BIO

I am Emilie Berkowitz, a Hispanic student filmmaker in San Diego. I want to use my films to increase awareness of the many hidden social issues affecting youth and the Hispanic community. In my latest short film, Luca the Teddy Bear, I explore how a single Latina mother and her daughter struggle with losing their husband/father. I have also made a lot of other films in my three years of filmmaking and editing experience. I have taken advanced classes at Media Arts Center San Diego (MACSD), interned as a teaching assistant for the MACSD youth camps, and was accepted into the Envision Cinema Conservatory at my high school, Canyon Crest Academy. As part of the Young Producers Accelerator Program, I made the short film Luca the Teddy Bear and have worked on a variety of other film projects, including The Gamblers Tell (director, co-producer, editor, and cinematographer), Soul Searcher (editor), Sugar Rush, (cinematographer and colorist), and submitted When I See You Again, Sister to the 2024 MiniCine 48-hour film competition at Canyon Crest Academy, and recently finished a Phone Usage PSA. I am motivated to expand my filmmaking skills by experimenting and collaborating on new projects with my peers. Director Statement This topic was important to me since everyone, including me, has lost family members. In this film, I explained a social issue that people find difficult to discuss. My goal with this film was also to create a light-hearted film by making a teddy bear the protagonist in order to appeal to younger kids. Typically, with grief, children want to talk about a death while the parents do not, and in this film, I find it important for people to recognize this and know they are not alone.