Michèle Stephenson pulls from her Caribbean roots to think radically about storytelling and disrupt the conventional imaginary. Grounded in a Black Atlantic lens, Stephenson tells stories that intentionally reimagine and provoke thought about how we engage with and dismantle the internalized impact of systemic oppression. She draws on fiction, immersive, and hybrid forms of storytelling to build her worlds and narratives. She is Guggenheim Artist Fellow and a Creative Capital Artist.
Her feature documentary Going to Mars won the 2023 Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and was selected for the Oscars shortlist. Her earlier feature, American Promise, was nominated for three Emmys and won the Special Jury Prize at Sundance. Her feature documentary Stateless premiered at the Tribeca Festival and was nominated for a Canadian Academy Award for Best Feature Documentary. Stephenson also co-directed the magical realist virtual reality trilogy series on racial terror The Changing Same, which was nominated for an Emmy in the Outstanding Interactive Media Innovative Category and won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Immersive Narrative at the Tribeca Film Festival.
Her new project, Oshun And My Grandmother, is a hybrid story combining experimental, documentary, and fiction to examine the impact of matrilineal intergenerational trauma.
