Eric Wang Schwager is a multi-ethnic Director based in Los Angeles. He just wrapped principal photography in Chicago on his first feature film, Dirty Little Secrets, in November, 2024. While at AFI, Eric was the recipient of the prestigious Franklin J. Schaffner Fellow Award and directed two thesis films, Carcass and Lucky Market. Both films premiered at the LA Shorts International Film Festival. Carcass was also chosen for the CAA Moebius Showcase and won Best Student Film at the Hamilton Film Festival, while Lucky Market won a Golden Angel at the Chinese American Film Festival and was a nominee for the ASC Heritage Award.
Eric’s half-hour pilot, Bad Beat, was a Cinequest and Screencraft semifinalist and a top-ten finalist at the Nantucket Film Festival. In the commercial world, Eric was recognized with a Silver Telly Award in the "Craft" category for Roborock’s "Revel in the Mess" and also had pieces for Bank of America and Advance Auto Parts spotlighted for AAPI month. He is also an alum of the AICP Commercial Mentorship Program, working alongside Oliver Fuselier and Great Guns USA. A New Jersey native, Eric holds a BFA from Dartmouth College where he worked as an art gallery attendant and snowboarding instructor.
His films often grapple with themes of systemic disadvantage and exclusion. By distilling each story to its most visual and powerful core, Eric hopes to connect with viewers on a visceral level and encourage them to see themselves and the world around them differently.
CREDITS
2023 AFI Thesis Film
A medieval executioner must choose between survival or redemption after a young boy is sentenced to death.
Chosen for the CAA Moebius Showcase
Winner of Best Student Film and Best Performer in a Short Film at Hamilton Film Festival
2023 AFI Thesis Film
A young-at-heart grocer clings to her past as her son tries to uproot her from the only home she’s ever known.
ASC Heritage Award Nominee
Third Place in “Best Short” Category at Chinese American Film Festival
2019
Short Film Anthology
A series of short films capturing characters confronted with their past through an unexpected meeting.
Part 1: Spark
Part 2: Old House
Part 3: WOODS
2018
Short Film
Bishop, a local panhandler, is the neighborhood showman. He strikes up a conversation with Jeff, who is also an artist but may not quite have the charisma or the know-how. Bishop has never met a stage he does not like and seizes an opportunity to show Jeff a thing or two. But does the tune change when it is Jeff's home turf?
Official Selection: NewFilmmakers Los Angeles, New York Shorts International Film Festival, Manhattan Film Festival, DC Independent Film Festival
2018
Multiple commercials and digital content with over 350,000 cumulative views.
2017
Short Film
Ghost and her body Zombie hunt for food during the last dregs of the apocalypse.
Nominated for Best in Genre at Great Lakes International Film Festival
AT&T Shape Create-A-Thon Finalist