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Biography

Steve Kniss is an award-winning independent filmmaker and Assistant Professor at Western Carolina University. He is the Program Director of the Film and Television Production program, within the School of Stage and Screen. He toured nationally with his short film, Rear View, and with his co-directed feature debut Never Not Yours, winner of several awards, including the Indie Spirit Award at the 2024 Naples International Film Festival and Outstanding Feature at the 2025 Highlands-Cashiers Film Festival. His most recent co-directed project, The Solution, is currently on the festival circuit and has screened around the world. He has worked as a 1st AD on several film projects of varying length and scale, and available to stream on most platforms. When not working on films or teaching, he can likely be found alongside his wife and two sons, probably cheering on his beloved White Sox, Bears, or Bulls, in spite of their often-losing ways.

Education

• MFA, Depaul University
• BA, Eastern Mennonite University

Teaching Interests

I believe in a balance between lecture and practice when it comes to the classroom. My goal as a professor is to help students develop an effective process when it comes to their own creative work, processes that will hopefully continue on beyond graduation and into the professional world.

Research Interests

While I'd like to believe I'm capable of telling any story cinematically, I tend to lean more into the dramatic narrative spaces, often with films that explore relationships between family and generations.