Jamie Lawrence (he/him) is a queer Pākehā filmmaker based in Aotearoa New Zealand. His work has screened and won awards at NZIFF, MIFF, Festival des Antipodes, and Oscar-qualifying festivals including Show Me Shorts and Nashville. After early credits on THE LORD OF THE RINGS, KING KONG and AVATAR, Jamie trained on scholarship at the New York Film Academy. He’s an alumnus of Script to Screen’s FilmUp and Story Camp, and MIFF’s Accelerator Lab. His recent short EARTHLINGS premiered at MIFF and was shortlisted for “NZ’s Best” at NZIFF. Having ranked among Best Ads' top commercial directors, Jamie is now focused on his NZFC-supported feature slate: YA fantasy SKIN (Sweetshop Entertainment) and adventure biopic SOLO (Vendetta). Cinematic, emotional, and rooted in character, the heart of his work explores the healing power of the natural world and the fight to feel safe in your own skin.