Erin Persley

Erin Persley is an award winning documentary filmmaker and producer. Her work aims to tell compelling personal journeys that connect disparate communities. Erin’s films include Living Inside Out, exploring prison reentry from the perspective of three women in the San Francisco Bay Area, and Empowering The Yard, which examined an HIV peer education program in an Oklahoma women’s prison. Empowering The Yard was selected to participate in the illustrious 2009 American Documentary Showcase, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and the Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs, where it screened at U.S. Embassies in Kenya and Uganda. As a Producer and Documentary Instructor with Actuality Media, she has worked on documentaries in Nicaragua, Nepal, Morocco, and Cambodia. She produced Bleeding Audio, a music documentary detailing The Matches’ career, defeating break up, and inspiring reunion as they navigate the digital age of music. Bleeding Audio screened at several film festivals including Slamdance Film Festival and won the Audience Award at Dances with Films, San Francisco DocFest and Cinequest Film Festival. She is an Associate of the U.C. Berkeley Investigative Reporting Program and was a 2019 & 2020 SFFILM FilmHouse Resident. She is currently directing Human Shield, a feature film centered on abortion clinic escorts, volunteers, who put their bodies on the line to protect vulnerable patients at three U.S. clinics.