Paxeros signs director Julia Elihu
With a strong focus on documenting life’s small victories, Elihu brings a distinct and magical quality to her narrative short films and branded content.
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Production company Paxeros has recently welcomed Director Julia Elihu to their filmmaking family, making this the very first production house she’s signed with.
Elihu, an up-and-coming Iranian-American director with a background in narrative and docu-style content, joins Paxeros’ roster with a passion to create impactful work and grow as a creative. Upon graduating from Chapman in 2020 with a degree in Film Production, Elihu threw herself into commercial work, building a strong compilation of branded short films. Two great examples of Elihu’s work include her branded spot for LA Linen and her short doc for the performing arts academy Heartbeat.
Elihu’s admiration for her family’s history and her Persian culture are a constant driving source of creative inspiration and she brings her curiosity and appreciation for all cultures into each piece of work that she directs. A great example of this is her gripping short film on assimilation, Yasamin, which was an official selection at the 2018 AFI Film Festival.
“Something I love about film, it’s a combination of so many different art forms and you develop a world with so many diverse and talented people. You create something that's way bigger and better than what you could’ve made yourself,” says Elihu.
A lot of Elihu’s work showcases humanity through a dualistic lens that captures both the bright, dreamy qualities of the world while also acknowledging the rawness of everyday life. This is seen through her Nike Spot, Dear Home, which recently won a “Shiny Pick” Award in March’s Best New Director Signing category. Paxeros is eager to continue fostering Elihu’s growth by bringing her opportunities that will really allow the dynamism of her voice to shine.
Paxeros discovered Elihu when she applied to their inaugural Women of Color Commercial Directing Program. They were immediately drawn to her script and thoughtful treatment and although Julia took 3rd place, they encouraged her to come shadow co-founder Chelsea Bo on a handful of commercial sets. Being the driven young woman that she is, Julia made a point to be available for any opportunity Paxeros presented to her. Eventually, Paxeros gave Elihu her first UGC directing job in which she naturally knocked out of the park.
Signing with the Paxeros Team, Elihu joins a directorial roster consisting of Nate Townsend, Annabel Lee, David Brashear, and co-founder Chelsea Bo - a thematically and aesthetically diverse team to learn from and create with.
“Julia is the definition of “up-and-coming” talent. She earns the respect of her team by leading with kindness and an open mind and her strong understanding of all the departments (both in production and post) make her an extremely well rounded director. Despite being wise beyond her years Julia has an unbound willingness to grow, learn, and improve which is shown through her hungry yet humble demeanor. Julia embodies many of the qualities we look for in a director and we are proud to represent her and to have her represent us,” Chelsea, co-founder of Paxeros, states.
Elihu views her Paxeros signing as an important step in her development as a director. “I really appreciate how they want to help foster my work and help me create at an elevated level,” she says, “I'm excited to just keep making content for them and keep putting all my effort into making something that I’m even more proud of than the last project I’ve finished.”
Looking towards the future, Julia is excited to create both branded content and more narrative pieces. She is currently in post production on Winter of ‘79, a moving short film based on her family’s story of leaving Iran during the revolution.
