Alison Mattingly is a Los Angeles-based trans filmmaker, whose work explores queer identity through the lens of horror. Originally from Tennessee, her Southern religious upbringing played a significant role in the creation of her short, Burning of a Family Tree. A lifelong admirer of folk and Southern Gothic horror, Mattingly embraced the opportunity to bring her own perspective to these genres. Creating this film has been a deeply personal and healing journey for her, and she hopes that Eden's story may likewise serve as a point of catharsis for audiences in the same way.