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California Institute of the Arts

Abigail Severance

Pronouns: School of Film/Video

Faculty, Film Directing Program

Abigail Severance headshot
Email address: aseverance@calarts.edu
Phone number: 661-253-7822
Office address:
E204S
California Institute of the Arts
24700 McBean Parkway
Valencia, California 91355
Degrees:
  • MFA
    University of California, Los Angeles
  • BA
    Hampshire College

Abigail Severance makes films in a range of forms from narrative to abstract, which explore nostalgia, history, autobiography and the queer heart. Her work has screened at Sundance, The Broad, Ann Arbor Film Festival, Studio Museum Harlem, MIX LGBT Festival, and the National Museum of Women in the Arts, among other venues. 

She has received a Fulbright, a Film Independent fellowship, and most recently a CalArts Research & Practice Grant for We the Devoted, a near-future narrative about borders and labor, made collectively with its ensemble cast. Abigail also occasionally collaborates as a cinematographer, including with Gary Mairs (Retreat), Jenni Olson (The Joy of Life and The Royal Road), Kadet Kuhne (Infinite Delay), and Julie Tolentino (Eye Witness and Evidence). She is in post on Acadia, a film about nationalist nostalgia and queer origin stories.