A Statement

I can’t say I always have known that I wanted to be a filmmaker. It was actually a very lucky accident. When I was a senior in high school I moved to Chapel Hill from Pittsburgh. I signed up for some clothes making class but on the first day of class the teacher didn’t show up and I needed to find something else, so film class- why not? And that was it. Suddenly I couldn’t imagine doing anything else with my life. Since I was little I have always been obsessed with pictures and poems and with making things with my hands. I loved art so much but couldn’t draw! So filmmaking has offered me an opportunity to put all the things I love together.

I am interested in all kinds of filmmaking: experimental, documentary, and narrative. I love screenwriting, directing, editing, painting on film, and participating in and programming film festivals. I am very interested in sociology and issues of class, race, age, and especially gender. I am primarily interested in making films that create social awareness through portraits of people, and human interaction in general within society. I am eager to see all the many ways people live and are, and love to see new perspectives even if I don’t personally agree with them.

Two semesters ago I took Andre Silva’s 6by1 class and discovered my passion for experimental filmmaking. I made a film called “What To Do On A Date If Your Partner Likes It” for my final project. With the Silva’s encouragement and direction I entered it into Humboldt, Athens International, and Cucalorus not expecting to get in, but I did! So now, I have a new agenda for my films and that is to try to get them out into the world.

Currently, I am working on 3 films. One is a documentary about the transgender community. I’m really freaked out about editing it because we have 20 hrs of footage already and are still shooting and need to edit it all this semester. I am so excited too. I absolutely love this project and believe that it will show in the film. I am also working on a very personal exp. film called “An Indefinite Meandering Of Words Left Unsaid” (Could I have made that title more dramatic?) It’s about connecting to tragic event in my past. This film has been so emotionally draining but also such a relief. I am curious about how the film will be perceived by an audience and wonder if it will be worth watching. Lastly, I am working on the preproduction phase of a film with Shannon about the possible generational gap when it comes to Brazilian waxing, and I am really excited for that adventure ☺