Matia Karrell facts for kids

Matia Anne Karrell is an American director, producer, and writer for movies and TV shows. She is famous for directing a short movie called Cadillac Dreams in 1988. This movie was even nominated for an Oscar!

Matia Karrell's Journey

Early Life and Dance Dreams

Matia Karrell grew up in Boston, Massachusetts. Her parents were from Lebanon. She first dreamed of becoming a dancer. She studied dance at Harvard University. Then she moved to New York City. There, she learned from famous dancers like Hanya Holm and Martha Graham. She even performed at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM). She worked with the well-known theater director Robert Wilson.

Moving into Movies

Later, Matia decided to switch from dancing to making movies. She started in the movie business as an electrician. This meant she helped set up the lights and power on movie sets. Some of her early films as an electrician include Without Warning (1980) and The Howling (1981).

After that, she became an assistant director. She helped the main director on movies like Breakin' (1984) and Critters (1986). She also worked as a Production Manager for director Spike Lee on his movie School Daze (1988).

Directing and Producing Success

In 1988, Matia Karrell wrote, directed, and produced her own short movie. It was called Cadillac Dreams. This film was a big success. It was nominated for an Oscar for Best Short Film. It also won a Gold Hugo award at the Chicago International Film Festival.

She worked with British director Mike Newell as a writer and producer. In 2002, Matia directed, co-wrote, and co-produced a full-length movie. It was called Behind the Red Door. Famous actors like Kiefer Sutherland and Kyra Sedgwick starred in it. This movie won First Prize for Best Feature Film Screenplay. This award was given at the Rhode Island International Film Festival.

Matia has worked on many other films. These include Once Upon a Wedding (2005) and The Tub (2009). She also worked on Finding Sahara (2014) and Lilly and James (2016). More recently, she worked on Safety (2018) and The Tale (2018).

Television Work

Besides movies, Matia Karrell has directed many TV shows. She directed episodes for popular shows like The Wonder Years and Doogie Howser, M.D.. She also directed for The West Wing and Army Wives.

Recent Projects and Awards

Recently, Matia worked on a film called Making LA Happen. This film was made with other directors. It aimed to show women in important government jobs. The film won an award called the CINDY Silver Award in 2017.

Matia has received many special awards and fellowships. These include the Fulbright Fellowship and the Disney-ABC Directing Fellowship. She is also a member of important groups. These include the Directors Guild of America and Women in Film and Television International.

Today, Matia Karrell teaches film directing. She is a professor at the ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, California. She also owns her own film company, THE RED DOOR FILMS, in Los Angeles.