A New York City based Director repped by Buchwald, Rachel Annette Helson tells stories about women who are rule breakers and risk takers.

In May 2024, she directed her fourth feature film: an adaptation of the Bestselling novel The Air He Breathes written by Brittainy C. Cherry - which received praise from critics and viewers alike for its handling of the book-to-screen adaption.

Her short film Good Daughter starring Samantha Sloyan (Midnight Mass, Fall of the House of Usher) qualified for the 2025 Academy Awards in the Best Live Action Shorts category and earned a place on the The Contending’s Shortlist predictions list. The film premiered at HollyShorts, earned accolades at over a dozen festivals in the US and released online as part of Omeleto’s 2025 FYC Playlist.

Additionally, Rachel holds the distinction of being the Youngest Producer in Broadway history to be Nominated for a Tony Award for her work on Neil LaBute’s reasons to be pretty - and as character-driven director, her work is heavily influenced by her acting background. (Select acting credits include: Full Circle, The Knick, Law & Order: SVU, Power and the Netflix film The Polka King.)

Her upcoming directorial projects include the feature adaptation of Good Daughter - written by Jesse Harris, Trimmers - written by Sam Kressner and The Robbery of Ellie May - written by Brian Whitaker. She is a proud member of Film Fatales, the Alliance of Women Directors and SAG-AFTRA – as well as an alumna of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.

Awards

Tony Award (Nomination), Best Production of a Play reasons to be pretty, 2010

Drama Desk Award (Nomination), Best Production of a Play reasons to be pretty, 2010

New Director to Watch, Shoot Online Magazine 2019