After her father's death, Carrie discovers that she is the heir to the patent for a curative invention that will revolutionise medical science. The protagonist thus embarks on a journey of rediscovery of a parent from whom she had distanced herself. Courtney Stephens' first fiction film combines the personal grief experiences of the director herself and the lead actress, Callie Hernandez, whose real-life father gained a certain amount of fame on television as a “miracle” doctor. Invention delves into the American fascination with the culture of magufism, conspiracy and pseudoscience in a film full of cinematic inventiveness, humour, sensuality and sympathy for the most unusual characters. Known for her supporting roles in major hits such as La La Land (2016) and Under the Silver Lake (2018), Hernandez won the Leopard for Best Performance by Filmmakers of the Present at the Locarno Film Festival for this role, which highlights the great health of the most alternative American independent cinema.
Courtney Stephens
She is a writer/director. She is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Fulbright Scholarship to India, and fellowships from MacDowell, Yaddo, and the Wexner Center. She is a graduate of the AFI, and previously worked as an assistant to Terrence Malick, in addition to co-curating the miniature cinema Veggie Cloud since 2014. ‘The American Sector’ (2020), her documentary (co-directed with Pacho Velez) was named one of the best films of 2021 in The New Yorker. Her essay film, ‘Terra Femme’ (2021) was a New York Times critic’s pick and premiered at the Museum of Modern Art. It has toured widely as a live performance. Her films have been exhibited at museums and film festivals including the Berlinale, Viennale, IDFA, Hong Kong, SXSW and the New York Film Festival. She is currently working on a feature doc about dolphin scientist and psychedelics pioneer John C. Lilly, co-directed with Michael Almereyda. ‘Invention’ (2024), a collaboration with actress and filmmaker Callie Hernandez, earned the latter the award for best actress in the Filmmakers of the Present section of the Locarno Festival.
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