ABOUT
ROXY TOPOROWYCH

Gotham Award-Winning Director Roxy Toporowych specializes in authentic, slice of life, character-driven stories. Her films often center on female protagonists at pivotal moments in their lives, while weaving in world events. Her work can sit between art house and commercial, with international co-production experience. She is an NYU Tisch alumni, IFP Narrative Lab Directing Fellow, winner of the IFP/Gotham Award for Emerging Directors, a Fulbright Scholar partnered with Dovzhenko Studios in Kyiv and a fellow of the American Film Institute (AFI DWW+ 2024).

Her narrative feature debut, Julia Blue, a love story between an aspiring photojournalist and a soldier haunted by war, was produced internationally with a fully Ukrainian cast and crew. Julia Blue was an official selection at the Seattle International Film Festival and the Cleveland International Film Festival and won Best Film awards at the Julien Dubuque and Female Eye Film Festivals. Roxy won the Special Jury Prize for Best Director in World Cinema at the Woodstock Film Festival and the Best Director Award at the Sonoma International Film Festival. In 2022, the film was named one of the top ten films about Ukraine by The Guardian (UK). Her recent AFI short film, Ukrainian Dance Movie, premiered at the Oscar-qualifying HollyShorts Film Festival and won the Best Short Film Award at the inaugural Colofilm Festival in January 2025. She is also a co-host of the podcast, Reel Ukraine.

Previously, Roxy directed the dance documentary feature FOLK! (HotDocs/East Silver Markets) and the comedy web series 2ND AND 9TH. She also created the show Awkward Dance Party while a producer for the Tribeca Film Festival. She was a finalist for both SeriesFest and Almanack Writers Labs for her comedy pilot, Commie Party! which is currently in development. Roxy has served as a producer on documentaries for Hulu, HBO, and Tribeca Enterprises, often drawing on her documentary background to inform her fly-on-the-wall cinematic approach.

Roxy’s transition to full-time narrative directing is backed by twenty years in the union trenches as a set decorator, collaborating with dozens of directors, including Steven Spielberg, Lena Dunham, and Craig Brewer. Her extensive crew credits on projects ranging from blockbusters to intimate dramas provided a front-row masterclass in cinematic creation. Credits include: West Side Story, Song Sung Blue, His Three Daughters, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Russian Doll and The Punisher.

Balancing her own independent directing career simultaneously with these massive studio productions has uniquely shaped her voice as a first-generation filmmaker. This combination of a sharp, personal perspective on culture and heavy production smarts makes Roxy a unique creative voice in the current film & television landscape.