Cindy Stillwell

Cindy Stillwell is a Professor and Program Director of the MFA in Science & Natural History Filmmaking at Montana State University's School of Film & Photography within the College of Arts & Architecture. She is also affiliated with the Ivan Doig Center for the Study of the Lands and Peoples of the North American West and was previously a member of the University Film and Video Association from 2005 to 2023.

Professor Stillwell earned her M.F.A. in Film from New York University in 1996 and her B.F.A. in Photography from the University of Georgia in 1991. Her work focuses on human and nonhuman relationships within the natural world, with particular attention to flora and fauna. She specializes in analog filmmaking techniques including hand processing super 8 and 16mm film, cameraless motion picture processes using cyanotype animation, and eco-processing techniques that utilize plant-based developers foraged on-site.

Her recent creative output shows a strong trend toward environmental observation through alternative film processes, with numerous works exploring botanical subjects through hand-processed film techniques. She has created a distinctive body of work that bridges documentary, experimental, and personal essay forms, often incorporating mixed media approaches that blend film, photography, and painting.

• Emmy Award Nomination (2016)
• E. B. Craney Broadcasting Award (2016)
• Best Experimental Documentary, BZN International Film Festival (2021)
• Multiple artist residencies at MacDowell Colony, Ucross Foundation, and Helene Wurlitzer Foundation
• Selections at Sundance Film Festival, Museum of Modern Art, and international festivals worldwide

Professor Stillwell actively mentors students through the MFA program she directs and maintains an active production schedule with numerous current projects including the 'Forget Me Not' series of flower films and 'Mojave Dreams,' an experimental documentary about Joshua Trees in the Mojave desert. Her work with Hybrid Media, LLC demonstrates her commitment to both artistic practice and practical film production.

She leads the 'Forget Me Not' project, which involves growing a 'developers garden' of plants used to create eco-friendly film developers, and continues to explore the intersection of art, science, and environmental observation through her filmmaking practice.