Biography

Emily May Jampel is a director, writer, and actress from Honolulu based in Brooklyn. Her films have screened at festivals including Palm Springs, Aspen ShortsFest, and Hawaiʻi International Film Festival. Her short Lucky Fish went viral on TikTok after premiering on NOWNESS Asia. She previously worked as Development Executive at The Department of Motion Pictures and served as creative consultant on Constance Tsang's feature Blue Sun Palace, which premiered at Cannes Critics’ Week 2024 and received four Independent Spirit Award nominations. She starred in Annie Ning's short Invasive Species, which premiered at Palm Springs ShortFest and was selected as a Vimeo Staff Pick. Emily is a 2026 NYSCA grantee and 2024–2025 UFO Short Film Lab fellow hosted at BAM, and was listed on the 2024 Dazed100. She is best known for Lucky Fish (2022), Manoa Valley (2024), Wake (2022), and Invasive Species (2023).