Martha Stephens
Born (1984-03-12) March 12, 1984 (age 39)
Huntington, West Virginia, U.S.
Occupation(s)Writer, director, filmmaker
Years active2009–present

Martha Stephens (born March 12, 1984) is an American film writer and director.[1][2]

Stephens was born in West Virginia and raised in eastern Kentucky.[3] She graduated from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, School of Filmmaking, where she concentrated in directing.[4][5][6]

Stephens' first two feature films, Passenger Pigeons (2010) and Pilgrim Song (2012), premiered at the South by Southwest festival and received several awards.[7][8] Her third film, Land Ho! (2014), which she co-directed with Aaron Katz, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival[9] and was purchased for worldwide distribution by Sony Pictures Classics.[10][11] At the 30th Independent Spirit Awards, Land Ho! was given the John Cassavetes Award for best feature film with a budget under $500,000.[12] Her fourth feature film To the Stars, with Kara Hayward, Liana Liberato, Malin Åkerman, and Tony Hale starring, premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival in the U.S. Dramatic Competition.[13] It was released on April 24, 2020, by Samuel Goldwyn Films.

References

  1. ^ [1] Archived 2014-02-21 at the Wayback Machine 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. ^ [2] IMDB: Martha Stephens. Retrieved 2.9.2014.
  4. ^ Lane, Kim. Rock Candy: Q&A with Martha Stephens. Arkansas Times. 5.31.2012.
  5. ^ [3] Indiewire Staff. Meet the 2012 SXSW Filmmakers #2: Martha Stephens. Indiewire.com, 3.1.2012.
  6. ^ [4] Ryzik, Melena. Sundance: The Plastic Surgeon, The Actor, and a New Comedy Team. New York Times, retrieved 2.9.2014
  7. ^ Smirnoff, Marc. REPORT: Little Rock Film Festival. Oxford American Magazine. 6.8.2012.
  8. ^ [5]Land Ho! Description. Sundance.org. Retrieved 2.9.2014.
  9. ^ Filmmaker Staff. Land Ho! | Directors Aaron Katz, Martha Stephens. Filmmaker Magazine. 1.18.2014.
  10. ^ [6] Zakarin, Jordan. A Week With the Unlikely Breakout Stars of this year's Sundance at Buzzfeed.com. Retrieved 2.9.2014.
  11. ^ [7] Chang, Justin. Sundance Film Reviews: Land Ho! Variety, 1.21.2014.
  12. ^ "Independent Spirit Awards: 'Land Ho!' Wins John Cassavetes Award". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2018-09-20.
  13. ^ McNary, Dave (June 6, 2018). "'To the Stars' Movie Casts Tony Hale, Malin Akerman". Variety. Retrieved June 25, 2018.

External links

Authority control databases
Films directed by Martha Stephens
Categories