Filmmaker Spotlight: Izzy Lee (House of Ashes)
September 16, 2025
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Every year, the Charlotte Film Festival brings bold voices to the screen—but some voices echo off-screen too. In this spotlight, we’re getting to know Izzy Lee whose work caught our eye and stuck with us.
What led you to creating House of Ashes?
House of Ashes is born from the pain of living as a woman in the U.S.
What were some inspirations going into the creative process?
Awful politics, a hint of giallo, Mario Bava lighting, liminal dread, surrealism, dark humor.
Why is a story like this important to tell?
When we were writing House of Ashes, we envisioned a near-alternative future where women were put under house arrest for miscarriage, which is common. When we were shooting, this actually started happening. It’s quite upsetting. But this is a genre film. A spoon full of sugar makes the medicine go down.
How did you become a filmmaker?
By experimenting, at first with high school friends, then again in college. After, I became a film festival programmer. I saw so many poorly done films. Having written, acted, painted, and having been a film journalist, I wanted to try another medium. Film is the most powerful. I wasn’t bad at it, and I’ve been at it ever since. And we need more female genre directors, exactly the misfit world I come from.
What do you want your legacy to be as a filmmaker?
I just want to keep working and for the right audience to enjoy what I’ve done. We’re all in this together, believe it or not. No one’s getting out of this alive.
