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Hanelle M. Culpepper  

Writer/Director Bio

Hanelle M. Culpepper is an award-winning writer/director/producer based in Los Angeles, who recently completed post-production on her feature directorial debut, the psychological and supernatural thriller Within, produced by Bigfoot Entertainment. Theatrical release is slated for Summer 2008. Currently, she is gearing up to direct her second feature, the thriller Clementine.

Previously, she has directed episodic television, with a one-hour episode of Discovery Channel's scripted crime anthology series Guilty or Innocent, as well as several short films, PSAs, and an educational video.

Culpepper’s filmmaking career began when her first screenplay earned her admission into Bill and Camille Cosby’s prestigious screenwriting program for African-American writers.  Through the program, Culpepper wrote Miss Ella.  A semi-finalist in the Chesterfield Screenplay competition and Honorable Mention in the Writers Digest competition, Miss Ella earned Hanelle a place in IFP/west's Screenwriters Lab.

But it was Culpepper's directorial debut, The Wedding Dress, that launched her as an emerging director to watch.   The romantic comedy about a carefree bachelor who finds a wedding dress in his girlfriend’s closet premiered at the 2002 Pan African Film Festival, kicking off an award-winning trek through film festivals worldwide.   It has appeared on both national broadcast and cable television.

Culpepper's next endeavor was the dramatic short A Single Rose, which she directed as one of eight women awarded a grant from the 2002 AFI Directing Workshop for Women. Featuring original songs and score, this 'blues tragedy' is inspired by true events surrounding Culpepper's great grandmother Ella and her adopted sister Rose. Their story is eloquently told in the book Miss Ella written by Hanelle’s father, Terry F. Culpepper.  This fascinating parable of two sisters whose intertwining lives lead to tragedy is explored in Hanelle’s feature script Miss Ella .

A Single Rose has screened at numerous film festivals worldwide and has won several awards, including Best Short, Best Director, Best Actress and Best Music.  In May 2004, it screened at the Cannes Film Festival as part of the ICG Showcase and in 2005, it ranked among finalist shorts for consideration for an Academy Award nomination.  Featuring original songs and score, A Single Rose is inspired by true events surrounding Hanelle Culpepper’s great grandmother Ella and her adopted sister Rose. 

Showing her versatility as a director, Culpepper's next short was the satiric Six and the City.  The highly popular short is a spoof of the HBO show Sex and the City—but with six-year-old girls battling boys on the playground. It has won awards and played at festivals all over the world -- and can be seen on Air Canada and in select hospitals as part of a program to bring humor to patients.

Rounding out her shorts are How To Stand In Line For Star Wars, a comedy documentary with tips for and from fans who line up weeks in advance for each Star Wars installment, and Leila, a dramatic short film which features a cameo by Sinbad. The success of Culpepper's short films led to professional gigs with Discovery Channel, UCLA, the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, and finally, to her feature directorial debut, Within. 

Culpepper graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Summa Cum Laude with a B.A. in Economics and French from Lake Forest College in suburban Chicago.  For graduate studies, she earned a Master’s degreeat USC’s Annenberg School for Communication.  While at USC, she worked behind the scenes on multiple student film projects in positions from PA to producer. 

Following her graduation from USC, Hanelle worked for writer/director Neal Israel (Bachelor Party), writer/producer Kathy Kloves (USA Network’s Weekly World News) and for the Sundance Institute.  Prior to forming Hillview 798 Productions, Culpepper worked with Academy Award winner Callie Khouri (Thelma and Louise), who also became her mentor.  Culpepper was fortunate enough to work with Khouri on her directorial debut, Warner Bros.’ Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood.