Zoe Bell is an American director, actor and filmmaker based in Los Angeles. Born in San Francisco, she has been creating films as a form of self-expression for her entire life. Beginning with stop-motion shorts shot on her father’s digital camera, she swiftly evolved her craft to create more complex films to screen for her family throughout her adolescence.
In 2019, she graduated from Redwood High School in Larkspur, California and began studying Political Science at the Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at Chapman University. Quickly realizing that one field of study was not enough to thoroughly explore her interests, she applied to add Film Production with an Emphasis in Directing as her second major at the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts between her sophomore and junior year, creating a two-minute short film entirely in her garage (with no budget or dialogue) to submit with her application. She was accepted into the program that fall and began to study the art of film and television, spending her time there creating and directing three more short films and an independently produced and financed television pilot.
In 2020, Zoe came out to her family and friends as a transgender woman. While it took some adjusting, her family was very supportive, assisting in her social and medical transition in any way they could. Ever since, she has been drawn to LGBTQ+ centered and produced projects, contributing her perspective, experiences, and artistic voice to uplift and empower queer voices in an industry where people in her community are historically underrepresented.
While at Dodge, she took on various roles in several student productions, including Production Assistant, Unit Production Manager, Sound Mixer, Sound Designer, Composer, Editor, Cinematographer, Actress/Voice Actress, and Director. She was also a Student Assistant Lead in the Gold Room, the equipment storage facility at the film school, where she collaborated with hundreds of student productions to check out and return the cameras, lights and sound equipment they used to create their film and television projects. Additionally, she worked professionally on multiple commercial sets in the role of Production Assistant, including a Super Bowl ad shot on 35mm film.
In 2024 She graduated from Chapman University with both a B.A. in Political Science and a B.F.A. in Film Production with an Emphasis in Directing. Now, at 22 years old, she continues to contribute to independent projects, bringing the knowledge and experience she gained during her time at Dodge with her into the industry. In her own time, she continues to study the craft of filmmaking, and through her work Zoe aims to uplift queer voices, invigorate audiences and invite discussion about sexuality, gender, the human experience, social and economic justice, and the world around us.
Zoe Bell
