The Media Arts Department welcomes new cinema professor Karin Stellwagen, an experienced documentary filmmaker, plans to expand the department with new and exciting ideas for her students.
Stellwagen is determined to bring a great amount of sensibility and an appreciation for cinema to her student. She believes the city of Los Angeles can offer students many professional resources in order to succeed.
“I am asking students to challenge themselves and be risk takers and face failure. I think that’s what it takes to be creative and a problem solver,” Stellwagen said.
Stellwagen first discovered her passion for film making after a yearlong trip backpacking through Asia with only a film camera. Upon returning home, is when she felt that a “deeper mental truth” lied between the untold stories.
“Film making is not easy but it is a mission on how to communicate with difficult and unpleasant realities,” Stellwagen said.
Stellwagen is a multi-award winning filmmaker for a great number of independent films in the U.S. and internationally, with a number of her films – “The New Rescue,” “The Wright Brothers Flying Machine,” and “History of Judaism.”
“I find cinema a consuming, creative and an intriguing filling. At the moment, I am in the midst of enjoying a great career.” Stellwagen said.