Director

To contact Katherine about assisting on or screening any of her directorial work, please write to kayfilums@gmail.com.

I didn't go to film school. In fact, at Washington University in St. Louis, I studied just about everything else - almost majoring in music, then biology, then acting, in the end winding up with a degree in international studies with a focus on South Asia. Even though no one in my family could have seen it coming, because of my many varied interests, film truly wound up being the only industry in which I could be myself. The word my parents always used to describe me is "curious". In film, layers upon layers of subjects and storytelling elements all work together to make one single piece of art - allowing my curiosity towards all these various subjects to be a part of my life-long work.

Because my directorial style wasn't developed in film school, my approach as a director is unique. My background in acting (including the Meisner technique) and my experience teaching shape my approach to working with actors, and ultimately my storytelling style is really a culmination of a lifetime of literature consumption, from the books I was obsessed with staying up reading as a child, to the films and TV shows I'm still obsessed with staying up late and binge-watching now. I strive for purposeful filmmaking, where every tiny word, sound, color, or piece of set dressing carries a meaning deeper than itself, and is essential to the story as a whole that I am trying to tell.

In the Press:

Interview. "What's Your Story?"

Interview: "Women In Film"

Current Projects

Carol and I

(post-production)

A documentary showcasing Carol, Katherine's grandmother, and her descent into dementia. The film explores how Carol's relationship with herself is changed by the disease, as well as the changes dementia brings to Carol's relationships with her family members and close friends. The film is a personal story, but explores the universal ways a family deals with grief, as well as the generational- and gender-specific ways in which Carol and her loved ones were affected by this change.

This sample clip is the last real conversation Katherine had with her grandma, luckily captured on film during the shooting of this film.

Bunny's New Baby

(films Spring 2020)

A short narrative film from the perspective of a pet bunny who is used to having her home and parents all to herself - when suddenly her life is changed by the addition of a baby sister to her family. In addition to telling this story, the film silently advocates for South Asian, lesbian, foster care, and house rabbit representations in film.