Kelsey Egan grew up in Wisconsin, where she learned to ride horses and value good weather. She is grateful to Robert Heinlein, Jack London, Marguerite Henry and many others for seeing her through the long Midwestern winters.
Kelsey graduated from Vassar College in 2005 with General Honours and BA degrees in Neuroscience & Behaviour and Drama. Her directing thesis received the Molly Thacher Kazan Memorial Prize for distinction in the theatre arts. She subsequently tumbled onto various short film and features sets in New York City, which led to setting up a feature in Beijing.
In May 2007, Kelsey moved to South Africa. After four years in Johannesburg, she set up her production company, Crave Pictures, in Cape Town. In addition to writing and directing, Kelsey has worked professionally as a stunt performer, AD, producer, VFX producer and actress. Her credits include Warrior, Raised by Wolves, Bloodshot, Maze Runner: The Death Cure, The Dark Tower, The Crown, Eye in the Sky, The Giver, Zulu, Mad Max: Fury Road, Strike Back and District 9. Kelsey’s experience across multiple departments broadens her scope as a filmmaker.
Kelsey’s directorial debut – Gargoyle – was nominated for a 2010 South African Film & Television Award for Best Short. After screening at sixteen international film festivals, including the Rhode Island International Film Festival and Palm Springs International ShortFest, Gargoyle received worldwide distribution from Shorts International and IndieFlix.
Kelsey’s first feature, Glasshouse, premiered at the 25th Fantasia International Film Festival in 2021, with a U.S. premiere at Fantastic Fest. This dystopian fairytale received four stars in the Guardian and a mention in the New York Times as one of Five Science Fiction Movies to Stream Now. Awarded the Prix du Public (Audience Award) from the Festival International de Films de Femmes and Best Film from Sognielettrici ElectricDreams International Film Festival in 2022, Glasshouse was acquired by Signature Entertainment and SNR. The film is part of a grounded sci-fi slate commissioned by Showmax with Kelsey co-writing and directing.
Kelsey recently completed her second feature, The Fix, an action / sci-fi set in Cape Town with large scale stunts and over 600 VFX shots. The Fix has been acquired by The Exchange for worldwide sales, excluding Africa, for release in 2024.
Kelsey has written on various South African TV series for both local and international broadcasters and one of her feature screenplays was awarded ‘Best Spec Script’ at the 2013 Muse Awards. TV screenwriting credits include Gold Diggers (eTV), Exposure (Sunrise) and the 6-part TV adaptation of Deon Meyer’s bestselling thriller, Trackers, commissioned by Africa’s Multichoice, German pubcaster ZDF and picked up by HBO’s Cinemax.
Kelsey is a member of the Writer’s Guild of South Africa and founded the Cape Town Chapter of Film Fatales. She is represented by CAA and Circle of Confusion.
