Katherine Amy Propper (born April 22, 1993) is an American film director and screenwriter. She is known for her feature directorial debut film Lost Soulz (2023) and short films.

Early life and education

Propper was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. Her mother is from Korea and her father, of European descent, is from New York. On her father's side, she is a great-granddaughter of Eduardo Propper de Callejon, a Spanish diplomat and a Righteous Among the Nations, and a cousin of British actress Helena Bonham Carter.

Propper attended Georgetown University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Art History.

In 2016, she moved to Austin, Texas to attend the University of Texas at Austin where she received her MFA degree in Film directing. She wrote and directed her student short film Street Flame. The film follows a group of friends in Austin's skate and graffiti scene as they commemorate the life of their dead friend. Street Flame screened at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2019 and won several awards at film festivals.

Career

After completing her studies, she worked in Austin for American director Terrence Malick on the editing team of his long-gestating religious epic. Propper moved to Texas inspired by the independent, free spirit of Austin-based filmmakers like Malick, Richard Linklater, Jeff Nichols, and Robert Rodriguez.

The Austin Film Society supported her short film Birds, featuring intercut vignettes of Texas youths finding beauty on a summer day. Birds won awards at Clermont-Ferrand in France and at South by Southwest in 2022, where it won Special Jury Recognition for Vision. The New Yorker distributed Birds as part of its Screening Room series. TheWrap selected Birds in its 2023 shortlist of the best short films.

Propper's directorial feature-film debut Lost Soulz premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2023. Lost Soulz is a coming-of-age movie about a young rapper whose dream comes true when he joins a music group on an odyssey headed West through Texas and instead finds himself on a spiritual journey home. The film was released by distributor Kino Lorber in the U.S. and Canada in May 2024.

Filmography

Feature films

YearTitleDirectorWriterProducerNotesRefs
2023Lost SoulzYesYesCo-producer

Short films

YearTitleDirectorWriterProducerNotesRefs
2018PentecostYesYesNoFilm editor
2019Street FlameYesYesYesFilm editor
2021BirdsYesYesNoFilm editor

Awards and nominations

AwardYearCategoryNominated workResultRef.
Tribeca Film Festival2019Best Narrative ShortStreet FlameNominated
2023Best U.S. Narrative FeatureLost SoulzNominated
Audience Award - Narrative Feature Runner UpWon
SXSW Film Festival2022SXSW Grand Jury Award - Texas ShortBirdsNominated
Special Jury Prize for VisionWon
Cleveland International Film Festival2024New Direction CompetitionLost SoulzNominated
Nashville Film Festival2023New Directors CompetitionLost SoulzNominated
Raindance Film Festival2023Best Debut FeatureLost SoulzNominated
Tallgrass International Film Festival2023Stubbornly Independent Award - Grand Jury PrizeLost SoulzWon
American Film Institute Festival2022Live Action Short FilmBirdsWon
Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival2022International Competition - Grand PrixBirdsNominated
International Competition - Special Mention of the JuryWon
Mammoth Lakes Film Festival2022Best Narrative ShortBirdsWon
Stockholm Film Festival2022Best Short FilmBirdsNominated
Denver International Film Festival2022Best Student Domestic ShortBirdsNominated
Aspen Shortsfest2019Best DramaStreet FlameNominated
Palm Springs International ShortFest2019Best Student Film Under 15 MinutesStreet FlameNominated
Sidewalk Film Festival2019Best Student FilmStreet FlameWon
Rhode Island International Film Festival2019Best Student Film Award - Short FilmStreet FlameWon
Oak Cliff Film Festival2018Best Student ShortPentecostWon

External links