Martha Stephens

Martha Stephens
Born (1984-03-12) March 12, 1984
Huntington, West Virginia, U.S.
Occupation Writer, director, filmmaker
Years active 2009–present

Martha Stephens (born March 12, 1984) is an American film writer and director. Her three feature films involve characters yearning for escape, and naturalistically portrayed rural settings.[1][2]

Stephens was born in West Virginia and raised in eastern Kentucky.[3] A great-niece of writer Jesse Stuart, Stephens was immersed by her family in the Appalachian storytelling tradition.[4][5] She graduated from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, School of Filmmaking, where she concentrated in directing.[6][7][8]

Stephens' first two feature films, Passenger Pigeons (2010) and Pilgrim Song (2012), premiered at the South by Southwest festival and received several awards.[9][10] Her third film, Land Ho! (2014), premiered at the Sundance Film Festival[11] and was purchased for worldwide distribution by Sony Pictures Classics.[12][13] At the 30th Independent Spirit Awards, Land Ho! was given the John Cassavetes Award for best feature film with a budget under $500,000.[14] In June 2018, it was announced Stephens had directed her fourth feature film To the Stars, with Kara Hayward, Liana Liberato, Malin Åkerman, and Tony Hale starring, from a screenplay by Shannon Bradley-Colleary.[15]

References

  1. ↑ Silverstein, Melissa. Sundance Women Directors: Meet Martha Stephens at Indiewire.com.
  2. ↑ Eliot, Natalie. Filmmaker Interview: Martha Stephens. Oxford American Magazine. 6.12.2012.
  3. ↑ IMDB: Martha Stephens. Retrieved 2.9.2014.
  4. ↑ Mary Stuart (Obituary). Ashland Daily Independent. 3.10.2002
  5. ↑ Indiewire Staff. Meet the 2012 SXSW Filmmakers #2: Martha Stephens. Indiewire.com, 3.1.2012.
  6. ↑ Lane, Kim. Rock Candy: Q&A with Martha Stephens. Arkansas Times. 5.31.2012.
  7. ↑ Indiewire Staff. Meet the 2012 SXSW Filmmakers #2: Martha Stephens. Indiewire.com, 3.1.2012.
  8. ↑ Ryzik, Melena. Sundance: The Plastic Surgeon, The Actor, and a New Comedy Team." New York Times, retrieved 2.9.2014
  9. ↑ Smirnoff, Marc. REPORT: Little Rock Film Festival. Oxford American Magazine. 6.8.2012.
  10. ↑ Land Ho! Description. Sundance.org. Retrieved 2.9.2014.
  11. ↑ Filmmaker Staff. Land Ho! | Directors Aaron Katz, Martha Stephens. Filmmaker Magazine. 1.18.2014.
  12. ↑ Zakarin, Jordan. A Week With the Unlikely Breakout Stars of this year's Sundance at Buzzfeed.com. Retrieved 2.9.2014.
  13. ↑ Chang, Justin. Sundance Film Reviews: Land Ho! Variety, 1.21.2014.
  14. ↑ "Independent Spirit Awards: 'Land Ho!' Wins John Cassavetes Award". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2018-09-20.
  15. ↑ McNary, Dave (June 6, 2018). "'To the Stars' Movie Casts Tony Hale, Malin Akerman". Variety. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.