Kirsten Carthew (KC) is a director from Canada, known for bold visuals, world-building and supporting award-winning performances and behind-the-scenes talent. Her work has been theatrically released in Canada, Australia, Brazil and the USA, and broadcast on HBO, Crave, APTN and CBC.
Her debut feature film, The Sun At Midnight (2017), is a wilderness adventure drama shot at the Arctic Circle. The film continues to have global sales and won 9 awards internationally. She is currently in post-production on her second feature Polaris (2022), a fantasy, action and adventure film that has been dubbed “Mad Max in the Arctic” for its focus on world design, VFX, animals and vehicle & combat stunts.
In 2018 KC became a director member of the Director’s Guild of Canada. In 2019 she was selected for the Netflix Mentorship program in partnership with the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television and was on sets observing directors Chris Grismer (Designated Survivor), Timothy Busfield (Designated Survivor), Sarah Harding (The Expanse) and Norma Bailey (Mary Kills People).
KC is known for international collaborations working with talent, technical and creative crews, producers and financiers throughout Canada, the USA, Brazil, Australia, Japan, Germany and the United Arab Emirates. She is a published author and alumna of Hunter College (CUNY), Simon Fraser University, the University of Southern California, the London School of Economics, the Canadian Film Centre and WIDC.