A chance encounter with a teenage Lothario who thought she was still in high school inspired Zoë Eisenberg to begin writing her solo directorial debut, Chaperone, which premiered at the 2024 Slamdance Film Festival and won the Breakouts Grand Jury Prize. “When I was 29, a 17-year-old boy mistook me for a teenager and asked…
Zoë Eisenberg is winning praise for two works released early this year. In her debut novel, Significant Others, Hawai‘i Island writer Zoë Eisenberg explores the complexities of female friendship and how it shifts over time and circumstances. The book, published in early February by HarperCollins, has generated early buzz, with Kirkus Reviews describing it as…
A new indie film that takes place on Hawaiʻi Island’s east side has been selected to participate in this year’s Hawaiʻi International Film Festival. “Chaperone” was written and directed by Hawaiʻi Island resident Zoë Eisenberg. The film, shot in Hilo, is about 29-year-old Misha, a woman without much ambition. She starts a relationship with high…
The hot magma chamber of creativity bubbling up on the slopes of Mauna Kea has given us many rich and enchanting voices. Recent novels from Jasmin ‘Iolani Hakes and Kaui Strong Washburn arrived on a solid foundation laid by Juliet Kono, Kiana Davenport and Mark Panek. Now Zoë Eisenberg enters the mix with a significant…
The Author of “Significant Others” and “The Other Significant Others” in Conversation. Novelist Zoë Eisenberg and journalist-turned-author Rhaina Cohen have something in common: they both published books about extraordinarily intimate friendships. Their debut books published in February of this year with strikingly similar titles—Significant Others (Eisenberg) and The Other Significant Others (Cohen). They talk about…
Zoë Eisenberg, writer and director of ‘Chaperone,’ joins actors Mitzi Akaha and Krista Alvarez on Hawai‘i News Now Sunrise to discuss her directorial debut and its Hawai‘i International Film Festival premiere.