Katri Billard (Cot-tree Bee-yard) was born in Seattle, WA on June 13,1970 to a Finnish mother, Marja Oksajärvi, and American father and grew up in college towns around the US, Germany and San Francisco.  She made her media debut as “Stewart the Wonder Cat” on Kids Alive!, a cable access program produced at the Bloomington, IN public library in 1978.  Since then, her claims to fame have included a guest DJ /co-host spot on MTV’s Alternative Nation’s visit to UNC.  She also sold out Chapel Hill’s Cat’s Cradle “and I’m not even in a band” with the first annual WXYC early 80s dance and brought KC of the Sunshine Band in to perform at the 70s dance the next year. In November 2000, she appeared as a guest on Channel 33’s Lars from Mars show about independent filmmakers and gives guest lectures on independent filmmaking at George Washington University.

She has lived in DC since moving back from Helsinki, Finland in 1996 and worked in film and video production for several area companies, as well as doing festival booking and publicity coordinator in the office of Aviva Kempner’s The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg . She now pays the bills freelancing in film and video production coordination, as well as collaborating on and promoting independent films.

Katri received a Master’s in Film & Video from American University in August 1999 and a B.A. in Radio, TV, Film from University of North Carolina in 1994.  Her works have been screened at the DC Independent Film Festival , the Ms. Film Festival, two North Carolina Flicker Film Festivals and the Reel Girls series at DC’s Art-o-Matic.  She is the executive director of a local film series 650@Visions and serves on the film committees of Ladyfest DC and Art-o-Matic. Katri is also a member of Women in Film & Video and AIVF ( Association of Independent Video and Filmmakers).

She is recipient of a 2001 DC Arts & Humanities Artist Fellowship for this project and was the poster child for their 2002 brochure!

Filmography:

Ignacio: The Boy Who Swam from Cuba (7 min., mini DV, 2001) (Director) When a much acclaimed immigrant dies, he leaves his fortune to the only man who would still listen to his story. a 48 hour film project where mandatory elements were combined into a biographical picture which was written, shot, edited and screened in 48 hours.

Carmen on Fire, 25 min, 16mm, color, 2000.  Comedy. A disgruntled editorial assistant’s foray into ghostwriting love letters.  Featured at 650 at Visions, Aug 2001, Girls on Film Series at Art-o-Matic, Washington, DC, Oct 2000, & DC Independent Film Festival, April 2000.

The Web, 5 min., Beta SP, 1998. (Co-Writer/Director/Editor, KLL Productions) A fictional documentary about Mike who uses public transportation as his personal singles bar. Featured at the Ms. Film Festival, Carrboro, NC, Nov 2001, Girls on Film Series at Art-o-Matic, DC, Oct 2000.

Sometimes when I’m with you, I feel like I’m in Europe, 3 min., 16 mm. b/w, silent, 1996. The fantasy meeting of Jean-Paul Belmondo and the Duchess of York. 

©2003 glamorama pictures

last updated Thursday, 06 March 2003 11:44 -0500