ANNA RUSSELL is a NYC-based director, actress, screenwriter, and producer who got tired of waiting for the right roles....so she started creating them herself.

 

After 20+ years in the acting business, from Off-Broadway to commercials to indie films, Anna flipped the script and has since written, directed, produced, and/or starred in more than a dozen independent short films.

 

Drawn to flawed women navigating the grey areas and making messy choices, Anna highlights women whose stories aren't always considered "acceptable". Her work marinates in dark humor and surreal elements that embrace the weird, the raw, and most importantly, the deeply human.

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Anna's films have traveled the world, screening in both domestic and international theaters. Most recently, her film Anastasis was selected for the prestigious CAMERIMAGE TALENT DEMO in Poland. Previous works like An Air About Her and The Amiss Advice of Anna Lou picked up Best Short and Best Actress awards, and have screened at over 20 festivals, including the Toronto Short Film Festival. Up next: The Fall from High to You, her thesis film, about a woman whose drug-fueled night unravels into a surreal confrontation with a presence she can't escape, can be seen in festivals beginning in late 2025.

 

Beyond filmmaking, Anna is a co-parenting mom to her 11 year old son, a wannabe Brit, a murder mystery enthusiast, and an unapologetic lover of all things cheesy (both jokes and snacks).