Julie Zhu
Born in Xi’an, China and raised in Tāmaki Makaurau, Julie Zhu is a filmmaker and storyteller committed to championing marginalised voices and stories. She has created both scripted and documentary content for a range of platforms including Whakaata Māori, The Spinoff, TVNZ+, and RNZ. Julie co-directed the podcast and docu-series Conversations With My Immigrant Parents for RNZ. She also directed the observational documentary series Takeout Kids for The Spinoff, winning Best Director at NZ WebFest 2022. She was one of the directors on the anthology feature film Kāinga. Her short film Lǎo Lao Lǎo Le won her Best Director and Best NZ Film at Show Me Shorts 2023 and Best Short Film at the Melbourne Women in Film Festival 2025. She also won Best Director for the 48 Hours filmmaking competition in 2024 with Monster State. Julie joins us at the Marlborough Book Festival 2025 in the role of guest speaker and session chair.
2025 festival sessions
Amplifying New Voices
Julie Zhu and Saraid de Silva in conversation with Courtney Clark Michaels
2.30pm-3.30pm, Sunday 20 July, Anderson Theatre, ASB Theatre Marlborough, $25
Join storytellers Julie Zhu and Saraid de Silva as they share stories from their acclaimed audio and video series, Conversations With My Immigrant Parents, produced for Radio New Zealand. In this series, Julie and Saraid share stories which centre the voices of tauiwi. This series brought parents and children together in deeply personal conversations about love, food, identity, ancestry, and the immigrant experience in Aotearoa. Julie and Saraid will reflect on the stories behind the podcast, their creative partnership, and their ongoing work to elevate underrepresented voices through storytelling.
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