Annalise Ophelian is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, psychotherapist, and consultant based in San Francisco.
I saw Star Wars in the theater ten times in the summer of 1978, and was Princess Leia for Halloween that year, wearing a dress and cape my mother made for me from our old curtains. In the years between each of the original trilogy films, I busied myself with action figures, read along to storybooks on cassette, and played the soundtrack albums on my parents' record player. In the late 1980s and 1990s I watched and re-watched the original films on worn out VHS tapes and TV. I have the same feelings most people of my generation have about the Specialized Editions and the prequels (but sat through them all, on opening day, diligently). I felt proud that I saw The Force Awakens 11 times in the theater, four times opening weekend, beating my 1978 record, but still falling far short of many, many others.
I became a filmmaker in large part because of the magic I felt watching Star Wars. I became a documentarian in large part because I could not find my own stories or the stories of those I loved accurately portrayed on screen.
My work focuses on themes of representation and self-determination, particularly for marginalized communities and those who live at the intersection of multiple sorts of "otherness." I center participants as key collaborators in the storytelling process, before during and after filming. For many of us, Star Wars was the first time we saw a female character holding her own on screen, and the first time we had permission to geek out on a genre previously reserved for boys. And the most recent Star Wars films, comics, books, and animated series have had unparalleled numbers of female protagonists and women in central story roles. On screen and behind the scenes, women are driving Star Wars like never before.
Other good things to know about me? I'm queer-identified and live in San Francisco with my partner of 10 years and our three Chihuahuas. I'm a trained psychotherapist with Masters and Doctoral degrees in Clinical Psychology and work in private practice with individuals, couples, and multi-partner relationships on issues of sexuality, gender, and intimacy.
I don't often cosplay, but when I do it's as Han Solo.
May the Force be with you,
I saw Star Wars in the theater ten times in the summer of 1978, and was Princess Leia for Halloween that year, wearing a dress and cape my mother made for me from our old curtains. In the years between each of the original trilogy films, I busied myself with action figures, read along to storybooks on cassette, and played the soundtrack albums on my parents' record player. In the late 1980s and 1990s I watched and re-watched the original films on worn out VHS tapes and TV. I have the same feelings most people of my generation have about the Specialized Editions and the prequels (but sat through them all, on opening day, diligently). I felt proud that I saw The Force Awakens 11 times in the theater, four times opening weekend, beating my 1978 record, but still falling far short of many, many others.
I became a filmmaker in large part because of the magic I felt watching Star Wars. I became a documentarian in large part because I could not find my own stories or the stories of those I loved accurately portrayed on screen.
My work focuses on themes of representation and self-determination, particularly for marginalized communities and those who live at the intersection of multiple sorts of "otherness." I center participants as key collaborators in the storytelling process, before during and after filming. For many of us, Star Wars was the first time we saw a female character holding her own on screen, and the first time we had permission to geek out on a genre previously reserved for boys. And the most recent Star Wars films, comics, books, and animated series have had unparalleled numbers of female protagonists and women in central story roles. On screen and behind the scenes, women are driving Star Wars like never before.
Other good things to know about me? I'm queer-identified and live in San Francisco with my partner of 10 years and our three Chihuahuas. I'm a trained psychotherapist with Masters and Doctoral degrees in Clinical Psychology and work in private practice with individuals, couples, and multi-partner relationships on issues of sexuality, gender, and intimacy.
I don't often cosplay, but when I do it's as Han Solo.
May the Force be with you,
meet the team.
Annalise Ophelian, Psy.D. (Director/Producer/Cinematographer) is a San Francisco-based documentary filmmaker, psychologist, and consultant whose work focuses on decolonizing the documentary filmmaking process by centering participants as key collaborators in the storytelling process. Her film MAJOR! (2015) received 20 awards for Best Documentary, including Outfest LA, Wicked Queer Boston, InsideOut Toronto and Queer Screen Sydney. She’s a white, queer, cis woman. www.annaliseophelian.com @Dr_Ophelian
StormMiguel Florez (Co-Editor/Location Sound) is a trans Latinx multi-media producer and editor whose previous work includes MAJOR! (2015) and I’ve Been to Manhattan (2012). He's currently at work on The Whistle, about secret codes used among young Albuquerque lesbians in the 1980s. StormMiguel and Annalise are a husbynd and wyfe team who regularly collaborate on each other's productions while raising three chihuahuas. www.stormflorez.com @StormMiguel
Zach Prewitt (Co-Editor) is a film editor based in Seattle whose company, Plot Point Productions, specializes in film marketing. He loves a good supercut, movie trivia night, and his older sister Annalise, who was his first Star Wars friend. @TheTallest
Catrina Dennis (Assistant Producer) is a Jill of All Trades writer, producer, host, and social media strategist whose work has appeared on Geek & Sundry, SyFy, and starwars.com. www.ohcatrina.com @ohcatrina
Emilia Quinton (Camera) is a cinematographer, photographer, and writer. She is proudly mixed race and transgender, attempting to navigate a complex quilt of identities through art. www.emiliaquinton.me
Gwen Park (Camera) is a freelance cinematographer and photographer based in San Francisco. Her work has appeared in print and online in publications such as Where Magazine and the Bay Times. Gwen is a past Executive of the San Francisco Trans March’s Board of Directors, and is frequently found documenting arts events and public demonstrations for the San Francisco trans and queer community. www.gwenpark.com
Amy Richau (Research) is a writer who currently contributes to the official Star Wars website. She has worked as a film archivist and preservationist at the UCLA Film & Television Archives, YCM Laboratories, and the Lucasfilm Film Archive. Amy is currently working on a project highlighting a Star Wars character, actress, writer, or film crew member every day at 365starwarswomen.com @amyrichau
Alyssa Bradley (Art Department) is an illustrator, designer, videographer, podcaster, and photographer with a penchant for the whimsical and nerdy. During the day she’s a media production specialist at Michigan State University, but at night she’s frantically drawing fan art and weeping over fictional characters. Learn more about her work and fangirl with her over at www.whimsydesignandillustration.com
Christy Carew (Original Score Composer) is a composer for film, TV & multimedia who's been a verified Star Wars fangirl for 30 years. When she's not composing music for a wide variety of visual storytelling, you can find her on Tumblr blogging meta-analysis about John Williams & the music of Star Wars, or in the back yard teaching lightsaber forms to her kids. www.christycarew.com
Maria Breaux (2nd Unit Director / Camera) is a writer, director, editor, cinematographer, and producer who’s had films screened internationally. Her focus is on marginalized characters in unique predicaments. Her work includes Funcle and Socorro (both premiering at the San Francisco Transgender Film Festival),Mother Country (winner, Silver Remi, WorldFest-Houston), 99% - The Occupy Wall Street Collaborative Film (contributing cinematographer, world premiere at Sundance), and Lucha (Winner, Frameline Audience Award). She also received a grant from the Theatre Bay Area New Works Fund for her full-length play, The Mark Ten’s Fantastic Parade. www. mbreauxsia.com @mbreauxsia
Alice Doye (B-Camera) is a U.K. based camera woman and motion graphics artist; she recently graduated from the University of Winchester with a BA (Hons) in Film Production and is currently working towards completing a Masters degree in Digital Media Design. A Rey cosplayer, and lover of Star Wars, Shakespeare, and coffee.
Joceyln R.C. (B-Camera) is a New York City-based, West Coast-raised, left-handed, right-brained, gold-hearted art director with a background in live-action-based visuals and narrative. www.jocelynrc.com
Dakota Billops-Breaux (2nd Unit Location Sound) is an Anthropology student and long-time Star Wars fan. She accredits her extracurricular interest in film and photography to her mom, an indie filmmaker and her partner in crime on the set of most projects in Dakota's film experience, including Looking for Leia. A Bay Area native, she grew up in the Mission District of San Francisco and the Dimond District of Oakland, and is currently working on finishing her degree in Boston, Massachusetts.
Crystal Chandler (Location Assistant Producer) is a Boston-based media mogul in the making. She's co-host of the award winning local radio show "Boston Come Through" on Boston Free Radio, and the creator of the recently-launched live web series The Dear Little Project, which aims to flood the internet with positive affirmations for black boys and girls. You can learn more about Crystal, including her love of media, social justice, travel, and youth empowerment, at The Crystal Lens @thecrystallens