
KELLY MCKAy
directress
awards
Shiny List, 2025
Shiny Awards
Gold Winner
Telly Awards, 2025
Best Sound Design Winner
Cannes Shorts Film Festival, 2022
Best Experimental Film Finalist
Red Movie Awards, 2021
Best Microfilm Finalist
Red Movie Awards, 2021
Best Young Female Filmmaker Finalist
HERR International Film Festival, 2021
Best Cinematography
HERR International Film Festival, 2021
Reel Asian Air Canada Award
Toronto Reel Asian Film Festival, 2019​
Junior Award
Red Dot Design Award, 2018
Design Award
Red Dot Design Award, 2018
awards
Silver Screen Society Award
SCAD Savannah Film Festival, 2018
Finalist
SIMA Social Impact Awards, 2018
Best Student Film, Finalist for Best Documentary
Indy Shorts International Film Festival, 2018
Best Short Doc 3rd Place
Anchorage International Film Festival, 2017
Best Woman Filmmaker
Los Angeles Independent Film Festival, 2017
Best Foreign Documentary Short
Hollywood International Independent Documentary Awards, 2017
Best Short Documentary
Around International Film Festival Amsterdam, 2017
Semi-Finalist
Hollywood Screening Film Festival, 2017
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
The Monthly Film Festival
Direct Monthly Online Film Festival
GRRL HAUS CINEMA
ZEBRA Poetry Film Festival
Monthly Film Fesitval
HollyShorts Film Festival
Phoenix Film Festival
Oxford Film Festival
Ojai Film Festival
NewFilmmakers NY
New York Independent Film Festival
San Diego Asian Film Festival
41st Asian American International Film Festival
DocuWest Documentary Film Festival
Red Rock Film Festival
Long Beach Indie Film Festival
Official Student Short Selection 2019​ KQED Productions
about kelly


I’m a director drawn to stories about how people move through the world: their bodies, their relationships, and the spaces where identity, community, and care intersect.
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Much of what I make is shaped by my background in soccer and athletics. Sport taught me about discipline, belonging, and the ways people show up for one another. Through stories centered on sport, community, and sexuality, I’m interested in strong visuals and character-driven storytelling that sits with complexity rather than resolving it.
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At the core of my work is a belief in empathy: that seeing someone clearly can create room for understanding, and deeper connection.

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