Catherine Andre is a theater and film writer/director. She is dedicated to telling female stories through powerful performances, using interpersonal drama to expose society's systems of power, abuse, and oppression. She is currently a directing fellow at the American Film Institute, Class of 2025.
After studying film directing at Interlochen Arts Academy, Catherine started directing plays at Princeton University. Throughout, she received research grants to study theatrical auteurship in Europe. Catherine brought this visceral, visual style to her work as a freelance director in New York City, where she assisted Off-Broadway and directed new and classical plays. Catherine won a Fulbright grant to move to Europe and explore Shakespeare as a vehicle for cultural exchange. Catherine assisted legendary directors Andrei Șerban, Silviu Purcărete, and Robert Woodruff, learning how to create visceral live performances and stage poetry.
After winning additional Fulbright funding, Catherine put these methods into practice in her own radical, feminist Shakespeare productions while partnering with playwrights to develop new work. Directing performances in languages she did not speak pushed Catherine to use gesture and emotion to tell stories beyond words.
During the pandemic, Catherine pivoted to making “virtual plays,” most notably Good Night, My Love, an hour-long, one-shot/one-take performance streamed live from the actress’s apartment. This accidental return to film directing—the power of the frame, the intimacy of the close-up, the reach of recorded work—inspired Catherine to return wholeheartedly to moviemaking. In July 2022, she completed FAMU International’s one-year intensive course in narrative directing.
Catherine’s work has received additional support from the Puffin Foundation and the Drama League. She was recently awarded a grant by the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. See press here.