Before moving to NYC where I earned an MA in Film Studies from the CUNY Graduate Center and an MFA in Filmmaking (also from the CUNY system) I juggled paralegal work with running a non-profit (La Vache Enragée Productions) in San Francisco. With LVE I produced theatre and an annual festival of short plays and silent short films accompanied by live music. I hold a B.A. in Theatre from UCLA and have done post graduate work at Central School of Speech and Drama in London and studied at Circle in the Square in New York – and am done with school for the moment (although I always take a class somewhere… because I can’t resist).
As a director coming from an acting background I value performance and story above all else but have over the past few years gained an appreciation for the technical elements that make storytelling special in cinema. I am especially intrigued by the juxtaposition of sound with images – and hope to further explore the use of sound in films.
My narrative work:
Still Life, a very short short produced with artist Katherine Pulido and composer Barbara Weber screened at Nevada Women’s Film Festival (NWFF), Blackbird Film Festival and the Media Film Festival in Pennsylvania.
Kurtis, a short comedy dealing with impotence both physical and mental screened at the NWFF – as well as at the Anthology Film Archives in NYC.
Meeting in the Park, a horror comedy screened at the Chain Film Festival.
To Live Forever, a modern adaptation of the Greek myth of Sybil the prophetess, screened at the DGA in NYC as well as at various festivals including the NWFF.
Through the Valley screened at the Orlando Film Festival, the Chain Film Festival and the Northeast Film Festival where I was nominated for Best Director.
Fear of Heights, screened as part of the SAG Shorts Showcase and the Katra Film Series.
My documentary projects:
The 2nd Sex and the 7th Art, a documentary project about women making movies
Let’s Talk About… The Myth of the Constitution, a video collage series created with Irene Meltzer Richard.
Let’s Talk About… Robert Moses, a video collage series created with Irene Meltzer Richard.
Volunteer Lawyers for the Artist Writing Residency: a documentary project on storytelling and art in the legal system.
The “Underground” Music Scene of the NYC Subways – runner-up for the London Sundance/Nokia Competition
Contributing Artist/Writer with:
Undiscovered Works, a NYC based theatre company – I serve on the board and curate an online series, MIXOLOGY which experiments with live and recorded elements of storytelling.
Educational Media Reviews Online – I review films for this online publication which serves academic institutions and libraries.
Agnes Films – I am a contributing writer for this site which supports women and feminist filmmakers.
With partner Eric Rice I have curated an annual screening (Shorts of All Sorts) for the Directed by Women celebration inspired by Barbara Ann O’Leary. I have also served on the jury for Blackbird Film Festival.