about foster

Foster’s work as a filmmaker and director has been shaped by more than a decade in the industry as both an actor and photographer. Her films blend offbeat humor and dynamic characters with cinematic integrity. She approaches her work with a love for the craft of acting as well as advocacy of diverse hiring practices, physical and mental health, and the unique needs of parents within the world of production.

After earning her BFA at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and working as an actor in both New York and LA, Foster co-founded Detroit Street Films, an independent film production company intent on building a robust community of filmmakers to collaborate on micro-budget films. In DSF’s inaugural year, the company produced over a dozen films, including Foster’s directorial debut: a gritty short about possessions and priorities titled BRICK & MOPSIE.

Foster’s most notable directing work to date is the award-winning short film MADE PUBLIC starring Jeanine Mason (Roswell, New Mexico) and Josh Zuckerman (The Offer, Fatal Attraction). The film premiered in 2019 and has played at more than 40 festivals including Palm Springs, Cinequest, Cleveland, and more. The film received 15 nominations and 12 awards, including Best Film, Best Director, and the Audience Award at the Bentonville Film Festival.

Foster also directed the short film, WAFFLES, which held its world premiere at the Inside Out LGBT Film Festival in Toronto. Since then, the film has screened at more than 30 festivals around the world, including Australia, Germany, Norway, Switzerland, India, and Hong Kong; the film has garnered 8 nominations and 5 wins on the festival circuit, including an Audience Award for Best Short Film.

Foster was one of six directors selected by Alliance of Women Directors for the inaugural AWD Short Film Initiative, creating a short film in collaboration with the Shoot ‘Em Up film series. The resulting film, titled MÍA, premiered at Disney Studios.

Additional credits include the short films PLATYPUS and DAME, winner of Best Actress at the Chelsea Film Festival; the pilot presentation LOVE SCENES, LLC; and a four-part web series created with author Mara Altman titled GROSS ANATOMY. She recently completed the comedic short 5 STAGES OF GRIEF (2020 SHIFT Creative Fund, Panavision New Filmmakers Award) and is attached to direct the feature BRINGING UP JOAN, written by Alexa Alemanni and Joseph Boothe.

Foster is an alumna of the Ryan Murphy HALF Initiative, former board member of Moms-in-Film, and member of the Los Angeles Women's Film Collective. She serves as a mentor for the Women of Color Filmmakers program and lives in Los Angeles with her two young daughters.