Karyn Kusama's Filmmaking Career

Getting a movie made is difficult work, it’s even harder when you’re an independent filmmaker like Karyn Kusama. Kusama herself is an extraordinary filmmaker whose career kicked off when she was at the age of 32 and had a bit of a resurgence in 2016. Before we examine her filmmaking career, it’s important to discover the person behind the camera. Karyn was born in 1968 in St. Louis, Missouri; her parents were both psychiatrists, unlike many mainstream directors, Kusama wasn’t born into Hollywood royalty. She would eventually go on to graduate from the NYU Film school, where she won a Mobil Prize for her student film Sleeping Beauties (1991). Even with a degree and accolades behind her, it was going to be a tough road ahead. Karyn Kusama explained in an interview with Dinitia Smith that she was, “the queen of odd jobs” (Smith, New York Times.com). She only eventually …show more content…
The film itself faced many production troubles, as Paramount’s studio chief, Sherry Lansing had the film made, but left when post-production began she left the studio and the film in the hands of executives that didn’t know what to do with it. Kusama later admitted that she wasn’t allowed film cut, telling Josh Horowitz that she “realized I’m a strong minded director with a very clear sense of what I want to do, and I just want to be left alone” (Horowitz, 2).
The experience wasn’t all bad, as Kusama met her future husband on the set of Aeon Flux and they would eventually reteam to create her career revitalizing film, The Invitation (2015). Kusama directed the film, while husband, Phil Hay wrote the script with his screenwriting partner. Much like Girlfight the film wasn’t a box office hit, but critics and audiences loved it, which ultimately landed her with directing a segment of XX (2016), a horror anthology film directed and centered around