Meet Katherine Connor Duff of Los Angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Katherine Connor Duff.

Hi Katherine, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I write and direct films because I must. If I didn’t have film, I’d write novels. If I didn’t have novels, I’d write blogs. If nuclear winter comes to Hollywood, I’ll write on the walls of my bunker and direct the roaches.

It is a compulsion, a need, and a will. Mix that with a steady diet of classic noirs and musicals from Hollywood’s Golden Age, German Expressionist silents, and wild screwball comedies, and I became the monster you see today. My career began in San Francisco and New York with playwriting provocative think-pieces, feasting on art history at the Met, and acting in Sam Shepard plays. Theater was my first medium; it taught me language, tension, and how to captivate and immerse an audience.

When I came to Los Angeles in 2018, I didn’t have a roadmap. Who ever does? I made my own. I wrote things nobody asked for. I directed films with almost no money, but a whole lot of intention from myself and incredibly talented collaborators. I learned how to lead a set, how to get actors to trust me, and how to turn limitations into style.

My last film turned its attention to Hollywood itself- I wrote an ensemble comedy about the industry from the POV of female extras vying for a single line on a horror film set. For my efforts, we won Best Ensemble, Best Short Film, and were officially selected at LA Shorts. I love to lampoon social structures, or structures based on ego (ahem at my awards brag a sentence ago). Hollywood (and I) are perfect targets.

Another perfect target- the internet. My latest film, This Little Piggy Goes to Market, is a short film about an OnlyFans foot model who is pressured to show her face by her audience. The internet is a slaughterhouse and I mean to expose it with this one. It’s a doozy.

How I got… wherever I am…is simple: I refuse to wait my turn in the pipeline which has become increasingly crowded. I am building a body of work that I can be proud of until it simply can’t be ignored any longer.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No. In fact, I am speaking to you, still on that hard road. But you know what? It’s not supposed to be easy, is it? The hardest part continues to be making worthwhile, truthful, ambitious work while balancing a full time EA job.

Another challenge as a writer is I look often into the “void” as I call it. Deep, dark, unspoken feelings and truths that are scary and ugly. But they are necessary, in my opinion, to unearth and tell a truthful story.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a writer/director who specializes in emotionally fearless, character-driven dark stories that blend dark humor with intimacy. I suppose I should offer a genre I specialize in to help my “brand”- but my brand is anything and everything- through MY lens. I often explore themes of power, control, identity, and the gap between who we are and who we pretend to be. My films tend to live in the space between vulnerability and volatility- characters on the brink of revelation, collapse, or transformation.

You want a western? Great, the heroic cowboy is suicidal. You want a noir? Great, the antagonist is understandable and sympathetic. I am a contrarian who is fascinated by people’s contradictions and foibles- any genre- any person- is fair game.

I’m most proud of my short films that were made despite everything: The Slate, Pay Deferred, and now This Little Piggy Goes to Market.

What sets me apart are two very important tenets. As a writer, I don’t look away from emotional extremes- I lean into them. I’m interested in characters who are messy, full of ugly ambition or desire, but redeemable simply because of their humanity. As a director, I forge ahead with work even if it’s inconvenient. Even if people don’t want to hear it. Even if I’m tired. Even if I don’t have the budget. Persistence is part of my aesthetic. I don’t wait for the perfect moment- I create the momentum myself. As the great Milton Berle once said, “If opportunity doesn’t knock, build the door.”

In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
Of course. I think you’d have to be blind to miss it. Vertical micro-dramas raking in millions, Tiktok and internet creators gaining one million hits for wolfing down a loaded hotdog (I must admit I watch those with glee), entry level positions disappearing. The old pipeline is overcrowded- the traditional way forward is unavailable to many people.

However, I have hope. (Very much like my characters.) I believe the future belongs to filmmakers who are adaptable, innovative, and willing to build their own momentum instead of waiting for the old guard to grant access.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.katherineconnorduff.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/duffythevampireslayer96/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherine-connor-duff-952422b6/

Image Credits
Caroline Cole
Jessica Heath
Christopher Casey