Stephen Clark Balderson (born January 19, 1975) is an American

film director A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, vision. The director has a key role ...

Early life

Balderson was born in

Manhattan, Kansas Manhattan is a city in and the county seat of Riley County, Kansas, United States, although the city extends into Pottawatomie County, Kansas, Pottawatomie County. It is located in northeastern Kansas at the junction of the Kansas River and Big ...

, and raised in nearby

Wamego, Kansas Wamego is a city in Pottawatomie County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 4,841. History Wamego was platted in 1866. It was named for a Potawatomi Native American chief. The first post office in ...

, until the age of twelve, when his family moved to Manhattan. Balderson attended

Manhattan High School Manhattan High School is a public high school in Manhattan, Kansas, United States, serving students in grades 9–12. It is part of the Manhattan–Ogden USD 383 school district. For the 2013–2014 school year, Manhattan High had an enrollment o ...

." Balderson attended film school at

California Institute of the Arts The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is a Private university, private art school in Santa Clarita, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for ...

, where he directed six full-length digital movies, including a screen adaptation of Anne Rice's novel

The Vampire Lestat ''The Vampire Lestat'' (1985) is a Vampire literature, vampire novel by American writer Anne Rice, the second in her ''The Vampire Chronicles, Vampire Chronicles'', following ''Interview with the Vampire'' (1976). The story is told from the poin ...

. At the end of his third year at CalArts, Balderson realized he'd never had a mid-residency review. When he asked his dean, Hartmut Bitomsky, Bitomsky answered, "Master's students don't have mid-residency reviews." When Bitomsky learned Balderson was an undergrad, he instructed Balderson to stop going to his classes and instead, to do independent study with him. Once a week the two would meet and dissect

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English film director. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featu ...

films and Steve learned how to focus his vision. After months of working one-on-one with his dean, Balderson decided he was ready to leave CalArts without graduating.

Films

*''Pep Squad'': After leaving CalArts in 1996, Balderson returned to

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

and directed his debut feature film. ''Pep Squad'' satirized and predicted American school violence prior to the horrific series of school shootings. In November 2009, Balderson sold distribution rights for ''Pep Squad'' to his mentor

Lloyd Kaufman Stanley Lloyd Kaufman Jr. (born December 30, 1945) is an American film director, screenwriter, producer and actor. Alongside producer Michael Herz, he is the co-founder of Troma Entertainment film studio, and the director of many of their featu ...

. Kaufman's company

Troma Entertainment Troma Entertainment is an American independent film production company, production and film distributor, distribution company founded by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz (producer), Michael Herz in 1974. They are the longest running independent film ...

will handle the DVD re-release. *''Firecracker'': ''

Firecracker A firecracker (cracker, noise maker, banger) is a small explosive device primarily designed to produce a large amount of noise, especially in the form of a loud bang, usually for celebration or entertainment; any visual effect is incidental to ...

'', was released theatrically in 2005 to sold-out audiences in a first-ever "Freak Show Tour" supervised by

Landmark Theatres Landmark Theatres is a movie theatre chain founded in 1974 in the United States. It was formerly dedicated to exhibiting and marketing independent and foreign films. Landmark consists of 34 theatres with 176 screens in 24 markets. It is known ...

, the nation's largest art house chain. Film critic

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...

called it "Brilliant" and gave ''Firecracker'' a Special Jury Award on his list of the year's best films. ''

Film Threat ''Film Threat'' is an American online film review publication, and earlier, a national magazine that focused primarily on independent film, although it also reviewed videos and DVDs of mainstream films, as well as Hollywood movies in theaters. ...

'' called the film a "masterpiece" that is "told by a story teller who has a nascent finger on the pulse of contemporary cinema," ''Firecracker'' features the acting debut of alternative music icon

Mike Patton Michael Allan Patton (born January 27, 1968) is an American singer, songwriter, producer, and voice actor, best known as the lead vocalist of the rock bands Faith No More and Mr. Bungle. He has also fronted and/or played with Tomahawk, The ...

and the critically acclaimed comeback of Academy Award nominee

Karen Black Karen Blanche Black (née Ziegler; July 1, 1939 – August 8, 2013) was an American actress, screenwriter, singer, and songwriter. She rose to prominence for her work in various studio and independent films in the 1970s, frequently portr ...

. Also starring are

Susan Traylor Susan Traylor is an American actress. She was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead for her performance in '' Valerie Flake'' (1999). Traylor's starring role in ''Valerie Flake'' also won the inaugural best feature ...

Pleasant Gehman Pleasant Gehman is an American author, writer, poet, actress, dancer and musician from Los Angeles. Career In the 1980s, she was the singer for the punk rock band Screamin' Sirens. Her articles on rock 'n' roll, American pop culture, sex, t ...

Jane Wiedlin Jane Wiedlin (born May 20, 1958) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and actress, best known as the co-founder, rhythm guitarist, and backing vocalist of the new wave music, new wave band The Go-Go's. She voices Dusk, the drummer and ba ...

Selene Luna Selene Luna (born September 19, 1971, Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico) is a Mexican-American actress, comedian, burlesque performer, and model known for her roles on comedian Margaret Cho's reality TV series '' The Cho Show'' and in such films ...

, The Enigma, George the Giant, Jak Kendall, Brooke Balderson (Steve's sister), Amy Kelly, and Lobster Girl Cathy Berry, daughter of Lobster Boy

Grady Stiles Grady Franklin Stiles Jr. (June 26, 1937 – November 29, 1992) was an American freak show performer and murderer. His deformity was the genetic condition ectrodactyly, in which the fingers and toes are fused together to form claw-like extremitie ...

. ''Firecracker'' premiered at London's

Raindance Film Festival Raindance is an independent film festival and film school that operates in major cities including London, Los Angeles, New York, Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Budapest, Berlin, and Brussels. The festival was established in 1992 by Elliot Grove ...

, where it won a Jury Prize nomination for Best Picture. It also won numerous awards on the festival circuit worldwide including: Best Picture, Best Cinematography, Best Actress for

, and Steve Balderson won the 2005 Domani Vision Award for emerging talent at Tribeca's Visionfest. *''Watch Out'': '' Watch Out'' is based on a novel of the same name by

Joseph Suglia Joseph Suglia is an American screenwriter, novelist, and Film producer, producer. Career In 2008, Suglia wrote the screenplay for Steve Balderson’s film ''Watch Out (film), Watch Out'' in collaboration with the director. The film, which was ...

. ''Watch Out'' is the story of Jonathan Barrows, a man who falls in love with himself. He is attracted to his own body, carries out an erotic relationship with a blow-up doll that resembles him, and takes pleasure in rejecting the advances of male and female admirers. He descends into a world of carnivorous priests and Prozac-popping Polish prostitutes and eventually assassinates the world's most popular pop diva. The film was shot without permits on location in Kansas. Starring

Matt Riddlehoover Matt Riddlehoover (born July 26, 1985) is an American filmmaker. He is best known for the 2020 documentary '' My Darling Vivian''. ''My Darling Vivian'' Riddlehoover produced, directed, and edited ''My Darling Vivian'', a biographical documenta ...

and co-starring

Peter Stickles Peter Stickles (born October 8, 1976) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as the voyeuristic Caleb in the John Cameron Mitchell film '' Shortbus'' and as Damian, leader of a gay vampire cult, in the Here TV original series '' The ...

(

Shortbus ''Shortbus'' is a 2006 American erotic comedy-drama film written and directed by John Cameron Mitchell. The plot revolves around a sexually diverse ensemble of colorful characters trying desperately to connect in an early 2000s New York City. ...

), B-movie actor Jeff Dylan Graham, Amy Kelly, Jon Niccum and burlesque performer Lady Monster. ''Watch Out'' premiered at the Raindance Film Festival in London. It was released theatrically in the "Stop Turning Me On" world tour in New York (Coney Island Film Festival), Nashville, Chicago, Washington D.C (Reel Affirmations Festival), Seattle (Lesbian & Gay Film Festival), San Francisco, Asheville, Charlottesville (Virginia Film Festival), Kansas City, Lawrence KS, Austin (Alamo Drafthouse), and Los Angeles. *''Stuck!'': ''Stuck!'' is Balderson's homage to film noir women-in-prison films. The movie, photographed in black and white, was produced in Macon, Georgia, during April and May 2009. The film stars

Mink Stole Nancy Paine Stoll (born August 25, 1947), known professionally as Mink Stole, is an American actress from Baltimore, Maryland. She began her career working for director John Waters, and has appeared in all of his feature films to date (a distin ...

, Stacy Cunningham, Starina Johnson and

. It's the story of Daisy, an innocent young woman framed for killing her mother. Condemned by the press and the public, Daisy is found guilty of murder and sentenced to die by hanging. The screen play was written by Frankie Krainz. ''Stuck!'' premiered at the 2009 Raindance Film Festival in London, England. Currently on the festival circuit, the film is an official selection of the following film festivals: Skeive Filmer in Oslo Norway; The Southwest Gay and Lesbian Film Festival; The

Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival Seattle Queer Film Festival (formerly known as the Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival) is an annual film festival in Seattle. The 28th Annual Seattle Queer Film Festival will take place October 12-22, 2023. It is the largest LGBTQIA+ film festiv ...

; 2009's REELING (the Chicago GLBT Film Festival), 2010 Macon Film Festival and the 2010 Boston Underground Film Festival. On February 3, 2010, ''Stuck!'' premiered at

Grauman's Egyptian Theatre Grauman's Egyptian Theatre, also known as Egyptian Hollywood and the Egyptian, is a historic movie theater located on Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. Opened in 1922, it is an early example of a lavish movie palace ...

in Los Angeles. The special event was hosted by the

American Cinematheque The American Cinematheque is an independent, non-profit cultural organization in Los Angeles, California, United States that represents the public presentation of the moving image in all its forms. It presents festivals and retrospectives that ...

. The after party and dinner was held at Musso & Frank Grill. *''The Casserole Club'': The film stars Susan Traylor,

, Kevin Richardson, Daniela Sea, Michael Maize, Starina Johnson, Garrett Swann and

, among others. It was filmed in the fall of 2010 on location in Wamego, Kansas and Indio, California. The screen play was written by Frankie Krainz. The film premiered in New York City at Visionfest`11 in June collecting 9 Independent Vision Award nominations and winning 5 for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor for Kevin Richardson, Best Actress for Susan Traylor, and Best Production Design for Steve Balderson. The other award nominations were Best Writing for Frankie Krainz, Best Original Score for Rob Kleiner, The

Jack Nance Marvin John Nance (December 21, 1943 – December 30, 1996) was an American actor. A longtime collaborator of filmmaker David Lynch, Nance portrayed the lead in Lynch's directorial debut '' Eraserhead'' (1977). He continued to work with Lynch th ...

Breakthrough Performance Award for Jennifer Grace, and The Abe Schrager Award for Cinematography for Steve Balderson. *''Culture Shock'': This was the third collaboration between Steve and screenwriter Frankie Krainz. The film was produced in October 2011 entirely without permits in Kansas City and in London, England. The story centers around four twenty-somethings, played by Starina Johnson, Mark Booker, Nic Roewert and Holly Hinton who travel to the UK for a backpacking holiday only to be caught up in a murder. They are followed by a detective, played by Damien Gerard, who is trying to solve the case. However, all is not as it seems. *''Far Flung Star'': The fourth collaboration between Steve and screenwriter Frankie Krainz. The film was produced in early 2013 on location in Los Angeles and Hong Kong. It premiered at the Raindance Film Festival in 2013. The film is an action-adventure and was released exclusively on

Vimeo Vimeo ( ) is an American Online video platform, video hosting, sharing, and services provider founded in 2004 and headquartered in New York City. Vimeo focuses on the delivery of high-definition video across a range of devices and operates on a ...

. *''Occupying Ed'': Filmed in 2013, ''Occupying Ed'' is the first collaboration between Balderson and screenwriter Jim Lair Beard. The film premiered at London's Raindance Film Festival in 2014. *''Hell Town'': Co-directed with Texas native Elizabeth Spear, ''Hell Town'' is a melodrama and soap opera style horror film. Was released in limited theaters on Aug 23, 2016. *''El Ganzo'': Produced entirely on location in

Los Cabos LOS, or Los, or LoS may refer to: Science and technology * Length of stay, the duration of a single episode of hospitalisation * Level of service (transportation), Level of service, a measure used by traffic engineers * Level of significance, a ...

, Mexico, in 2014, the experimental drama stars Susan Traylor, Anslem Richardson and Mark Booker. El Ganzo was winner of Best Film, Best Actor, and Best Cinematography at the Salento International Film Fest and was released in limited theaters in the US on September 9, 2016 *''The Wamego Trilogy'': ''Wamego'' was a three-part documentary series. ''Wamego: Making Movies Anywhere'' was released in 2004 on DVD, ''Making Movies Anywhere'' won Best Film at the 2005 Fox Film Festival and the 2004 Kan Festival Award. ''Wamego Strikes Back,'' the sequel to ''Making Movies Anywhere'', was released in 2007. The third installment, ''Wamego: Ultimatum'' chronicles the making of ''Watch Out''. To celebrate its 10-year anniversary, ''Wamego: Making Movies Anywhere'' was re-released on Vimeo in September 2014. *''Alchemy of the Spirit'': Dark gothic supernatural love story starring

Xander Berkeley Alexander Harper Berkeley (born December 16, 1955) is an American actor. Since beginning his career in the early 1980s, he has appeared in over 200 film and television projects. His films include ''Terminator 2: Judgment Day'' (1991), ''Candyman ...

Sarah Clarke Sarah Clarke (born February 16, 1972) is an American actress, best known for her role as Nina Myers on '' 24'', and also for her roles as Renée Dwyer, Bella Swan's mother, in the 2008 film ''Twilight'', Erin McGuire on the short-lived TV ...

Whip Hubley Grant Shelby Hubley Jr., known as Whip Hubley, (born May 17, 1957), New York, NY is an American actor. Early life and education Hubley was born in New York City, the son of Julia Kaul (née Paine) and Grant Shelby Hubley, an entrepreneur, oil in ...

, and

. About a man (Berkeley) who wakes up to find his wife has died during the night. Film Threat says, "9/10...it is an intimate journey that Balderson makes haunting, beautiful, and extraordinary. Berkeley’s acting is without flaw." *''Bloody Famous'': TV mini-series celebrating the extremes people go for fame and love, the show blends “Bachelorette” with “Hunger Games.” Each season, a bachelor or bachelorette leads a dangerous dating show where love is a high-stakes game – elimination equals death.

Filmography

Film director

* ''Love, Venezia'' (feature, 2025) * ''Bloody Famous'' (TV mini-series, 2024) * ''Alchemy of the Spirit'' (feature, 2022) * ''Elvis Lives'' (feature, 2017) * ''El Ganzo'' (feature, 2015) * ''Hell Town'' (feature, 2015) * ''Occupying Ed'' (feature, 2014) * ''The Far Flung Star'' (feature, 2014) * ''Culture Shock'' (feature, 2013) * '' The Casserole Club'' (feature, 2011) * ''Stuck!'' (feature, 2010) * ''Wamego: Ultimatum'' (documentary feature, 2009) * ''Watch Out'' (feature, 2009) * ''Underbelly'' (documentary feature, 2008) * ''Wamego Strikes Back'' (documentary feature, 2007) * ''Phone Sex'' (feature, HD, 2006) * ''

'' (feature, Super 35mm film, 2005) * ''Wamego: Making Movies Anywhere'' (documentary feature, 2004) * ''Pep Squad'' (feature 35mm film, 1998) * ''Eleven Eleven'' (feature digital film, 1996) * ''Pep Squad'' (feature digital film, 1995) * ''By the Light of the Moon'' (digital feature film, 1994) * ''Children of Darkness/The Vampire Lestat'' (digital feature film, 1993) * ''Videorotica'' (music video, 1992) * ''Bus Stop Goodbyes'' (video feature film, 1992) * ''The Visionaries'' (video feature film, 1991)

Awards

* Winner Best Screenplay - Festival Cine Del Mar 2022 (''Alchemy of the Spirit'') * Winner Best Sci-Fi Feature Film - Seattle Film Festival 2022 (''Alchemy of the Spirit'') * Winner Best Feature Film - Philadelphia Independent Film Festival 2022 (''Alchemy of the Spirit'') * Winner Best Director - Atlanta Underground Film Festival 2022 (''Alchemy of the Spirit'') * Winner Best Cinematography - Crimson Screen Film Festival 2022 (''Alchemy of the Spirit'') * Winner Best Art/Experimental Feature Film - Another Hole in the Head Film Festival 2022 (''Alchemy of the Spirit'') * Nomination Best Feature Film - Fantasporto Film Festival 2022 (''Alchemy of the Spirit'') * Nomination Best Feature Film - Salento International Film Festival 2022 (''Alchemy of the Spirit'') * Winner Best Feature Film Award - Salento International Film Festival 2015 Italy (''El Ganzo'') * Winner Best Cinematography Award - Salento International Film Festival 2015 Italy (''El Ganzo'') * Winner Best Feature Film - Colorado HorrorCon USA 2015 (''Hell Town'') * Winner Best Feature Film - Crimson Screen Film Fest USA 2015 (''Hell Town'') * Winner Best Director Independent Vision Awards - Visionfest 2011 (''The Casserole Club'') * Winner Best Picture Independent Vision Awards - Visionfest 2011 (''The Casserole Club'') * Winner Best Production Design Independent Vision Awards - Visionfest 2011 (''The Casserole Club'') * Winner Special Jury Award -

's Best Films of the Year 2005 (''Firecracker'') * Winner Independent Filmmaker Award - KAN Film Festival 2004 (''Wamego: Making Movies Anywhere'') * Winner Killer-B Award Best Screenplay 2000 B-Movie Film Festival (''Pep Squad'') * Nominated Best International Feature Film - Raindance Film Festival 2008 (''Watch Out'') * Nominated Best International Feature Film - Fantasporto 2005 (''Firecracker'')

References

External links

*
''Stuck!'' movie site
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Balderson, Steve Living people American LGBTQ film directors American gay writers 1975 births People from Manhattan, Kansas People from Wamego, Kansas Film directors from Kansas 21st-century American LGBTQ people LGBTQ people from Kansas