Lucretia “Lu” Stinnette is a filmmaker and world traveler whose work takes a nuanced look at the ways that class, economics and racial identity shape the interior lives and lived experiences of women of color. Lu’s work and travels have taken her to over 30 countries, including Ghana, South Africa and South Korea.

She participated in the 2022 class of the AFI Directing Workshop for Women where she wrote and directed REDONDO. As a graduate student at UCLA, Lu directed the short film QUYEN, about a young Vietnamese woman’s first week with her new Korean husband. QUYEN was informed by Lu’s years living and teaching marriage migrants in South Korea. QUYEN was awarded the KQED Film School Shorts Best Film Award, and screened at many international film festivals, and is a recipient of the Princess Grace Graduate Film Scholarship.

Lu went on to direct CURRENCY, a narrative short film that tells the story of a teenager in Oakland as she navigates a housing crisis. It explores themes of sex trafficking, socio-economic inequality and the many traps young women face today across the globe. CURRENCY has screened at numerous international film festivals including Urban World Film Festival, and most recently at the Pan African Film Festival where it was nominated for the best short film award. Lu was awarded a screenwriting grant from The San Francisco Film Society/Rainin Foundation to develop CURRENCY into a feature.

Lu lives in Los Angeles with her dog, Chai, and actively hikes and practices self care while waiting for the newest Flaming Hot Cheeto product to drop.