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Founded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi

A non-profit university with on-campus and online degree programs

Home of Consciousness-Based Education

Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission

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Founded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi

A non-profit university with on-campus and online degree programs

Home of Consciousness-Based Education

Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission

Request Info > Apply > Visit Us >
Request Info > Apply > Visit Us >

008David Lynch MFA in Film student Karen Borger is an Australian citizen currently residing in the United States. Photography was her first love and she discovered and explored the world of filmmaking at Sydney College of the Arts while studying Visual Communication Design.

Since then, Karen pursued filmmaking as her chosen vocation and subsequently graduated from the prestigious Australian Film, Television and Radio School as a Director with her award-winning short film, “Serendipity.” She worked in the professional film industry gaining a reputation as one of the most highly-lauded and one of the few female directors active at the time in Australia and Asia.

Karen was awarded government grants on numerous occasions for her film projects as both Writer and Director, as well as opportunities to participate in film development programs. In 2006 she was selected as one of four filmmakers in the Screen NSW Aurora screenwriting program with her project, “Borrowed Light.”

010Karen relocated to Los Angeles California in 2007 and worked in a freelance capacity as both Producer and Director. At The Walt Disney Company Karen became the Director of Original Content (DIMG), and Filmmaker with the Disney Imagineers WDPRO (Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Online).  She was a Founder, and inaugural President of the Share Your Voice Foundation in Montana, which provides performance workshops for at-risk teens, and spent a rewarding year sharing her knowledge and teaching filmmaking in Indigenous Australian communities.

015Karen’s creative talent and her breadth of experience place her in good standing in the world of professional film making. Episodic dramatic television is the next frontier she aims to conquer.

Karen’s short film, “All Is Forgiven” garnered her second place in the David Lynch MA in Film scholarship contest at MIU. Karen has always been entranced and moved by David Lynch’s evocative films and story telling style. She was also inspired by his practice of Transcendental Meditation as a way to find inner peace and the “big fish” of ideas.

“I suffered a painful spinal injury in 2012 and for two years thought my life as a filmmaker was effectively over,” Karen stated. “Over 20 months on heavy painkillers took their toll on my health and spirit, so I knew I had to find an alternative way of coping with the pain and finding my way back to the creative life. Developing a method of pain meditation and learning TM has given me that much needed inner calm and release, thus setting me free to be creative again by moving beyond the pain.”

004Karen is in post production on her thesis project at MIU, “Newsraven,” a TV series pilot episode developed during the David Lynch MA in film program. Karen is an advocate for advancing the engagement of women in key creative roles in the professional film industry, and exploring the stories of strong, complex female protagonists. Her Newsraven project embodies these aims. Another short film she directed in California in early 2015, “100 Miles to Lordsburg” has thus far been entered into prestigious film festivals at Monaco and Cannes.

Karen is represented by Ignite Elite Artists. She currently has numerous feature film projects, TV series and MMO (massively multiplayer online) Game concepts in development.

All photos by Weber Photo: www.codyweberphotography.com