2004 – 16mm film – Narrative
TRT 9:08

SYNOPSIS: Amidst the cruelty and chaos of suburban high school life, where wrestling jocks and gossipy girls rule the day, an awkward freshman finds hope in a new friendship.

DIRECTOR’S NOTE: This was my MFA thesis film at San Francisco State University. The idea came to me as a single image in a dream — two girls, somewhat beaten and bruised, sitting in wait outside the principal’s office. The story developed from there, and it didn’t quite turn out the way I had intended it…any time you write/direct, there will be compromises. Many had to be made on this film, but I think it turned out pretty well considering all of that. We had a great time shooting this on location at the San Francisco School of the Arts (I took a job as an Artist-in-Residence there, teaching 14-17 year olds how to make movies, and thus was able to shoot on location at the school). Several of my students are in the film, including Lucy Southern (Alex) and Clara Dudley (Phoebe). Both of them are incredible artists in their own right, and it was a pleasure to work with them as well as the amazing Matt Gudenius (Weber).

2001 – 16mm film – Narrative
TRT 11:44

SYNOPSIS: College freshman Catie comes home for Thanksgiving, but finds herself trapped between a rock and a hard place when Mom inquires about her love life.

DIRECTOR’S NOTE: This was my first film – shot, edited and finished entirely on 16mm motion picture film. We had a great cast — Riki Lindhome, Perry Smith, and Don Williams. All of them have gone on to do great things in their careers as actors. I’m so grateful to them for their time and enthusiasm for this project — and although the images are grainy and at times unfocused, we put a lot of love into this film and it will always be my favorite…