Katherine Stenholm facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Katherine Stenholm
Died	3 November 2015  Greenville

Katherine Corne Stenholm (born June 19, 1917 – died November 3, 2015) was an American film director. She was the first director of Unusual Films. This company makes movies for Bob Jones University.

A Pioneer in Film

Early Life and Education

Katherine Corne was born and grew up in Hendersonville, North Carolina. When she was in high school during the Great Depression, she wrote movie reviews. This helped her family earn money.

She chose to attend Bob Jones College in Cleveland, Tennessee. An evangelist convinced her that a Christian college was the right choice. She studied speech there. She also learned from Bob Jones, Jr. and helped him direct plays.

After college, she taught speech at Bob Jones College. She also went to graduate school at Northwestern University for many summers. During this time, she married Gilbert R. Stenholm (1915–89). He later became an important leader at the university. They had one son.

Starting Unusual Films

In 1950, Bob Jones College moved to Greenville and became Bob Jones University. Bob Jones, Sr. and Jr. asked Katherine Stenholm to lead a new film company. They called it Unusual Films.

Stenholm then went to summer film school at the University of Southern California. She met important people in the film industry there. She also worked as an intern with famous director Stanley Kramer.

Katherine Stenholm learned very quickly. She soon became one of the few women in the United States to direct feature films. During her career, she made 72 films. These included religious documentaries, promotional films, and other types of presentations.

Her Feature Films

She directed five full-length religious films. These were all costume dramas, meaning they were set in historical periods. Her films include:

• Wine of Morning
• Red Runs the River
• Flame in the Wind
• Sheffey
• Beyond the Night

The National Evangelical Film Foundation honored Stenholm as Director of the Year in 1953, 1955, and 1963. Her favorite film, Sheffey, won a Silver Medallion award. This was from the International Film and Television Festival of New York.

Representing the USA

In 1958, during the Cold War, her film Wine of Morning was chosen to represent the United States. It was shown at the International Congress of Motion Picture and Television School Directors. This event was part of the famous Cannes Film Festival. Katherine Stenholm was the main speaker there.

A U.S. State Department official told her that people were happy Bob Jones University was chosen. They said, "Bob Jones University is one school about which there is no worry!" The selection committee thought Wine of Morning showed how good American film training was. They also felt its clear religious message would be a strong contrast to films from Communist countries.

Later Years

In 1986, Stenholm had a stroke while in the Soviet Union. She was filming for another movie at the time. She retired as the director of Unusual Films. However, she continued to teach at Bob Jones University until 2001. Katherine Stenholm passed away in November 2015 at the age of 98.