Monster Slayer

that debuted at Tribaca in New York and won Best Documentary at Salute your Shorts in LA.

directed by / CATIE SKIPP

2025 / 21 MINUTES / SHORT DOCUMENTARY

Directed By

CATIE SKIPP

Producer

GRACE OATHOUT

Editor

SARA NELL

Composor

NICK CHUBA

Director of Photography

DOMINIQUE HESSERT OWENS

Art Direction & Illustration By

STEPHANIE "MONTY" MONTGOMERY

Animation By

FELICE WONG

After Monty is assaulted at the strip club where she works, she weaponizes public art to exact justice against a system's refusal to act.

Monster Slayer is a short animated documentary that follows LA artist and dancer Stephanie “Monty” Montgomery after she’s sexually assaulted at the strip club where she works. When the system fails her—ignored by management and dismissed by police—Monty turns to the one tool she has left: her art. Through a bold public act of protest, she transforms her trauma into a visual reckoning, reclaiming both her story and her space. Using Monty’s own drawings brought to life through animation, the film immerses us in her experience and exposes the broader culture of silence, stigma, and systemic neglect that so many survivors especially those in sex work face.

Topping the list of Tribeca 2025’s female-directed shorts is Catie Skipp’s Monster Slayer. “There’s a simplicity and directness to the format that proves powerful”: “Monster Slayer is about resilience, fighting back and using art to heal. Kudos to Monty and the almost entirely female crew who brought this story to light with such compassion and artistry

FEMME-HELMED SHORTS (Tribeca 2025)

– Reviews by Beth Accomando, Alliance of Women Film Journalists.

A short that is chock full of creative brilliance as it allows Stephanie “Monty” Montgomery to both tell and illustrate her story of working at a strip club

Short Stick Films

CATIE SKIPP

DIRECTOR/PRODUCER

Catie Skipp is a documentary filmmaker from Miami, FL whose work challenges preconceptions through intimate, character-driven storytelling. Her most recent film, Florida Woman, was included in Season 7 of PBS’s Reel South series, receiving an IDA nomination for best curated series. Her previous producing credits include the feature documentary Las Sandinistas!, Netflix’s Trial By Media, and Disney+’s Marvel’s 616. With a focus on illuminating overlooked narratives, Skipp’s films reveal the humanity behind misunderstood stories and empower voices that are often marginalized. A University of Florida graduate, she currently resides in Los Angeles where she is the Head of Development at Supper Club.

GRACE OATHOUT

PRODUCER

Grace Oathout is an award-nominated documentary filmmaker drawn to
stories that examine the deep connections shaping American identity. She
spent nine years at Tripod Media producing acclaimed shorts, features, and
series, most recently as Co-Producer on Pamela, a love story (Netflix),
nominated for an Emmy, and Come See Me in the Good Light, which won
the Festival Favorite Award at Sundance 2025. Her credits include The
Keepers, Ask Dr. Ruth, State of Alabama vs. Brittany Smith, Coded: The
Hidden Love of JC Leyendecker, Visible: Out on Television, Good Night Oppy,
and Assassins. Her work spans Netflix, Hulu, Apple TV+, Amazon, and
Paramount+, with premieres at Sundance, TIFF, Tribeca, and DOCNYC.

STEPHANIE “MONTY MONSTER SLAYER”
MONTGOMERY

ART DIRECTION & ILLUSTRATIONS

Stephanie “Monty Monster Slayer” is most known for her provocative
illustrations that feature spatters and splotches of water color and ink that
journal key experiences through a queer, Latina American lens. Her works
focus on narratives of dominantly powerful womxn figures that elicit a
sense of unapologetic pride. Her conceptual paintings become small icons
of worship and gratitude, contrasting the biting and satirical “doodles”
which are her chosen weapon to settle the score with her experienced evil
in the world.