Son, Can’t You See I’m Burning?

Ariel Mahler (she/they) is an award-winning trans writer and director. She’s a recent graduate and scholarship recipient from the American Film Institute (AFI) Directing Fellowship. Ariel’s AFI thesis film, RE-ENTRY, received an Alfred P. Sloan production grant in 2023. Her short documentary, EVAN EVER AFTER, screened at festivals across North America and won the Audience Award for Best Florida Short at the Florida Film Festival. Ariel was a two-time finalist for Newfest’s New Voices Grant. Her screenplays have advanced to the top-five in ShoreScript’s Film Fund, the second round of the Sundance Development Track, and the final round of the WeScreenplay’s Diverse Voices Lab. Ariel produced DEATH AND BOWLING, a feature film that world premiered at OUTFEST in 2021, and was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award. In addition to her MFA from AFI, Ariel holds an MA in Theatre Education from Emerson College, and a BA in Human Ecology from College of the Atlantic. Originally from the East Coast, Ariel is currently based in Los Angeles. She is driven to tell trans stories about misfits and weirdos seeking authenticity through human connection.

She enjoys merging both fictional and non-fictional worlds in her filmmaking, and drawing upon experiences including working on director Terrence Malick's editing team. Her short films can be streamed on The New Yorker, Short of the Week, and Omeleto.
Katherine received her MFA in Film Directing from the University of Texas at Austin and a BA in Art History from Georgetown University.