Erin Macpherson
Director | Cinematographer | Editor
Erin Macpherson (they/them) is a South African filmmaker with an Honours from UCT and an MA in Documentary Directing from the prestigious DocNomads. Their award-winning films amplify underrepresented voices with a focus on socio-political impact, addressing issues such as gender equality, climate change, LGBTQ+ rights, and disability justice.
“The Water Dancers” (2019), their short film addressing Cape Town’s devastating drought, sparked a conservation impact campaign; “Não é Fado, é Fado Bicha” (2022) chronicled the life of the famously queer Portuguese Fado band; and “I Did Not Wake Up Dead Today” (2023), a darkly comedic exploration of a teddy bear’s depression, amassed numerous festival wins. Their work has featured on national television, won awards such as the Golden Horn SAFTA and Golden Eagle Best Director Award, and have featured in Oscar and EFA Qualifying festivals, such as TFF, GoShorts, DIFF, DocLisboa, and SFFILM. They have also worked with renowned directors on films that have received festival nominations and awards at IDFA, Encounters, San Sebastian, AFI Docs, and the Emmys. Erin is currently developing “The Pursuit of Grief”, their first independent feature, investigating systemic corruption surrounding their father’s murder by a reckless driver.
Believing that cinema is the universal language of empathy, they often infuse humour in their work to tackle heavy themes of trauma as a reminder to viewers that healing cannot exist without laughter.
Alongside their film career, Erin has experience in social media content creation (including graphics and animation), having crafted online educational videos, sizzle reels, trailers, promotional marketing videos, and UGC for a variety of organisations and companies.
Film Showreel
Online Showreel