Mariah Kramer
Senior Lecturer, Cinema & Media Arts
Faculty Advisor, POINT OF VU Student Film Festival
(she / her / hers)
Buttrick 003A
mariah.kramer@vanderbilt.edu
CV
Education
MFA – Film and Video Production, University of North Carolina Greensboro
Specializations
- Film Festivals
- Festival programming
- Documentaries
- Production
- Independent Film
Biography
Mariah Kramer is a Senior Lecturer and Director of Undergraduate Studies in Cinema and Media Arts at Vanderbilt University, with a passion for storytelling that stretches far beyond the classroom. A co-founder of UpTilt Film Fest, Mariah is also a proud board member, dedicated to supporting women’s voices in film. When she’s not teaching or giving back to the film community, she makes her own mark as an independent filmmaker. She’s been fortunate to have her work screened at festivals across the country, from Bend Film Festival to Cucalorus Film Festival, with her short documentary This Is My Home Now even making its premiere on PBS and the World Channel.
Her latest project, Shirley, dives deep into family history, telling the poignant tale of her maternal grandmother, who passed away from polycystic kidney disease at just 36, leaving behind six young children. Mariah’s work is inspired by the belief that while each of us has moments that feel uniquely personal, they are often deeply universal. Through her films, she explores the resilience of the human spirit, always aiming to capture the shared experiences that connect us all.