2018 FELLOWSHIP AWARDED TO KRISTIN BYE

KRISTIN BYE (PHOTO BY ROBIN HESSMAN)

We’re excited to announce that Kristin Bye is our 2018 fellow! Kristin is a naturally talented editor who combines an artistic approach to storytelling with an uncommon sensitivity to the human condition. These talents are apparent in her first feature documentary, Obit, a charming, eloquent and poignant look at the process of writing obituaries for The New York Times. In addition to her technical and creative strengths, her humble, cheerful and energetic personality makes her a valuable collaborator. We look forward to supporting Kristin as she advances in her career and finds her voice as an artist.

Kristin will receive the fellowship on Tuesday, March 13, 2018 at the SXSW Film Awards Ceremony in Austin, Texas.

Kristin said she is “delighted, honored and humbled to have been chosen as this year’s Karen Schmeer Fellow. I’ve long admired Karen’s approach to editing which feels, to me, like a celebration of humanity in all of its complexity. This generosity of spirit is so refreshing. It speaks volumes that Karen’s friends and peers have found a way to honor her memory so beautifully, while also giving a boost to the editing community as a whole. I feel lucky to be welcomed into such a supportive community and look forward to a year of mentorship, listening, learning, sharing and growth.”

Kristin’s mentors for the year will be Sabine Krayenbühl (The Price of Everything, Letters from Baghdad), Michael Levine (Restrepo, The Cruise), and Enat Sidi (Jesus Camp, The Wolfpack).

ABOUT KRISTIN AND HER WORK

Still from OBIT,  courtesy of BEN WOLF

Kristin Bye grew up in Tacoma, Washington. She went to art school first in France, then at the Pacific Northwest College of Art. For 10 years, she co-owned and operated a design studio based in Portland, Oregon. While running the studio, she took film classes at NW Film Center, NYU, SVA and The Edit Center. Those experiences led to working with designer-turned-filmmaker Hillman Curtis on many of his short films, and assistant editing on his David Byrne concert film, Ride, Rise, Roar (SXSW 2010).

Vanessa Gould, the director of Obit, is eager for the world to witness Bye’s talents and tells us that “Kristin has the eye of a mature artist, with a gift for form, composition, tempo, mood, color and music. She finds beautiful ways of layering these concepts throughout her work.