Allison Walsh
Allison Walsh (they/she) is an independent documentary filmmaker and fine artist. Their work explores the complexities of identity, culture, and spirituality in the rural Midwest.
Walsh is a 2025 PBS Ignite Fellow whose short films, The Daily Aesthetics of Alexander Martin and Parallel Lines, have screened at festivals across the United States and internationally. Their debut feature documentary, All of the Above, filmed at their own former high school, investigates the constitutionality of teaching about religion in public schools. The project is being produced in association with Kartemquin Films and is slated for release in 2026. Through their Interfaith America Innovation Fellowship (2026), Walsh plans to pilot the film and accompanying educational resources at national conferences for educators and administrators, with the goal of cultivating more informed and inclusive classrooms.
Walsh founded the Big Picture Peoria Film Festival because they believe that sharing film with a live audience is a sacred ritual.
Walsh has served as cinematographer and producer on documentaries for ESPN+, Discovery+, Magnolia Network, and numerous independent projects. In 2019, Walsh interned at Kartemquin Films in Chicago, contributing to City So Real (Sundance, National Geographic) by Oscar-nominated director Steve James. She is also a recipient of the Kartemquin Emerging Storytellers Fund, the Illinois Arts Council Individual Artist Program, and the Acorn Equality Grant. She has been invited to speak about her films at Western Illinois University and the El Paso Museum of History.
After joining the art collective YAKU, Walsh established her home base in Peoria, Illinois. There, she launched the production company Aluma Media to employ and mentor emerging filmmakers so they can tell underrepresented stories throughout the Midwest. Walsh holds a BFA from Bradley University with concentrations in Painting, Spanish, and Philosophy. When not making films, Walsh enjoys traveling, speaking Spanish, and playing soccer.
