Kat Mills Martin

In 2023, she was selected to be a Directing Fellow by Women in Film, recognizing her as an emerging voice in female-driven cinema. Her work has been featured in Deadline, Variety, The Wrap and MovieMaker and has screened at numerous Academy Award and BAFTA-qualifying film festivals. Her short film CELESTE IN SPRING premiered on Directors Notes and is a Vimeo Staff Pick. IT’S NOT PEE!, her short doc on female orgasm, premiered at Raindance ‘26. Kat is currently co-directing and starring in the surrealist comedy CAVE WOMAN.

Kat’s debut feature WAKE UP, LEONARD is now streaming on Amazon Prime, AppleTV and more. The film won Best Feature Film at the Best of NFMLA Awards and became a cult hit.

Kat is a graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts with a BFA in Drama where she studied at the iconic Experimental Theater Wing. Traversing the mundane to the transcendent, her work deconstructs our human condition with humor and compassion. Alongside frequent collaborator Kira Pearson, Kat curates the short film showcase Buttercut, which celebrates “your favorite filmmakers’ favorite filmmakers”. She is the founder of Studio Norté, a creative studio based in Ojai, California.

When she’s not behind the lens, Kat teaches writing classes and provides one-on-one sessions. As a teacher with fifteen years of experience, she brings a playful yet grounded presence to art-making. In addition to her film and theater background, Kat draws from her paths in meditation, somatics, ceremony, and feminine mysticism.

For monthly musings, subscribe to her Substack.