Karen has worked full-time in the film and television industry since 2000. Starting her career as a producer and entertainment lawyer, Karen has produced five feature films, eight short films and three television series. Her first short film as a writer/director, The Cabinet won the NSI Drama Prize in 2006. She has since written/directed seven short films, a music video, a documentary television series, three feature films — Stained (2010), Evangeline (2013) and The Curse of Willow Song (2020) — and a web series Mythos (2015). Women In Film and Television Vancouver recognized Karen’s artistic achievements, and awarded her with the Artistic Innovation Award for Women In Film in March 2013. Karen’s short films have had extensive screenings at international film festivals and have garnered international awards, including Best Film and Best Director. Although primarily working in fiction, Karen was the series director on the true crime documentary television series Very Bad Men (2012) for ten episodes, produced by Make Believe Media in Vancouver, and broadcast on Investigation Discovery US and Canada. Karen’s feature film Evangeline premiered at the Monsters in Film Festival in Stockholm, Sweden, where she was invited to speak as a guest panelist on women in genre filmmaking. Evangeline has since been awarded Best Director and Best Cinematography at the Blood in the Snow Film Festival in Toronto, and was the opening gala feature film at the 2014 Vancouver International Women in Film Festival. Her web series Mythos, produced with the participation of TELUS Optik TV, won Best Web Series at the 2015 Leo Awards, and had its international festival premiere at the Marseille Web Festival in October 2015. Karen’s latest feature film, The Curse of Willow Song garnered 10 Leo Award nominations. Karen is an alumna Women In the Director’s Chair (WIDC), and the NSI Drama Prize and Totally Television programs.
Awards & Nominations
(selected)
The Curse of Willow Song (feature film)
2020 Leo Award nominations, Best Program, Direction, Screenwriting, Cinematography, Production Design, Editing, Sound, Performance in Supporting Role (female) x 2, Performance in Lead Role (female)
Mythos (web series)
2015 Best Web Series, Leo Awards
Evangeline (feature film)
2014 Awards for Best Director, Best Cinematography, Blood In the Snow Film Festival
2013 Artistic Innovation Award, Women In Film and Television Vancouver