I am an Emmy-nominated director whose films wrestle with how mental health and prejudice shape people’s lives.
My debut feature documentary PRAY AWAY (Netflix 2021), on the history and devastating legacy of the ‘pray the gay away’ movement, was nominated for an Emmy, Critics Choice Award, and GLAAD Media Award. The film was chosen as one of the 10 Critics’ Picks of Tribeca and SXSW in The Hollywood Reporter and cited as “one of the most important films of the year.” PRAY AWAY was executive produced by Blumhouse and Ryan Murphy, and received support from the Tribeca Film Institute, Catapult Film Fund, Sundance Institute, Chicken and Egg Pictures, SFFilm, and Cinereach.
I am now in post-production on my sophomore feature documentary alive! (working title), a dazzling animated coming-of-age documentary following two young women restarting their lives after nearly dying from eating disorders in their youth, with long-time collaborators Multitude Films. I am also writing my debut fiction feature project with award-winning journalist and New York Times Magazine writer Jaeah Lee, and developing a short documentary on the hidden epidemic of ‘birth trauma’ with Insignia Films.
In 2021 I was named one of DOC NYC’s “40 Under 40. I am a two-time recipient of SFFILM’s artist residency where I recently served as a creative advisor. Previous to directing feature films, I produced ATTLA (PBS Independent Lens) and directed five short films. One was nominated for a Student BAFTA, and two were Vimeo Staff Picks. I’ve taught undergraduate film classes at Stanford University and the University of San Francisco, and currently teach at Hunter College in New York City. I am a member of the Documentary Producers Alliance and was a founding member of the Video Consortium’s Bay Area chapter. I hold an MFA in Documentary Film from Stanford University, and proudly hail from North Carolina and central New York. When not making films, I’m generally sipping coffee on my porch or raising my bright, beautiful daughter.
I run Lamplighter Films, a small but mighty production company, named after my childhood street, because I believe that the seeds of great ideas come from our own backyards.
Get in touch kristine@lamplighterfilms.com