WILLIAM COWSER

is an award-winning filmmaker, screenwriter, and theatre artist based in Southern Utah.

His feature screenplay “LOUIS & PUCK” (co-written with his filmmaking partner, Parker Rawlins) was recently honored as the recipient of the Bronze Typewriter Award in the Sci-Fi Feature Screenplay category at the 2026 Austin Film Festival, placing as one of 21 winning screenplays out of over 12,500 submissions, as well as being a Semifinalist in the Comedy Feature category (top 2%).

His work spans across multiple media of narrative storytelling - genre film, music videos, theatre, podcast, and more. His films have screened at festivals across the world including HorrorFest International, FilmQuest, the Golden Film Festival, and the Seoul International Short Film Festival.

Drawn to the tactile possibilities of visual storytelling, Wil embraces celluloid, practical effects, and analog processes, finding creative energy in the limitations and intentionality of older filmmaking techniques. Working primarily within science fiction, western, and horror traditions, his films favor stylization over realism, creating imaginative worlds that invite audiences to meet them halfway. His creative and academic work explores Utah's cinematic identity—its history, its present, and its potential future as a home for strange and innovative filmmaking.

Cowser holds an MFA in Film and Media Arts from the University of Utah, where his graduate work examined the evolving relationship between Utah and cinema. He also holds a BA in Theatre Arts from Southern Utah University, with emphases in Directing, Shakespeare Studies, and Film Studies. He currently serves as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Digital Film at Utah Tech University, where he teaches courses in filmmaking, screenwriting, and visual storytelling.