Bio : Erika Burke Rossa

Erika Burke Rossa is a writer, director, producer, and actor. Born to a Moroccan Jewish mother and Irish Catholic American father, and raised in Hong Kong and Taiwan, her multicultural and multi-faith upbringing shaped her commitment to stories that reflect the world in all its complexity. She is a Juilliard-trained dancer with a BFA in Drama from NYU Tisch and a Masters in Social Work from NYU Silver School of Social Work. Erika founded the production company Rainbow Goat in 2022, with which she has several projects in development, including a recently acquired book option for which she will pen the screenplay and direct, and a feature film about Third Culture Kids based on her own life growing up in Taipei, Taiwan in the 1980s. Her short film The Happily Ever After won the Audience Award at the NYLA International Film Festival and was part of the Cannes Film Festival Short Film Corner. She has also directed for the stage, most recently helming Sarah DeLappe's Pulitzer Prize-finalist play The Wolves at the Piven Theater with young actors from the Actors Training Center, where she coached and mentored young performers. Erika has also volunteered with Have Dreams, supporting children on the Autism spectrum. Her feature film directorial debut, Rain Reign, is adapted from Newbery Honor-winning author Ann M. Martin's novel, for which Erika also wrote the screenplay. Produced by Rainbow Goat, With a Twist, and Long Odds, in association with City Hill Arts and Ley Line Entertainment, the film stars Paul Rudd, Jeremy Sisto, and Felice Kakaletris.