Emily Hagins

Creator Context

Summary

Emily Hagins is an Austin-born writer-director who began making feature films as a child with Pathogen, later directing My Sucky Teen Romance, Grow Up, Tony Phillips, Coin Heist, Sorry About the Demon, and other genre projects. Her career is centered on independent horror and comedy, but she has repeatedly addressed gender representation and the barriers facing women in filmmaking. Hagins has discussed being underestimated as a young female director, the difficulty women face in genre film, and the importance of festivals and the industry creating space for diverse voices. She has also pushed back against the idea that women should only write female protagonists, arguing that writers should be able to tell stories about characters of any gender while treating those perspectives seriously. Her record reflects a sustained representation-conscious professional outlook, especially around women behind the camera, though her films are generally genre-driven rather than overtly activist.