Karly Stark (they/them) is an experimental filmmaker, educator, and preservationist based in Oakland, California. They hold a BA in Film Studies from UC Berkeley (2012) and an MFA in Cinema from San Francisco State University (2016). Karly started their career as a Lecturer at SFSU, where they taught numerous courses in Experimental Filmmaking, Writing on Cinema, Feminist Science Fiction, and Queer & Trans Film Theory. They also worked as a full-time Digitization Specialist for the Media Resources Center & Library Imaging Services at UC Berkeley, using their formal expertise to photograph & preserve film, media, and print materials for educational use and accessibility, and producing video and animation content for instructional services. Currently, they are the Multimedia Instructor at EPACENTER in East Palo Alto, where they teach courses in photography, filmmaking, and multimedia production to students ages 11-18.
As a curator, Karly is passionate about showcasing the voices of local queer artists and the possibilities inherent in projecting in public space. Their curatorial positions have included Program Director/Curator at The Great Wall of Oakland (2014-2017) and Guest Curator at the Frameline San Francisco LGBT Film Festival (2016). In 2018, Karly completed a fellowship on Arte Útil under artist Tania Bruguera at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco.
Karly's creative work focuses on lyrical and essay film forms that explore human experience and memory through a queer lens. Their films have screened widely and internationally at such venues as the British Film Institute, McEvoy Foundation for the Arts, MIXNYC, San Francisco Cinematheque, SFMOMA, and the Pacific Film Archive. Karly's short works are currently distributed by Collectif Jeune Cinéma and Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Center.
And beyond all this, what they really love is sharing food with friends, whittling spoons, hiking, making music, and seeking out warmth.