We recently connected with Katharine League and have shared our conversation below.

Katharine , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

I am learning the answer to this question is whatever project I am currently working on, or up next. I think that is because when you write, direct, or produce, you really have to be all-in on whatever project sits in front of you. Each story has meaning and each represents a little part of yourself. The project I am currently working on is called “Down to the Last Touch.” It is my MFA thesis short film and focuses on a high school swimmer battling with performance anxiety on the day of a big meet. As modern-day athletes like Simone Biles and Michael Phelps are trying to show us, there is a whole other story taking place behind what we see on camera. Competitive sports are only becoming more and more herculean. That being said, what kind of mind does it take to train for hours and hours every day for hundredths of a point or hundredths of a second? How does it affect them? As a society we inherently glorify the victories that come as a result of these great trials and pressures. However, in my own experience, I think it’s fair to say we don’t often acknowledge the hurt this mentality can cause, especially when so much of an athlete’s identity may be wrapped up in their respective sport from a young age. “Down to the Last Touch” is my small way of asking audiences to pause and think about how we frame competitive athletics. You can only say so much in a short film, but I hope that this story holds the seed of a larger conversation to be had.

Historically, in sports films, sport is the solution to a character’s problem, not the cause of it. In addition, although it is generally agreed sports go beyond the physical, mental health is not a major topic in many such films. I wanted to highlight this gap and aide the real-world conversation athletes are trying to make, even if it was only on a small scale.

This story is meaningful to me because I was a swimmer growing up. I loved the sport, but I quit club swimming just before high school. I found myself training for countless hours for meets where I’d end up adding time. I’m not sure if it’s called something else in other sports, but my coaches called it a plateau. Though it isn’t necessarily permanent, it can do a number on your psyche. I almost didn’t go out for my high school swim team because of how disheartened I had come to feel about the sport. A friend dragged me to a meeting and in high school I had a coach who made me feel like I had value outside the number I posted on the board. It changed my perspective, and I’m forever grateful for that.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Hi there, my name is Katharine League, and I am a filmmaker. I grew up in Wichita, KS, and although I come to the industry from a bit of an unconventional background, I have loved stories from a young age. In 2019, I received my undergraduate degree in architectural engineering from the University of Kansas and went on to work as an electrical engineer and lighting designer for several years before deciding to pursue my graduate degree in film & television at Savannah College of Art and Design. My main focus when approaching any film is to build a story from the script up. To me, the heart of any film starts on the page, and every layer we add on top from the visuals to the sound design should serve to elevate it further. My favorite genres to work in are drama and comedy. Whether it be through my work or my actions, I hope I can bring a little bit of joy to those around me each and every day.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

The biggest lesson I’ve had to unlearn is that being uncomfortable is a bad thing. Our bodies are even hardwired with this lesson. We naturally flinch away when something is painful and our “fight-or-flight” response encourages us to flee from a perceived threat. We don’t like to feel uncomfortable, it’s the very nature of the word, but in order to pursue film, I had to learn to seek out that which made me uncomfortable. I had to put myself in positions where I might fail, where things might not come naturally, where others had the opportunity to tear me down. It’s one of the biggest reasons I applied to film school. You can see examples in society of how change often stems from disruption, and I think as artists we have to embrace that fact within ourselves and pursue the uncomfortable, even when it scares the heck out of us.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

To tell authentic, original stories that help us explore what it means to be human. I don’t think there is one right way to tell a story, but I do think that sometimes we approach storytelling as a sequence of steps – this leads to this which leads to that. When I’ve approached scripts that way, they tend to come out dry. If I instead consider how a character might act and let those choices drive the narrative, the story becomes rooted in human nature. Seeking out those kinds of choices in order to make a story that emotionally connects with an audience is what drives me.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @the.sunshine.kate
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-l-80a201102

Image Credits

Photography: Brode Voigt

Film Stills: Down to the Last Touch