Kat Lehmer
Encyclopedia
Kat Lehmer is an American film director
, writer
, actor
and artist
, best known for her cult film Mama and Damian.
in Philadelphia where she studied painting
, drawing
, and sculpture
, Lehmer was inspired by the works of an earlier alumnus, David Lynch
, to pursue her interest in film making. A subsequent move to New York's Lower East Side
exposed her to the underground film
movement prevalent in the city during the 1980s where she lived across the street from ABC No Rio
, a noted art and punk enclave where underground films were shown.
Lehmer started her film production company, Trinka Five Films in 2004. She wrote her first feature length script for Mama and Damian in 2004, then produced, directed, and starred in the low-budget film production in 2007. Mama and Damian is social commentary
cloaked in a tale about a half-bear, half-human boy who begins to push the boundaries of his insular world. Lehmer plays the hybrid bear-boy's dominatrix
mother. The film continues to gain a cult film
following through DVD and video streaming.
According to imdb, Lehmer redesigned her own apartment to work as the main set for Mama and Damian. In an interview she said, "we couldn't move anything in my apartment for a year."
Lehmer's self-proclaimed quest to study all the arts that comprise the making of a film came in many forms. She studied costuming, fashion design
, and photography
in Philadelphia and New York. She belonged to several rock bands for which she wrote and performed. She worked as a display artist for FAO Schwarz and Bergdorf Goodman
. She has also acted in a number of independent films. Lehmer studied editing at Immagine Studios in Wilmington Delaware and edits her own films.
Lehmer is currently in production in Philadelphia on her film Mortal, an existential vampire saga.
She is also directing a documentary about Sunshine Arts, a unique neighborhood arts center located in an underprivileged area outside of Philadelphia.
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
, best known for her cult film Mama and Damian.
Life and career
While attending the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine ArtsPennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts is a museum and art school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1805 and is the oldest art museum and school in the United States. The academy's museum is internationally known for its collections of 19th and 20th century American paintings,...
in Philadelphia where she studied painting
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
, drawing
Drawing
Drawing is a form of visual art that makes use of any number of drawing instruments to mark a two-dimensional medium. Common instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, inked brushes, wax color pencils, crayons, charcoal, chalk, pastels, markers, styluses, and various metals .An artist who...
, and sculpture
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
, Lehmer was inspired by the works of an earlier alumnus, David Lynch
David Lynch
David Keith Lynch is an American filmmaker, television director, visual artist, musician and occasional actor. Known for his surrealist films, he has developed his own unique cinematic style, which has been dubbed "Lynchian", and which is characterized by its dream imagery and meticulous sound...
, to pursue her interest in film making. A subsequent move to New York's Lower East Side
Lower East Side
The Lower East Side, LES, is a neighborhood in the southeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is roughly bounded by Allen Street, East Houston Street, Essex Street, Canal Street, Eldridge Street, East Broadway, and Grand Street....
exposed her to the underground film
Underground film
An underground film is a film that is out of the mainstream either in its style, genre, or financing.-Definition and history:The first use of the term "underground film" occurs in a 1957 essay by American film critic Manny Farber, "Underground Films." Farber uses it to refer to the work of...
movement prevalent in the city during the 1980s where she lived across the street from ABC No Rio
ABC No Rio
ABC No Rio is a social center located at 156 Rivington Street on New York City's Lower East Side that was founded in 1980. It features a gallery space, a zine library, a darkroom, a silkscreening studio, and public computer lab...
, a noted art and punk enclave where underground films were shown.
Lehmer started her film production company, Trinka Five Films in 2004. She wrote her first feature length script for Mama and Damian in 2004, then produced, directed, and starred in the low-budget film production in 2007. Mama and Damian is social commentary
Social commentary
Social commentary is the act of rebelling against an individual, or a group of people by rhetorical means, or commentary on social issues or society...
cloaked in a tale about a half-bear, half-human boy who begins to push the boundaries of his insular world. Lehmer plays the hybrid bear-boy's dominatrix
Dominatrix
Dominatrix or mistress is a woman or women who takes the dominant role in bondage, discipline and sadomasochism, or BDSM. A common form of address for a submissive to a dominatrix is "mistress", "ma'am", "domina" or "maîtresse"...
mother. The film continues to gain a cult film
Cult film
A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a highly devoted but specific group of fans. Often, cult movies have failed to achieve fame outside the small fanbases; however, there have been exceptions that have managed to gain fame among mainstream audiences...
following through DVD and video streaming.
According to imdb, Lehmer redesigned her own apartment to work as the main set for Mama and Damian. In an interview she said, "we couldn't move anything in my apartment for a year."
Lehmer's self-proclaimed quest to study all the arts that comprise the making of a film came in many forms. She studied costuming, fashion design
Fashion design
Fashion design is the art of the application of design and aesthetics or natural beauty to clothing and accessories. Fashion design is influenced by cultural and social latitudes, and has varied over time and place. Fashion designers work in a number of ways in designing clothing and accessories....
, and photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
in Philadelphia and New York. She belonged to several rock bands for which she wrote and performed. She worked as a display artist for FAO Schwarz and Bergdorf Goodman
Bergdorf Goodman
Bergdorf Goodman is a luxury goods department store based on Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. The company was founded in 1899 by Herman Bergdorf and was later owned and managed by Edwin Goodman, and later his son Andrew Goodman....
. She has also acted in a number of independent films. Lehmer studied editing at Immagine Studios in Wilmington Delaware and edits her own films.
Lehmer is currently in production in Philadelphia on her film Mortal, an existential vampire saga.
She is also directing a documentary about Sunshine Arts, a unique neighborhood arts center located in an underprivileged area outside of Philadelphia.
External links
- official website Trinka Five Films
- Review of Mama and Damian at Spout.com
- official web site Sunshine Arts
- Kat Lehmer films Dalai Lama visit