Kirsten Larvick's practice delves into the intricate connections between past and present. By engaging independent filmmakers to consider their previous work, she lends her archival expertise to preserve, curate, and exhibit motion picture history. This endeavor aims to expand and diversify an accessible cinematic catalog. Furthermore, She navigates these temporal relationships through her own documentary making.

As a member of New York Women in Film & Television, Kirsten co-chairs its Women’s Film Preservation Fund and serves on its Grants Selection Committee. The WFPF is the only program in the world that works to preserve the cultural legacy of women in the motion picture industry through film preservation. This experience eventually led Kirsten to found the Al Larvick Fund.

Currently, she is the Director of Special Projects at IndieCollect, where she oversees key preservation initiatives focused on filmmaker legacies. In collaboration with the Women’s Film Preservation Fund, Kirsten develops funding strategies for restoring films by women directors, secures grants, and fosters partnerships with distributors. Additionally, Kirsten coordinates the acquisition or donation of collections to partner archives, supports artist estate planning, and contributes to efforts that reintroduce restored films to audiences. IndieCollect was founded to save independent film — to ensure the films remain discoverable and watchable today and in the future.

Autonomously, Kirsten acts as an independent producer of film restorations. Recent 4K restorations as a producer include, ONE HAND DON’T CLAP (1988), WILD AT ART (1995), and BUILDING BOMBS (1990). Kirsten supervises and consultants on restoration and archiving projects for many independent filmmakers.

Documentary credits for new work range from research, producing and editorial roles on features, THE BARISTAS VS THE BILLIONAIRE; LOOK AT US NOW, MOTHER!; BETTIE PAGE REVEALS ALL; SINGERS IN THE BAND; YOUNG LAKOTA among others. Kirsten's own creative ventures are also rooted in nonfiction storytelling. Her projects mine archival materials such as analog film and video, ephemera and memorabilia. Through these mediums, she traverses themes of time, memory, identity, heritage, myth, and mortality.

Curatorial efforts encompass archival programming at institutions such as Anthology Film Archives; City Reliquary Museum; Metrograph; the Museum of Modern Art; UnionDocs, Center for Documentary Art, New York; Barbican, London, UK. Kirsten has produced film and mixed media exhibitions and preservation events at regional libraries, museums, archives, historical societies and community centers nationwide and internationally. 

Since 2022, she has served on the board of directors for UnionDocs, Center for Documentary Art. UnionDocs presents, produces, publishes, and educates. The organization leads a diverse community on a search for urgent expressions of the human experience, practical perspectives on the world today, and compelling visions for the future.

Kirsten has participated as a panelist on the Individual Artist Program in Film, Media & New Technology for New York State Council of the Arts for two consecutive three-year terms.

@kirsten_studio

#regionalfilmmaking #womeninfilm #documentaryarts #archivalarts #archives #preservation #handmadecinema #feminism #communicationstudies #culturalstudies #anthropology #archeology #psychology