ERIN LAU
DIRECTOR • PRODUCER • WRITER
Raised in Kahaluʻu on Oʻahu, Native Hawaiian filmmaker Erin Lau fell in love with filmmaking in middle school, while videotaping concerts and public access TV commercials for her father's Hawaiian music non-profit. After completing her Bachelors at the Academy for Creative Media at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Erin worked as a videographer and editor for Native Hawaiian production company, ʻŌiwi TV. She later moved to Los Angeles after receiving a full-ride merit scholarship from Chapman University, where she completed her MFA in Directing. During her education, she was selected as a 2017 Sundance Native Lab fellow for her film "The Moon and The Night." The award-winning film went on to screen in over 30 festivals, including being short-listed for the 2018 Student BAFTA awards and licensed by the Criterion Channel.
Since graduation, Erin has signed with the United Talent Agency (UTA) and LINK Entertainment. She has also had the honor of continuing her growth through fellowships with the Sundance Indigenous Institute, Film Independent’s Project Involve, Unlock Her Potential, Points North Institute, Nia Tero, and Powderkeg’s Break The Room. Over the past three years, she has worked as a Senior Producer-Director for Jubilee Media, where her videos accumulated over 130 million views. Through this work she was also given the opportunity to develop empathy-forward content for brands including Google, Netflix, and Always. She now works as a freelance producer and director, while developing projects inspired by her family and home.
Current projects include:
- Co-producing the Feature Documentary Standing Above the Clouds
- Co-writing audio short stories for CALM - Announcement coming soon!
- Directing a collection for Mindset - Announcement coming soon!
Outside of her projects, Erin also serves on the advisory boards for Hawaiʻi Women in Filmmaking and the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoaʻs Academy for Creative Media.
PANELS + INTERVIEWS:
2021
Native Hawaiian Cinema: 2021 and Beyond
Presented by Sundance & HOMA
2020
Native Women in Film
Presented by Rolling Rez Arts & First Peoples Fund
Presented by ‘Ohina Film Showcase
C3: Pacific Cinewaves
Presented by LA Visual Communications
The Future of Kānaka Maoli Filmmaking: Where do we go from here?
Presented by Hawaiʻi International Film Festival
Presented by Walker Art Center