Elza Gauja is an award-winning Latvian director, screenwriter and actress, and a PhD candidate in film studies. She studied film directing and acting at the Latvian Academy of Culture. Her films include A Postcard from Rome (2024), Keep Smiling, Mom! (2022), and the documentary Meanwhile in Lucavsala (2022). Her work blends dark humour with intimate deeply emotionally grounded storytelling and a close observation of human relationships. She is currently working on her third fiction feature film.