Alex Heller is a bipolar/11-years-stable filmmaker from Illinois. Her debut feature film The Year Between, an autobiographical comedy about bipolar disorder, has received praise from The New York Times, Variety, Roger Ebert, and NPR. The film stars J Smith Cameron, Steve Buscemi, Wyatt Oleff, and Emily Robinson, alongside Heller. It premiered at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival, then received the Audience Award at the Chicago International Film Festival, "Best New Director's Feature" at the Nashville Film Festival, and was acquired by Gravitas/Peacock. The Year Between is a partner of NAMI Chicago. In 2018, Alex was named by Vulture as a "Rising Filmmaker Every Cinephile Should Have on Their Radar." She is a 2020 Sundance Feature Film Fellow, and a lifelong miniaturist.