Erika Lobati is a Cameroonian American filmmaker, writer, and vocalist currently based in Philadelphia, PA. She graduated with two BAs in Film and Media Studies and Psychology from the University of Kansas and an MFA in Film and Media Arts from Temple University. Erika infuses her creative writing and performative arts (including slam poetry, music production, and improvisational acting) into her filmmaking and received awards for various works, including Body Paragraphs, Superglue, Rumination X Single Progress, Crashing, and her feature screenplay, Treat Me Well. Despite producing experimental and documentary works, Erika holds a soft spot for narrative comedy. She deeply respects the role of laughter in bringing complex human relationships and social issues to wider audiences. Although she resists boxing herself into a single genre/artistic form, Erika's identities and upbringing will forever fuel her representation of Black women on the page and the screen as she hones her multi-hyphenate craft. 

Filmmaker Statement

After producing a video project for a high school history class, I was left with an everlasting passion and fascination for filmmaking. When it occurred to me that I felt the same way about theatre, music, stand-up, and poetry, I knew I'd never be able to give up one interest. Since then, I've embraced the multi-hyphenate career path with a wholehearted belief that an interdisciplinary process is the path to novelty. The intermingling of artistic forms, the collision of the senses, and the cross-collaboration of multi-media artists ignites my fascination, releasing me from convention and embracing the exploration needed for each new project.