orleans-based independent production company founded by filmmaker William Kaufman in the historic Irish Channel neighborhood.
We make hard-edged, character-driven action and genre films about people living close to violence and the choices and consequences that come with it — films that blend visceral realism, authenticity, and real emotional weight.
We develop original screenplays and produce feature films with full in-house production, post-production, and visual effects capabilities.
Louisiana gives us an edge most productions don’t have — world-class crews, locations with real grit and character, and one of the strongest film incentive programs in the industry. We know how to maximize all of it — delivering cinema that punches far above its budget.
If that sounds like your kind of cinema, we’d love to have you along for the ride.
Absolutely riveting... Kaufman is going places.
Ron Krueger · Hollywood Foreign Press Association
Contact
We are probably on production so please be patient — we will get back to you as soon as possible.
Irish Channel Studios
New Orleans, Louisiana
irishchannelstudios.com
