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Zoë Eisenberg on Messy Romances and the Art of Community
For years, Zoë Eisenberg has supported independent filmmaking in her East Hawaiʻi home. Now, a book and feature film debut brings her creative work into the spotlight.
EXCERPT: PIG ISLAND (short story)
The first thing I ever say to her is: I think it is an orgy.
HONOLULU Book Awards Author of the Year
Not many first novelists have the chutzpah and chops to rewrite the rules, but Zoë Eisenberg does just that in her acclaimed novel, which she says “came to me as a breakup story about friends.” Free spirit waiter Ren and hyperefficient real estate agent Jess, former college roommates, share a house and a platonic bed in backwater Hilo. The shock that divides is Ren’s unplanned pregnancy, laying bare their unequal power relations when Jess embraces her inner Mommyboss.
Hawaiʻi International Film Festival 2024: Zoë Eisenberg on Chaperone
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 me out to a party,” Eisenberg recalls. “While I declined, I couldn’t help but wonder: what kind of woman would have gone to that party? From there, the questions grew. What happens when a woman chooses not to pursue career or motherhood, the two narrow avenues society has opened for women to hold space in? And how do you respond if your aspirations consistently disappoint those around you?”
Meet Hawai‘i’s Newest Literary and Film Star, Zoë Eisenberg
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 an “accomplished first novel [that] artfully limns romantic crosscurrents in a thoroughly contemporary setting.” A month earlier, the 35-year-old made her solo directorial and screenwriting debut with the release of Chaperone, which won the Grand Jury Prize for Breakouts Feature at this year’s Slamdance Film Festival, known for launching breakthrough projects. The film tells the story of an unambitious 29-year-old connected to an 18-year-old who mistakes her for a high school student. Chaperone was shot in Hilo and features a predominantly Asian American and Pacific Islander cast.
Sunrise Interview on Hawaii News Now with Zoë, Mitzi Akaha, and Krista Alvarez of Chaperone.
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.