Lauren McFather is a 21 year old filmmaker living in Albuquerque, NM. Currently, she is studying film production at the University of New Mexico and is involved in several ongoing productions. Most recently, she has written and directed two short films, one of which, Bruises, recently won Best in Show and Best Student Film at the New Mexico Filmmakers Showcase. The other, Red Dirt, is currently in the final stages of post-production. Lauren also works in other visual mediums, including collage and still photography, and is currently working on a short film focused on the lives of people in her paternal line of ancestry, using found footage, 16mm hand scratched or painted leaders, and stop motion style paper collage.

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Originally from Amarillo, Texas, Lauren grew up with a special interest in humanistic moments. This manifested in painting, drawing, music, and eventually, film. Though pushed toward law or med school, a career in the arts seemed like the only right path, and a love for cinema and music demanded that she enter film school. Since then, Lauren has been developing her skills as a visual artist and storyteller, fulfilling roles in many aspects of film. On other sets, she's worked as a boom operator, a PA, casting director, art department, production designer, camera operator, and finally, writer, director, producer, and editor.

 

In her (rare) free time, Lauren plays synth, writes songs, and provides vocals for two different bands- one called Ego Death, an experimental funeral doom project evoking ghostly visions of darkness, and Pastel Goth, a shoegaze meets dreampop duo. In the future, she plans to look for new opportunities to collaborate with fellow artists, continue writing and directing, and continually improve her visual storytelling skills during her last year in the Media Arts program at UNM. "I want to tell human stories, and, beyond that, to set a strong image for women in film and women in fields that traditionally marginalize them because I think we have so much unseen potential."