UK Alumna Kris Deskins Honored for Costume Designs for Film
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 14, 2019) — University of Kentucky theatre alumna Kris Deskins was honored for her costume designs on “Cemetery Tales: A Tale of Two Sisters” at multiple film festivals. Deskins won Best Costume Design at the Southern Shorts Awards, Asian Cinematography Awards, IndieX Film Festival, South Film & Arts Academy Film Festival in Chile and The Queen Palm International Film Festival.
The Pikeville native, now living in Los Angeles, earned bachelor's and master’s degrees in theatre from UK in 1993 and 2000 with a concentration in both costume design and acting. While in grad school, Deskins bought all the stock costume inventory from UK to start a costume rental house with her business partner called The Lexington Costume Company.
After successfully building and running that company for five years, Deskins sold her stake to her partner and moved to Los Angeles to pursue her dreams of becoming a Hollywood costume designer. Since her arrival in California, Deskins has worked primarily on films set in contemporary time periods but hopes to revisit her roots in classic time periods.
The short film with her winning designs, “Cemetery Tales: A Tale of Two Sisters,” was directed by Chris Roe. Set in 1949, it follows an aging Hollywood star mourning her sister on the first anniversary of her death. When the truth about her murder is revealed, a visitor adds new layers to the dark mystery.
Along with “Cemetery Tales: A Tale of Two Sisters,” Deskins' work has been featured in “The Appearing,” “The Wrong Cruise,” “Can’t Buy Me Love” and more.
The Department of Theatre and Dance, part of UK College of Fine Arts, is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Theatre. Students in the department get hands-on training and one-on-one mentorship from professional faculty and renowned guest artists in acting, directing, playwriting, theatrical design and technology. From mainstage productions to student-produced shows, students have plenty of opportunities to participate on stage or backstage. Special programs include a musical theatre certificate, education abroad, as well as a thriving dance program that emphasizes technique, composition, performance and production.
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