Accolades and Honors:
Best Television Pilot for “Rockaway” - Cinequest
1 of 8 Filmmakers selected for NYWIFT’S 2019 From Script to Pre-Production Lab to develop “When Joy Fell”
Best Break-Out Screenplay for “When Joy Fell” - The Oaxaca FilmFest (“Scripts that break traditional formulas; either totally or partially, they show us "something new".)
Finalist in The Creative World Awards for “When Joy Fell”
Semi-Finalist in The PAGE International Screenwriting Awards for “When Joy Fell”
Audience Award for Best Short for “Pick a Color” - Brooklyn International Film Festival
Best Screenplay for “Pick a Color” - Brooklyn International Film Festival
Best Drama for “Pick a Color” - Los Angeles International Short Film Festival
Gold Special Jury Award for “Pick a Color” - WorldFest-Houston
Honorable Mention (Fiction) for “Pick a Color” - New York Expo of Short Film and Video
Certificate of Award in Screenwriting for “Pick a Color” - First Run Film Festival
Finalist in the Nat'l Short Film & Video Competition for “Pick a Color” - USA Film Festival/Dallas
Second-Rounder for Sundance's Feature Film Creative Producing Lab & Fellowship for "Moo Moo"
Second-Rounder for Film Independent's Screenwriting Lab for "Wild Sky"
Finalist in the Moondance International Film Festival Screenplay Competition for “Wild Sky”
Semi-Finalist for the Filmmatic - Inroads Fellowship, Circus Road, and Creative World Awards Screenwriting Contests for “Wild Sky”
Quarterfinalist in the Page Int’l Screenwriting Awards, Cynosure, Story Pros, and WriteMovies Screenplay Contests for “Wild Sky”
Top 100 in the Table Read My Screenplay Genre Competition for both “Wild Sky” and “You Don’t Know Jack”
Semi-Finalist in the Big Apple Film Festival Screenplay Competition for “You Don’t Know Jack”
Quarterfinalist in the Page Int’l Screenwriting Awards and the Fresh Voices 12th Annual Screenwriting Contest for “You Don’t Know Jack”
Honorary Mention for Best Short Short for “‘Love’”- SENE Film Festival
Award of Distinction for “Greater Good” - CanadaShorts Film Festival
Silver Whiskers Award for “Greater Good” - INDIEWORKS.
Best Science Fiction for “Greater Good” - ConCarolinas Short Film Festival
Editha Award for “Greater Good” - Hudson Int’l Film Festival NYC
Silver Remi Winner for “Greater Good” - WorldFest-Houston
Semi-Finalist for “Greater Good” - Hollywood Horrorfest
Semi-Finalist for “Greater Good” - Utah Film Festival and Awards
Finalist for “Greater Good” - FILMS INFEST (NYC)
2nd Place Honors for “The Last/First Kiss” - The Texas Black Film Festival
Andrea Ashton is an ex-Californian (Bay Area born and raised), current New Yorker, wife, mom, and award-winning filmmaker. Growing up in a broken home, make-believe was a refuge and as soon as she could lift a pencil, she passed her time writing stories and plays inspired by the wealth of drama within her own home. In order to understand and explain the behavior of those around her, she became adept at capturing what it is to be human. Filmmaking became a natural extension of that passion.
Her first short film, "Pick a Color", based on a dark chapter of her teen years, was received with a wildly successful festival run, winning numerous awards (even beating out features), and receiving the honor of an archive at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, reserved for films they feel represent “significant contributions to the art and science of motion pictures.”
Fast forward through years of child-rearing and making corporate videos to pay the bills, she emerged to become a finalist for both Sundance and Film Independent Labs, and to direct three more shorts and several TV and digital pilots, garnering film festival awards, critical love, and thousands of YouTube views. Who knew mothering would be such incredible filmmaker training ground? Planning, organization, conflict resolution, creative persuasion to get her way, learning how to focus in the presence of chaos, and even simplicities like saying please and thank you are just a few transferable skills. Of greatest note, mothering has given her deeper insight into the human condition, resulting in films with emotional impact and resonance, moving people not only to believe, but more importantly, to feel.
Andrea has over 60 days of experience shadowing TV/episodic directors Jonathan van Tulleken (Shogun, The Reprisal), Rob Bailey (The Wire, Pennyworth), Scott White (9-1-1: Lone Star, CSI), and Louis Shaw Milito (Superman & Lois, Lucifer) on Apple TV+'s The Changeling and Warner Brothers’ Gotham from prep through post. As a member of NYWIFT, Cinefemme, and NYC Women Filmmakers, she’s also an active proponent of bringing more female voices to the screen.
She lives with her husband and frequent collaborator Christopher Norr, ASC in Brooklyn with two cats and a very energetic dog they brought home from Mexico.
Her IMDB link is here.