Emilia Figliomeni (they/them) is writer/director/editor based in Los Angeles. Spanning fiction and documentary, Emilia’s projects often center queer identities and human connection. After studying visual art and creative writing at Brown University, Emilia earned an MFA in narrative directing at UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television. During their time at UCLA, Emilia was a recipient of the John H. and Patricia W. Mitchell Fellowship, the Gerald Hughes Comedy Directing Fellowship, and the George Burns and Gracie Allen Scholarship and Fellowship in Comedy, among others. Their thesis film was selected for the 2025 UCLA Directors Spotlight, and their previous films have screened at festivals across the US and Europe, including Oscar and BAFTA-qualifying LA Shorts International Film Festival, where Emilia premiered their film One to Grow On.
As a multicultural and non-binary person, Emilia uses film to explore the complexities of blended identities, tackling the grief of misunderstanding with humor and joy. Whether in fiction, documentary, or animation, Emilia strives to incorporate the earnest, the weird, and the darkly comedic.
At Brown University, Emilia explored painting, printmaking, and comics as mediums where language and image can meet, and Emilia’s passion for video led to working on several independent and commissioned projects and as an assistant editor on Madeleine Olnek’s Wild Nights with Emily.
Current Projects:
Emilia’s short One to Grow On premiered at LA Shorts International Film Festival in July 2025 — learn more about it on our Seed & Spark Crowdfunding page. Or follow @onetogrowon_film on Instagram to keep up with project updates!
Emilia’s short Smarrit*, selected for the UCLA Directors Spotlight in 2025, premiered at Divine Queer Film Festival in Turin, Italy in May 2026 and has since played at Fringe! Queer Film and Arts Festival in London, UK and Some Prefer Cake in Bologna, Italy. Follow @smarrit_film for updates!
