Laurel Chiten

Laurel Chiten is an award winning independent filmmaker, making films for over 30 years. Her films include: TWISTED (2006) about people with the neurological disorder, dystonia. TOUCHED (2003) about people who think they have had contact with aliens and the Harvard psychiatrist who believed them. THE JEW IN THE LOTUS (1999), about a group of rabbis that met with the Dalai Lama, and TWITCH AND SHOUT (1994) about people living with Tourette Syndrome, nominated for a national Emmy. Ms. Chiten’s is known for giving audiences an intimate experience into the worlds of those who are marginalized, using sensitivity and humor.

She is a two- time recipient of Independent Television Service (ITVS) funding. Her films have screened at film festivals around the world, and been broadcast on PBS’s national series Independent Lens, and POV. Chiten was an artist in resident at the Bellagio Study and Conference Center sponsored by the Rockefeller Foundation. She received a residency scholarship at Yaddo and the MacDowell Artist Colony. Laurel also was an editing consultant for Andy Wilson’s most recent film, UNDER OUR SKIN, about Lyme Disease short listed for a 2010 Oscar.