Katherine Nelson
Film Director/Writer
Press
"Gila River Rising"
"This is an important topic and it's great that someone who champions this cause is using art to get the word out. Good luck on the project!"
Matt Young
Screenwriter
Netflix/Sundance.org
CONTACT
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BIO
Katherine M. Nelson
Bio
MFA Academy of Art University San Francisco, CA (2026)
M.Ed. from Texas A&M University-Commerce
M.A. from Western New Mexico University
(Recipient of a Summer Research Scholar Award & Grant from Western New Mexico University)
As a child of a decorated armed forces member, my father’s military service took my family to many beautiful places while I was growing up. We traveled along the way to various National Parks while on the way to our newest homes over the years, which left impressions on me. The Grand Teton Mountains, in Wyoming, helped to set my imagination on fire. The Tetons and the mountain climate was my first obsession, so it’s not surprising that I live in the Mountains, at an altitude of over 7,000 ft.
A favorite pastime of mine as a child growing up in Hawaii was exploration and adventure, most of the time barefoot. Throughout this time a very imaginative child and adult emerged. Thus, the desire to write and make films was a natural progression. While working as a Professor of Writing and Film at Eastern New Mexico University, and finishing a master’s degree in English, I received a Research Scholar Award from Western New Mexico University. This award came with a grant that provided the funds to direct my first documentary film, “Gila River Rising.” During its inaugural run at the Austin ATX Film Festival, this documentary received a Special Selection award in 2023.
Over the last couple of years, I have been studying under talented filmmakers at the Academy of Art University to learn the ins and outs of the filmmaking industry. This has led to rich experiences in filmmaking and newly tapped creative writing skills. More recently, my focus has been on finishing up an MFA in Directing at the AAU and writing two narrative scripts. The editing is nearly complete on the first, which is a dark comedy and a movie, in which I hope to direct. And the second script, is a narrative drama that I can see running as a series on a streaming provider.
Currently, you can find me living with my Labrador and Aussie Shepard in the Sacramento Mountains of southern New Mexico, conjuring up my next film to direct.