Director.

Writer.

Producer.

Gem Little is a Los Angeles-based writer, director, and producer from the Midwest, so naturally, humor and dread coexist in her work. Her stories are intimate and domestic, with an apocalyptic imagination. In her work, home and family are both the monster and the shelter.

Her sophomore short as writer-director, ON THE TABLE, a comedy-thriller, makes its premiere this summer at the Oscar-qualifying LA Shorts International Film Festival. Her social-impact horror short PENS & PENCILS, which she wrote and created after earning a $25,000 grant to develop her own work, earned an HBO Short Award and an NAACP Image Award nomination and streams on HBO Max. Her work has screened at Tribeca, ABFF, Urbanworld, the Toronto Black Film Festival, and many others.

Gem is currently developing her directorial feature debut, THE TURTLE TOOK THE WATER, and two shorts, COWARDS and THE MULE.

In television, Gem has worked alongside Patrick Somerville as Showrunner's and Writers' Assistant on HBO's GLASS HOTEL and UNFOLLOW, and his forthcoming Amazon series WOLFENSTEIN.

Before filmmaking, Gem moved to LA to work as a city planner on the homelessness crisis, and built a program that taught currently and formerly incarcerated people to start their own businesses — then helped them do it, with coaching and microfinancing. The same eye runs through her films: people surviving inside the systems built to contain them.

An alumna of Film Independent's Global Media Makers and the Athena Film Festival Writers Lab, Gem holds an MFA in Producing from AFI, an MA in Urban Planning, and a BA in Journalism and PR, because she really believes in student loan debt.

Contact: astoldbygem@gmail.com

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Black background with white laurels and text indicating the 2026 official selection of the Atlanta, Georgia film festival.
Black poster with white text and laurel wreath design, promoting the LA Shorts International Film Festival 2026.
A black and white award badge with a laurel wreath border, reading 'Official Selection Indie Shorts Awards Cannes 2022'.
Black and white award badge with laurel leaves border, featuring text 'Official Selection Toronto Black Film Festival 2023'.
Black and white graphic with text and laurel wreath borders, announcing the official selection of the American Black Film Festival 2022.
A black and white seal or badge with laurel branches on either side, displaying the text "Official Selection NewFilmmakers Los Angeles 2022".
A black and white graphic badge with laurel branches around the text, stating 'Official Selection Urbanworld Film Festival 2022'.
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Award badge for the 54th NAACP Image Awards, featuring a silver figure kneeling and holding a globe with the word 'NOMINEE' at the top and bottom.
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