Biography

Zoey Martinson is an award winning writer/ director in film and theater. Born on the Menominee Nation then lived in Africa, London and the USA has given her work a unique lens into the stories she tells. Her theater company Smoke & Mirrors Collaborative creates work around social justice themes and has toured internationally presenting  and organizing Arts Missions for the United States Consulate General.

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Her feature film debut The Fisherman premiered at Venice Biennale Film Festival, winning UNESCO's Fellini Medal. It then went on to win the Ja'net Dubois Best Feature Narrative at Pan African Film Festival in Los Angeles.  She wrote and directed The Wave for MTV / Paramount+, Incomplete on Hulu's Bite Size Halloween that was nominated for an NAACP Image Award. Her short Cupids was NAACP Image Award-nominated premiered at Tribeca, for their 8:46, airing on BET & CBS moderated by Gayle King. 8:46Films was nominated for an NAACP Image Award 2022. Directed season 2 episodes 1-6 of Ziwe for A24 on Showtime, TV Movie Uthandiwe for South Africa’s DSTV MzansiMagic, Directed an episode of Disney Discovers Talent for ABC Disney, Writer for season 2 of Betty, HBO Max. Her award winning short film ‘La Oposición’ played at Casa Mexico Program SXSW 2019, distributed by Aspire TV. Her short film The Fisherman won awards and streamed on HBO Max.  

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One of the 10 Female directing finalist featured on Issa Rea’s Project Greenlight on Max. Warner Brothers Discovery Director fellow 2023/24. She is a recipient of the Rauschenberg Artist as Activist Fellowship, DGF Fellow and Virginia B. Toulmin Women Playwright Commission Award. Her work has won Diversity at Cannes 2020, been nominated for Amnesty International Freedom of Expression Award, African Movie Academy Award and published in five anthologies. She was named one of the 18 Women Making Black History by popsugar.com and listed as an artist to watch by American Theater Magazine.

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She got her start in theater as a commedia dell'arte street performer around Europe and directing at UCB (Uprights Citizens Brigade) in NYC. Her play Olityelwe won the NYCFringe award for best play and ran off broadway 59E59 Street Theater, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, then toured to South Africa and the UK. Skype Duet won the 100 Grand award at HAU2 Theater, Berlin then toured Europe and Australia. Her play The Alien Nation was workshopped at Lincoln Center Education and BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music). Directed the world premiere of Gutting by Jeremy Kamps at the National Black Theater / Company Cypher. Created/Directed interactive  #HashtagProject at the Transmediale Festival in Berlin. Her musical Dreamer commissioned by The Kennedy Center, workshopped at South African State Theater.  Director/ Creator of immersive Off Broadway show The Black History Museum...  According to the United States of America that premiered fall 2019 at HERE.

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Published in five anthologies. Named one of the 18 Women Making Black History by Popsugar.com

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