about

Hi! I’m Jennifer Zahlit, a director based in LA.

Growing up, I was an orchestra (played the viola, a wildly popular instrument) and theatre nerd (imagine me as the Candy Man in an all-girls school production of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory). While I obviously peaked in high school, I also fell in love with the magic of collaboration and the power of an ensemble. After graduating from USC’s School of Dramatic Arts, becoming involved in the LA theatre scene, and training with the Steppenwolf Theatre Company, I set off for NYC to grace the stage with my presence as an actor/singer/musician. But soon after, I realized I was a director and changed my course. I had the opportunity to direct a short film back in LA and had one of those moments when you realize your life trajectory is about to change. I packed my bags again, returned to the sunny land I hail from and cobbled together a film education for myself through making shorts with friends, co-creating A Brighter Lens podcast, and learning as much as I could from every movie I saw and every coffee I shared with some kind soul. Cut to: the summer of August 2022, when I directed my first feature FRIEND DIVORCE that I co-wrote and am now in post-production on. The rest is still…unwritten.