Karen Harley, Co-Director

WASTE LAND co-director Karen Harley started her career as an editor on the award winning Brazilian TV mini Series MEMORIAL DE MARIA MOURA in 1994. Her second film as an editor was on the Oscar nominated feature O QUATRILHO in 1995. In 2001 Karen worked as editor on João Jardim and Walter Carvalho’s award winning documentary WINDOWS OF THE SOUL for which she received a nomination for the Cinema Brazil Grand Prize, Best Editing Award. That same year Karen also directed her first documentary short, a biographical portrait of the Brazilian artist Leonilson who died of AIDS in 1993.

In 2005 Karen edited CINEMA, ASPIRINS AND VULTURES from the unknown director Marcelo Gomes. The film went on to win 30 awards including the Prix de Education Nationale at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival, where it premiered in Un Certain Regard. Karen’s second film to premiere in Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival was THE DEAD GIRLS FEAST (2008) directed by newcomer Matheus Nachtergaele. Karen is currently working on her 4th film with the award-winning documentary director Mika Kaurismäki titled MAMA AFRIKA, scheduled for release in the summer of 2010.