Katie Madonna Lee

Birth Name: Katie Madonna Grace Lee

Height: 163 cm

Katie Madonna Lee, born & raised in South Bend, Indiana, had the unusual childhood experience of growing up with two intense versions of Christianity, while by being raised by secular rock 'n roll parents. She spent her in early years adoring aerobics, E.T. and Evangelical religion. And in the tradition of unsupervised children with scissors, she had the early accomplishment of cutting off her cousin's earlobe. She grew up in a beauty salon that her Mother "Birdie" owned, and traveled with her Dad on road trips from Florida, to Texas. After attending the harsh public schools in South Bend, Indiana, Katie Madonna was accepted into Chicago Academy for the Arts as piano major and then graduated from The School of Visual Arts in New York City.Even though she has an fun demeanor, her work addresses complex issues, mostly attempting to describe the rust belt city culture she grew up in. The gap rooted in economic status has shaped her perspective and made her committed to storytelling in an honest and raw form. Katie Madonna spent five years researching "Woman's Prison". Molding non-actors into actors, knowing the importance of casting those who had the real life experience and on-screen presence of the people she researched. At SVA, she won numerous awards including the Alumni Award, and is also the recipient of the New York Women in Film & Television award for her work on "Woman's Prison." Show less «

And even though our principles did not match up, this Catholic mysticism stirred within my soul a tr...Show more »

And even though our principles did not match up, this Catholic mysticism stirred within my soul a truth that they themselves were not aware. You have to believe in what goes unseen, in what you feel. To have faith in yourself is to have faith in God. Do we not realize that when we create films, we ask others to believe something they cannot yet see? Catholicism prepared me to rightfully romanticize suffering for beauty. Show less «

These so called feminists are at the center of my inner conflict. These are the women who have bulli...Show more »

These so called feminists are at the center of my inner conflict. These are the women who have bullied me for being feminine, criticized me for adoring fashion or loving my Barbie Doll collection passionately, rolled their eyes at my Anna Nicole Smith pictures. These are women who said that in order for women to be successful they must become men, "think like a man", be tough like man. In order to be successful you cannot embody any feminine characteristics. To look and act feminine is weak, is wrong, is a recipe for failure. This critic reminds me how the third wave feminists failed me and women altogether. Once they decided that success as a woman should be measured by one abilities to think like a man, and that feminine qualities were weak, they became misogynists themselves. Show less «

So there I am again. A ping ping ball, being thrown back and forth in a cultural debate that I never...Show more »

So there I am again. A ping ping ball, being thrown back and forth in a cultural debate that I never wanted to be apart of. The status quo calls me feminist. And yet the feminist groups reject me. Both the mainstream and third wave feminists are in cultural disagreement, yet, both the mainstream and the third wave feminists will judge my work by my gender. Show less «

I turned in the film on April 17. New York City's noise and busyness felt as if it was attacking me....Show more »

I turned in the film on April 17. New York City's noise and busyness felt as if it was attacking me. I started screaming and jumped in my car and left. I cried the whole 11 hour drive to Indiana. Not because, I was emotionally hurt but because I felt nothing. These were new tears, tears that I cried because I wanted to be a human again and I had no idea where to start. I wanted to experience romantic love without thinking about domestic violence. I wanted to find people that were not so selfish and obsessed with celebrities, that could appreciate things for just existing. I wanted a genuine friend who did not want anything from me. And as music played on the radio, songs that used to inspire, amounted to nothing that I could believe in anymore. My heart was broken, and it happened to break because I followed it. Show less «

Growing up in South Bend, in a very spiritual family, I was extremely affected by the mysticism of r...Show more »

Growing up in South Bend, in a very spiritual family, I was extremely affected by the mysticism of religion and felt a deep spiritually in terms of justice. And South Bend has been the greatest influence of all, it embodies poverty and international privilege in a very small community." Show less «

You may not find true love in this world, but you can find something that you truly love.

The two worlds of the religious Indiana and the artistic New York are at odds within me, and yet the...Show more »

The two worlds of the religious Indiana and the artistic New York are at odds within me, and yet they compliment one another. This cultural conflict has pushed and driven me to do my best work. I discovered that filmmaking is as religious, if not more then, Catholicism. It is spiritual and brutal. You have to have faith in something you can not see. Woman's Prison is not just a film, but an act of faith. I confronted every inch of myself and what I'm capable of. When you make a completely independent film, you are left alone with only your abilities. Mostly, faith is what you must have. Show less «

People only chase fame because they think that fame is paradise, that it is an instant cure to their...Show more »

People only chase fame because they think that fame is paradise, that it is an instant cure to their problems. Fame does not cure your problems, it only amplifies it. Show less «

My greatest fear was that my mother would die, and I would be forced to live with some of my relativ...Show more »

My greatest fear was that my mother would die, and I would be forced to live with some of my relatives. I felt this despair and knew what that loss would to do to someone emotionally. I knew that I would search for her everywhere, in everything, and that any connection that bared resemblance to her, I would desperately cling to. Show less «

Once money is gone so is morality.

Katie Madonna Lee

Katie Madonna Lee's FILMOGRAPHY

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