Kiersten “K.E.” Houser, a teacher and multi-modal filmmaker and graduate from UNCW’s Filmmaking MFA program, creates character-driven stories, many times using her own life and interests to make themes more dynamic, comedic and quirky. As a writer/director, she’s earned awards such as “Best Student Film” and “Best Suspense Film,” most recently winning PBS NC’s 2022 “Reel South Award,” an honor only bestowed upon one NC documentary filmmaker each year. She was also awarded UNCW’s 2023 “Teaching Assistantship Award,” given only to a select few graduate instructors each school year. In 2023, she produced the first horror film anthology series for undergraduate students, first at UNCW and, currently, at UNCC. Writing and directing horror films was born from her love of creepy things as a child, and growing up on Elm Street only grew that passion. Her future projects lie in producing more societal horror films which explore injustices, prejudice and other real-world problems of today.