Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 23, 2026

Martha Stephens

Martha Stephens is an American film writer and director.

Last revised
Jul 23, 2026
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Martha Stephens
Born (1984-03-12) March 12, 1984
Huntington, West Virginia, U.S.
OccupationsWriter, director, filmmaker
Years active2009–present

Martha Stephens (born March 12, 1984) is an American film writer and director.12

Stephens was born in West Virginia and raised in eastern Kentucky.3 She graduated from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, School of Filmmaking, where she concentrated in directing.456

Stephens' first two feature films, Passenger Pigeons (2010) and Pilgrim Song (2012), premiered at the South by Southwest festival and received several awards.78 Her third film, Land Ho! (2014), which she co-directed with Aaron Katz, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival9 and was purchased for worldwide distribution by Sony Pictures Classics.1011 At the 30th Independent Spirit Awards, Land Ho! was given the John Cassavetes Award for best feature film with a budget under $500,000.12 Her fourth feature film To the Stars, with Kara Hayward, Liana Liberato, Malin Åkerman, and Tony Hale starring, premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival in the U.S. Dramatic Competition.13 It was released on April 24, 2020, by Samuel Goldwyn Films.

References

References

  1. [1] Archived 2014-02-21 at the Wayback Machine Silverstein, Melissa. Sundance Women Directors: Meet Martha Stephens at Indiewire.com.
  2. Eliot, Natalie. Filmmaker Interview: Martha Stephens. Oxford American Magazine. 6.12.2012.
  3. [2] IMDB: Martha Stephens. Retrieved 2.9.2014.
  4. Lane, Kim. Rock Candy: Q&A with Martha Stephens. Arkansas Times. 5.31.2012.
  5. [3] Indiewire Staff. Meet the 2012 SXSW Filmmakers #2: Martha Stephens. Indiewire.com, 3.1.2012.
  6. [4] Ryzik, Melena. Sundance: The Plastic Surgeon, The Actor, and a New Comedy Team. New York Times, retrieved 2.9.2014
  7. Smirnoff, Marc. REPORT: Little Rock Film Festival. Oxford American Magazine. 6.8.2012.
  8. [5] Archived 2014-02-23 at the Wayback MachineLand Ho! Description. Sundance.org. Retrieved 2.9.2014.
  9. Filmmaker Staff. Land Ho! | Directors Aaron Katz, Martha Stephens. Filmmaker Magazine. 1.18.2014.
  10. [6] Zakarin, Jordan. A Week With the Unlikely Breakout Stars of this year's Sundance at Buzzfeed.com. Retrieved 2.9.2014.
  11. [7] Chang, Justin. Sundance Film Reviews: Land Ho! Variety, 1.21.2014.
  12. "Independent Spirit Awards: 'Land Ho!' Wins John Cassavetes Award". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2018-09-20.
  13. McNary, Dave (June 6, 2018). "'To the Stars' Movie Casts Tony Hale, Malin Akerman". Variety. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
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