Steve Balderson

Co-directed with Texas native Elizabeth Spear, Hell Town is a melodrama and soap opera style horror film. Was released in limited theaters on Aug 23, 2016.

Produced entirely on location in Los Cabos, Mexico, in 2014, the experimental drama stars Susan Traylor, Anslem Richardson and Mark Booker. El Ganzo was winner of Best Film, Best Actor, and Best Cinematography at the Salento International Film Fest and was released in limited theaters in the US on September 9, 2016

Far FLung Star is the fourth collaboration between Steve and screenwriter Frankie Krainz. The film was produced in early 2013 on location in Los Angeles and Hong Kong. It premiered at the Raindance Film Festival in 2013. The film is an action-adventure and was released exclusively as a streaming Vimeo On Demand.

Filmed in 2013, Occupying Ed is the first collaboration between Balderson and screenwriter Jim Lair Beard. The film premiered at London's Raindance Film Festival in 2014.

Culture Shock is the third collaboration between Steve and screenwriter Frankie Krainz. The film was produced in October 2011 entirely without permits in Kansas City and in London, England. The story centers around four twenty-somethings, played by Starina Johnson, Mark Booker, Nic Roewert and Holly Hinton who travel to the UK for a backpacking holiday only to be caught up in a murder. They are followed by a detective, played by Damien Gerard, who is trying to solve the case. However, all is not as it seems.

Stuck! premiered at the 2009 Raindance Film Festival in London, England. Currently on the festival circuit, the film is an official selection of the following film festivals: Skeive Filmer in Oslo Norway; The Southwest Gay and Lesbian Film Festival; The Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival; 2009's REELING (the Chicago GLBT Film Festival), 2010 Macon Film Festival and the 2010 Boston Underground Film Festival. On February 3, 2010, Stuck! premiered at Grauman's Egyptian Theatre in Los Angeles. The special event was hosted by the American Cinematheque. In grand Hollywood tradition, the after party and dinner was held at Musso & Frank Grill.

The Casserole Club stars Susan Traylor, Jane Wiedlin, Kevin Richardson, Daniela Sea, Michael Maize, Starina Johnson, Garrett Swann and Pleasant Gehman, among others. It was filmed in the fall of 2010 on location in Wamego, Kansas and Indio, California. The screen play was written by Frankie Krainz.

Stuck! is Balderson's homage to film noir women-in-prison films. The movie, photographed in black and white, was produced in Macon, Georgia, during April and May 2009. The film stars Karen Black, Susan Traylor, Jane Wiedlin, Mink Stole, Stacy Cunningham, Starina Johnson and Pleasant Gehman. It's the story of Daisy, an innocent young woman framed for killing her mother. Condemned by the press and the public, Daisy is found guilty of murder and sentenced to die by hanging. The screen play was written by Frankie Krainz.

Balderson's award-winning second feature film, Firecracker, was released theatrically in 2005 to sold-out audiences in a first-ever "Freak Show Tour" supervised by Landmark Theatres, the nation's largest art house chain. Film critic Roger Ebert called it "Brilliant" and gave Firecracker a Special Jury Award on his list of the year's best films.

Firecracker premiered at London's Raindance Film Festival, where it won a Jury Prize nomination for Best Picture. It also won numerous awards on the festival circuit worldwide including: Best Picture, Best Cinematography, Best Actress for Karen Black, and Steve Balderson won the 2005 Domani Vision Award for emerging talent at Tribeca's Visionfest.

Balderson's attention to detail and work ethic is chronicled in the award-winning documentary series Wamego. Wamego: Making Movies Anywhere was released in 2004 on DVD, Making Movies Anywhere won Best Film at the 2005 Fox Film Festival and the 2004 Kan Festival Award. Wamego Strikes Back, the sequel to Making Movies Anywhere, was released in 2007. The third installment, Wamego: Ultimatum chronicles the making of Watch Out. To celebrate its 10-year anniversary, Wamego: Making Movies Anywhere was re-released complimentary on Vimeo in September 2014.

After leaving CalArts in 1996, Balderson returned to Kansas and directed his debut feature film. Pep Squad satirized and predicted American school violence prior to the horrific series of school shootings. In November 2009, Balderson sold distribution rights for Pep Squad to his mentor Lloyd Kaufman. Kaufman's company Troma Entertainment will handle the DVD re-release.

Stephen Clark Balderson (born January 19, 1975) is an American film director.