Hellin Kay

Director · Writer · Cast

Hellin Kay is a Russian born filmmaker, director, writer and producer. After emigrating from the Soviet Union to Baltimore Maryland as a kid, Hellin picked up her first camera at 14 and has been telling stories with it ever since. Growing up on the East Coast she was heavily influenced by punk music, art and politics and attended Bard College, where she earned her BA & MFA in film, studying with Peggy Ahwesh, Carolee Schneemann and Adolfas Mekas, while writing and directing six short films, which all screened at US film festivals to accolades. Most recently she wrote, directed and produced the film "Abby and Emily Go To Palm Springs," completed March 2020. In April 2017 she released, "Anatomy," a short film based on sexual harassment and assault stories. Her films "Borscht," "Barry Paul," "Every Woman Was Once A Little Girl With Dreams" and "Was Once A Girl" were screened and honored at multiple US film festivals including Ann Arbor and Seattle. Her film "Every Woman Was Once A Little Girl with Dreams" (with a cameo from punk music legend Ian MacKaye) was selected by Miranda July for the first Miss Moviola Project. She wrote, directed and produced "Was Once A Girl" on location in Moscow Russia, which screened at IFFM New York and was written up as a "One To Watch" by Amy Taubin in The Village Voice and Filmmaker Magazine, then won Best Short in San Diego. She is the daughter of a Nazi occupation survivor.