Following their monthly meeting in the DGA's Los Angeles headquarters boardroom, on Tuesday, January 11, 2011, the DGA Women's Steering Committee (WSC) welcomed special guest, Director Lisa Cholodenko.

In a conversation moderated by WSC Co-Chair Donna Parish, Cholodenko spoke to the audience about her career which began as an assistant editor on John Singleton's Boyz N the Hood and Beeban Kidron's Used People. Inspired to pursue a film career, she enrolled at Columbia University’s School of the Arts, where she received her M.F.A. in screenwriting and directing, and under the auspices of mentor Milos Forman (Amadeus), wrote and directed a number of acclaimed short films such as Souvenir (1994) and Dinner Party (1997).

In 1998, Cholodenko made her feature directorial debut with High Art, which received five Independent Spirit Award nominations, the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Film [Limited Release] and the Deauville Film Festival’s Jury Special Prize. She has since gone on to direct the features Laurel Canyon (2002), Cavedweller (2004), and her most recent feature, the 2010 Academy Award Best Picture nominee The Kids Are All Right. She has also directed episodes of such television programs as Homicide: Life on the Street, Six Feet Under, Hung, and The L Word.

Cholodenko joined the DGA in 1998.