Past Lives and Boys Don’t Cry Producer Christine Vachon Named the 2024 Hirshon Artist-in-Residence at The New School

NEW YORK, March 19, 2024—The School of Media Studies at The New School is thrilled to announce Christine Vachon, an award-winning independent producer known for award-winning features, groundbreaking social dramas, and avant-garde film classics, as its 2024 Dorothy H. Hirshon Artist-in-Residence. Celebrating the 30th anniversary of her production company Killer Films, she will lead two master classes on March 25 and 28, 2024, sharing her acumen in producing award-winning and cult classics with New School students and alumni. In addition, Vachon will host a public screening of clips from several of her works—Poison (1991), I Shot Andy Warhol (1996), Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001), Beatriz at Dinner (2017), Zola (2020), and May December (2023), and others—followed by a discussion with Vladan Nikolic, Dean of the School of Media Studies, on March 27, 2024. 

“I consider myself lucky to have built a career as a film producer in New York City, and now I'm happy to pass along what I've learned to the next generation of scrappy young producers in my favorite city,” said Vachon.

“I am honored to welcome the incomparable Christine Vachon to The New School. Over her 30-year career, Vachon has worked to bring the visions of some of the most significant filmmakers of our time to the screen, and as a recent Vanity Fair article noted, ‘Vachon and Killer can take credit for launching the careers of everyone from Boys Don’t Cry’s Kimberly Peirce to Zola’s Janicza Bravo.’ I am excited to give our students, faculty, staff, and alumni this once in a lifetime opportunity to engage with one of the most groundbreaking and prolific independent producers in the industry,” said Vladan Nikolic, Dean of The School of Media Studies at The New School.

Vachon is an Independent Spirit Award and Gotham Award winner who co-founded powerhouse Killer Films with partner Pamela Koffler in 1995. Over three decades, they have produced more than 100 films, including some of the most celebrated and important American independent features: Kids, I Shot Andy Warhol, Happiness, Boys Don’t Cry, Hedwig and The Angry Inch, Far From Heaven, One Hour Photo, Still Alice, Carol, Beatriz at Dinner, and DARK WATERS. In television, Vachon executive-produced the Emmy and Golden Globe-awarded miniseries Mildred Pierce for HBO as well as the Emmy Award-winning limited series Halston for Netflix. Recent releases include Todd Haynes' May December (Netflix), starring Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore, and Celine Song's Past Lives (A24), which earned Vachon her first Oscar nomination in the Best Picture category this year.

30 Years of Killer Films: 2024 Hirson Artist-in-Residence Christine Vachon

Public Screening with Christine Vachon
Wednesday, March 27, 2024
6:00-8:00pm
The New School John L. Tishman Auditorium
63 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 
Open to the public. RSVP required

Master Class 1
Monday, March 25, 2024
3:00-5:00pm
Wolff Conference Room, 6 E. 16th Street, Room 1103, New York, NY
Open to all New School Students and Alumni (New School email address required to register)

Master Class 2
Thursday, March 28, 2024
3:00-5:00pm
Wolff Conference Room, 6 E. 16th Street, Room 1103, New York, NY
Open to all New School Students and Alumni (New School email address required to register)

The Dorothy Hirshon Artist-in-Residence program was established by the late New School Trustee Dorothy Hirshon, to honor and promote excellence and education of the filmmaking arts at The New School. Previous Hirshon Artists-in-Residence have included Mary Harron, Raoul Peck, Sean Baker, Laurie Anderson, James Cameron Mitchell, D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, Benh Zeitlin, Ramin Bahrani, and John Waters.