The Oldest Person in the World (www.theoldestperson.com)is a new documentary film from director Sam Green that chronicles the ever-changing list of world record holders. The decade-long production begins as a portrait of longevity and later becomes a meditation on the passage of time, the randomness of fate, and the joy and profound human experience of being alive. The film is an official entry in the 2026 Sundance Film Festival.
Mark Mangini served as sound designer and re-recording sound mixer on the project. The feature represents a continued collaboration between the sound professional and the director, as they also worked together on Green's previous film, 32 Sounds.
"I was honored that he had me back for The Oldest Person in the World," says Mangini. "Our workflow mirrored the way we worked on
32 Sounds: Sam turned over early edits for my feedback sonically as well as dramatically, long before locking picture. He’s extraordinarily collaborative that way. Sam, to his credit, is the rare filmmaker who believes that picture lock is a sacred thing, not to be fooled with without dire consequences in post, so this time he did make changes after lock, but vital ones that really changed the way the audience took in the movie. We found a way to make it work."
Mangini edited all the film's sound effects, with Fred Paragano editing the dialog. Music was delivered in stereo, with stems and master mixes.
"I final mixed for three days in my studio at the Formosa 66 facility in West Hollywood, with Sam by my side," shares Mangini. "The studio is a small 7.1.4 mix environment with a perf screen and video projection. All audio was mixed and recorded in one master Pro Tools session, including stems and print masters. We ate Thai food everyday, as is mandated in our charter."
Mangini points to a recurring scene in the film that shows a close-up of a pair of hands leafing through the “Guinness Book of World Records.”
"I love this repetition and Sam’s desire to have it feel intimate without any embellishment other than the sounds of hands on book, leafing pages," he shares. "As on 32 Sounds, our Foley artist Joanna Fang did an amazing job bringing an ASMR-like quality to these shots. Simple and clean."