HEY, I’M RACHEL ROSS, WRITER/DIRECTOR
Yes, I absolutely love the fact that my name nods to one of the greatest TV shows of all time and no, they were not on a break.
From Tāmaki Makaurau, Aotearoa, I draw most of my storytelling from personal experiences with a dedication to crafting authentic, honest, and empowering stories - stories that uncover human truths and encourage the beauty of vulnerability and fragility. My tonal style plays with the tug of light and shade - vulnerable grit meets wit.
Shorts credits include 2021 NZ Show Me Shorts (Winner of People’s Choice Award) for short film GREEN, 2019 NZ Show Me Shorts (Best Screenplay Nominee) for comedy piece NUMBER TWO, and 2017’s Melbourne International Film Festival and New Zealand International Film Festival selection for HAVE YOU TRIED, MAYBE, NOT WORRYING?. I was selected for the 2017 Accelerator Lab in Melbourne with HAVE YOU TRIED, MAYBE, NOT WORRYING?
In 2017 I received a New Zealand Film Commission’s Talent Development Grant, which enabled me to spend 8 weeks at the New York Film Academy developing my first feature screenplay, EXHALE.
In 2019 I received the New Zealand Film Commission grant Catalyst He Kauahi to create GREEN and develop feature project EXHALE.
In 2020 I was selected for the Directors and Editors Guild of New Zealand Emerging Women Filmmakers Incubator and a Nominee for the 2020 Women in Film and Television Awards for Outstanding Newcomer.
Current projects include feature films EXHALE and SICK.
READ NZ “CANVAS” INTERVIEW HERE: LIGHTING UP THE SCREEN