We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Cristin Stephens a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Cristin, appreciate you joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I went to film school in my late 20s hoping to pick up the tools of the trade in a classroom, which has always been my comfort zone. As it turns out, learning a film is like learning a language. I’ve learned most being immersed in it, either on set or in a movie theater (or on my couch), picking up the tenets of film structure and visual language from my favorite directors. Learning how to write, however, is a journey I started back in college as an English major. I read a lot and took a few poetry writing workshops, which I think now informs the style of brevity I’ve adopted in my scripts today. I admittedly read more novels than I read scripts, but I’m getting better at doing my homework!

Cristin, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m a writer, director and producer whose stories films bridge the comedic, off-putting and sentimental, and center protagonists and communities I love. I occupy space in both fiction and nonfiction filmmaking driven primarily driven by story, and my films are often about Black people whose identities occupy liminal spaces, teetering between opposing selves and ways of being in the world.

There’s a long version of my story, which includes a 7 year old me writing plays that I swindled friends into acting in my parents’ living room. Or 19-year old me, an English major who deeply admired the ability of fiction writers to reimagine the familiar into new worlds. But in short, I meandered between fields in my early 20s, in pursuit of something creative and meaningful, not only to me but to my community. I also come from a family of doctors – medical and Phds – and I kind of assumed my path included many years of higher education. With some teaching experience, I decided to get my feet wet with a master’s in education, where I took a class in ethnographic filmmaking. Something clicked pretty immediately and I realized where I was supposed to be.

Since school is my comfort zone, I pursued an MFA in film production at UT Austin to learn the ropes. I spent a lot of time in different roles in production on set – PA, script supervisor, camera assistant, assistant director – and with more experience gained a better understanding of what I enjoy. To have the versatility to direct both narrative and documentary films allows me to utilize film for personal expression and communal care. I love directing narrative films because I love collaborating to achieve a vision, and empowering people to do what they do best, whether it’s the actor or the production designer. I also love directing documentary films as ways to become closer to communities I know and to elevate their stories through my artistic practice.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I’m incredibly grateful to spend so much time with my imagination in my 30s, and to be able to grow alongside my craft. Every project offers an opportunity to do something a bit different and something a bit better than the last, and I continue to grow more confident in my ability to write, direct and produce.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

The world we live in has no problem consuming an excess of content and simultaneously deeming it worthless. I have countless friends making short and feature films wondering if it will ever be a sustainable career because making art is always at odds with capitalism. More opportunities created for artists by local government, organizations and more support from consumers themselves to democratize access to art-making as a career could make a world of difference.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://cristinstephens.com
• Instagram: instagram/cristinnoelle

Image Credits

Taj Devore-Bey
Ziming Xie
Pamela Silva