Stephen Kniss is an award-winning independent director/screenwriter based in Chicago, Illinois. He holds a BA in Digital Media from Eastern Mennonite University and an MFA in Cinema Directing from DePaul University’s School of Cinematic Arts. He toured nationally with his short film, Rear View, winner of Best Short Film at Lake Michigan Film Festival and Best Student Film at Big Picture Film Festival. He also has worked as a 1st AD on several film projects of varying length and scale that have screened around the world.
He most recently served as the co-writer and co-director on his feature film debut, Adult Children, alongside his long-time collaborator John Klein. That film is slated for release in summer 2023.
When not working on films or teaching, he can likely be found on the south side of Chicago, where he was born and raised and currently lives with his wife, two sons, a dog, and a cat. He is an avid sports fan and lives or dies (usually dies) by the White Sox, Bears, and Bulls, in that order.