Aliza Brugger is a Nebraska-born, Los Angeles-based filmmaker with an MFA from Columbia University in screenwriting/directing.

​

Their feature-length drama At Mother’s Knee was developed at the 2025 Hamptons Screenwriting Lab with mentorship from Justin Kuritzkes, Rachel Shukert, and Dan Janvey. The script was also workshopped during the 2025 Athena labs, was a semi-finalist in the 2025 Nantucket Film Festival Tony Cox Screenplay Competition, a Top Ten Finalist for the 2026 Cinequest Screenwriting Competition and a finalist for the Missouri Stories Scriptwriting Fellowship.

​

Aliza is currently directing the feature-length documentary A Little Gay on the Prairie which follows the lives of queer folks finding home and happiness in rural USA. Their short films have screened at festivals including Torino, PÖFF Tallinn Black Nights, Outfest, and Female Eye Festival where "Ain't No Mercy for Rabbits" won Best International Short Film.

​

They are most satisfied when exploring themes of rural identity, queerness, and working-class survival. Their goal as a filmmaker is to create empathy and connection.​