Lori Ann Webster is a native of Eastern North Carolina, where you’re either kin, friends, or one hello away from a good story. For Lori, life is cinematic—a way of seeing sparked by her own bored-kid attempt to write one stormy afternoon, when her aunt cut off the TV “while the Lord does his work.”  She’s been at it ever since, telling stories with truth and grit.

 

A Writer and Director, Lori's work centers on stories in the Black experience, often exploring liberative imagination, intersectionality, and women who color outside the lines.  She is a current fellow of Firelight Media's Firelight Fund for the feature documentary she's directing, called Signs & Wonders. She's also winner of the SeriesFest x Wondaland Pictures Storytellers Initiative. Her work has also been supported by Sundance Episodic Intensive, Gotham TV Series Lab, and SFFILM Rainin Grant.

 

With almost two decades in production for television, big tech companies, and international nonprofits, her work has taken her across Asia, Africa, South America, and North America. She earned her B.A. at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her M.F.A. at the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts, where she's also served as Adjunct Associate Professor. Most recently, she was a Visiting Professor at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts School of Filmmaking.

 

Grounded by humble beginnings and her roles as a caregiver and advocate, Lori tells stories that feel lived in—stories that feel like home.