Matia Karrell

Matia Karrell serves as an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Graduate Film program, teaching advanced directing courses (FILM-221), script development (FILM-520B), and narrative film practicums (FILM-652). Her three-decade career bridges academic instruction with distinguished creative practice in narrative and documentary filmmaking.

Her research focuses on cinematic storytelling techniques, with particular emphasis on psychological drama, social justice narratives, and legacy documentation. Karrell explores family dynamics through intimate character studies while expanding into documentary forms that interrogate American cultural identity and historical memory, as evidenced by her NEH-funded project.

Karrell's filmography demonstrates an evolution from award-winning narrative fiction (1989-2001) to socially engaged documentary work (2024). Her projects consistently address themes of personal and collective identity, blending artistic vision with real-world relevance across short films, feature productions, and television.

Her accolades include:

• Academy Award Nomination (Short Film) for 'Cadillac Dreams' (1989)
• Best Feature Film Screenplay, Rhode Island International Film Festival
• PEN Center USA Literary Awards Finalist
• Fulbright Fellowship to Paris
• John Wells Directing Fellowship
• ABC/Disney Directing Fellowship
• Emmy Nomination for HBO's 'The Tale'
• $600,000 NEH Award for 'COMINGHOME: FIGHT FOR A LEGACY' (2024)

As an educator, Karrell mentors emerging filmmakers through hands-on directing instruction and script development. Her $600,000 NEH grant represents significant external funding supporting documentary research that intersects academic inquiry with public humanities, enabling deep exploration of veteran experiences and intergenerational legacy.