about
Erik Ljung is a two-time Emmy Award–winning Director of Photography and Director based in the Midwest. His debut feature documentary, The Blood is at the Doorstep, premiered at the 2017 SXSW Film Festival and was named a Critics’ Pick by The Hollywood Reporter.
With a background in directing, Erik brings a story-first approach to his cinematography—crafting visuals that deepen narrative and character with intention and nuance. He moves seamlessly between large-scale commercial productions and intimate documentary work, always grounded in authenticity.
Erik has collaborated with leading global brands and agencies to create award-winning campaigns, including a Cannes Titanium Lion–winning project for Boost Mobile, and has earned two Emmy Awards for his work with The New York Times.
A former Nohl Fellow and three-time recipient of the Brico Forward Fund, Erik was also named a 2020 Creative Capital finalist, recognizing his multidisciplinary visual art practice.
When he’s not behind the camera, you’ll likely find him logging long miles on a run, hitting the gym, rollerskating, dancing to techno into the early morning, or recovering from it all at the local schvitz.
contact: erik@erikljung.tv
Skills
FAA Certified Drone Pilot
Gimbal Operator
Rollerskate / Ice Skate Camera Op
Verité Doc Coverage
Stylized Interview Set-Ups
Remote / Zoom set up
Honors
2026 Peabody Award - News - “Immigration Crackdown” PBS News Hour
2026 Emmy Nomination News & Doc - Outstanding News Discussion & Analysis - “We Followed the Rules, ICE Jailed Us Anyway” - New York Times Opinion Video
2023-2026- SXSW Screener - Documentary Shorts
2025 Emmy Nomination News & Doc - Editorial & Opinion Video - “How Tennessee Keeps Nearly Half a Million People From Voting” - New York Times Opinion Video
2024 Emmy Nomination - VICE News - The Hidden Chemicals Destroying American Farms - Outstanding Climate, Environment, and Weather Reporting
2023 Creative Futures Mentor
2022, 2023 - Emmy Judge for National News & Documentary (Cinematography Category) - National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
2022 Emmy Nomination - Al Jazeera Fault Lines: Buried Truths:America’s Indigenous Boarding Schools - Outstanding Hard News Feature: Long Form
2022 SXSW Audience Award for Documentary Spotlight - “We Are Not Ghouls” (credit: DP, Directed by Chris James Thompson)
2022 NPPA Best Documentary of the Year - Runner-Up - The New York Times Visual Investigations: A Fatal Night in Kenosha - How The Rittenhouse Shootings Unfolded
2022 duPont-Columbia Awards Finalist for The New York Times - “Visual Investigations: How the Police Killed Breonna Taylor”
2021 Soho House x Creative Futures Collective Mentorship Program - Mentor
2021 Emmy News & Documentary Award Winner (2) for The New York Times - “Visual Investigations: How the Police Killed Breonna Taylor” - Outstanding Long Feature in a Newscast & Best Story in a Newscast
2021 Video Consortium Sony Mentorship Program - Mentor
2020 Emmy’s News & Documentary Nominations (2) for Al Jazeera’s Fault Lines - “In Bad Faith” - Outstanding Investigative Reporting in a Newsmagazine, Best Story in a Newsmagazine
2020 - Vimeo Staff Pick Short Film - Mothers For Justice
2020 - Vimeo Staff Pick - The Blood is at the Doorstep (limited release)
2020 - Creative Capital Finalist>>
Recent clients
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2019 - Gary International Black Film Festival - Audience Award: Best Documentary Feature
2019 - Milwaukee Press Club Award: Best Documentary - The Blood is at the Doorstep
2018 - Milwaukee Film Brico Forward Fund Recipient
2018 - Salem Film Festival - Michael Sullivan FRONTLINE Award for Journalism in a Documentary
2018 - Wisconsin Film Festival - Golden Badger Award
2018 - Beloit Film Festival - Best Feature Documentary - The Blood is at the Doorstep
2017 - Indie Memphis Film Festival - Ron Tibbett Award for Excellence in Filmmaking
2017 - Milwaukee Film Festival - Allan H. (Bud) and Suzanne L. Selig Audience Award Winner for Best Feature Film (The Blood is at the Doorstep)
2017 - Monmouth Film Festival - Best Documentary (The Blood is at the Doorstep) / Destiny City Film Festival - Excellence in Documentary Storytelling
2017 - Boost Mobile campaign wins Cannes' Titanium Lion - Adweek
2016 - Brico Forward Fund Recipient - Milwaukee Film Festival
2016 - Midwest Emmy - Outstanding Achievement for Magazine Programming - Co-Producer - Wisconsin Foodie
2016 - Milwaukee Film Festival - Competition Documentary Juror
2016 - Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival - Mothers For Justice (short) - "Best of Fest" - Special Jury Recognition
2016 - Nohl Suitcase Fund Award
2015 - Brico Forward Fund Recipient - Milwaukee Film Festival read >>
2015 - Driftless Film Festival - Student Shorts Competition Juror
2014 - Mary L. Nohl Fellowship for Emerging Artists more >>
2013 - Milwaukee Film Collaborative Cinema Mentor
2011 - Coalition of Photographic Arts (CoPA) - Artist Incentive Award
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4/26/21 - Creative Capital - “On Our Radar” read >>
3/10/21 - Indiewire - Best True Crime Documentaries to Stream on Amazon, Hulu, and HBO Max - read >>
5/18/18 - Wisconsin Public Television - Directors Cut Interview - watch >>
2/1/18 - Human Rights Watch Film Festival includes look at 2014 fatal police shooting - San Diego Union-Tribune read >>
2/1/18 - San Diego NPR KPBS Interview - listen >>
11/15/17 - Milwaukee Filmmaker Opens Up about Hidden Connection to Film - 88NINE Radio Milwaukee listen >>
9/28/17 - Dontre Hamilton Documentary Comes Home to Milwaukee - NPR WUWM listen >>
9/28/17 - Whose Story? Five Doc Makers on (avoiding) Extractive Filmmaking - IDA: Documentary Magazine read >>
8/25/17 - Going Hyperlocal, Filmmakers Explore the Pain of Racism - The New York Times read >>
8/22/17 - Conversation: How Has Milwaukee's Film Scene Evolved? - Milwaukee Magazine read >>
6/17/17 - Inside the Milwaukee Made Documentary about Dontre Hamilton - Milwaukee Magazine read >>
6/8/17 - From Race to Resistance to Refugees: The 28th Human Rights Watch Film Festival - Filmmaker Magazine read >>
3/21/17 - 'The Blood Is At The Doorstep': When Your Film Becomes Your Life - No Film School read >>
3/17/17 - Critics' Picks: The Best of SXSW 2017 - The Hollywood Reporter read >>
3/13/17 - SXSW Review: The Fight for Black Lives Matter gets personal in The Blood is at the Doorstep - Shadow & Act read >>
12/25/15 - Nohl Fellowship artists probe how Milwaukeeans define their community - Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel read >>
12/7/15 - Santa Rosa Junior College Stories - Erik Ljung read >>
11/10/15 - Shepherd Express - From Social Commentary to Inner Reality read >>
10/6/15 - Journal Sentinel - "Mothers for Justice,' short film on Maria Hamilton, wins top cash prize" read >>
10/2/15 - FOX 6 “It’s about the Michael Bell Law:” Producers film shines light on use of police force watch >>
5/8/15 - Milwaukee artists documenting Million Moms March, related activism read>>
4/8/15 - Covering a Tragedy - Milwaukee Magazine read >>
3/19/15 - Milwaukee filmmaker Erik Ljung produces Dontre Hamilton video for New York Times - Milwaukee Record - read >>
3/18/15 - New York Times documentary explores Dontre Hamilton case - Journal-Sentinel read >>
10/31/14 - Mary Nohl Fellowship winners announced - Journal-Sentinel read >>
10/10/14 - 10 Standout Moments from The 2014 Milwaukee Film Festival - Milwaukee Record read >>
1/1/13 - M: Milwaukee’s Lifestyle Magazine - “Sydney HiH’s Last Hurrah” pg. 32 - January 2013
6/18/11 - Photo exhibit revels in the bygone hues of Kodachrome - Journal-Sentinel read >>
5/13/11 - The Death of Kodachrome - Urban Milwaukee read >>
1/21/11 - Couple takes photographic road trip to get last of dying film developed - onmilwaukee.com read >>
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“The Great Experiment” - 2026 (True/False Film Festival, CPH:DOX) - Cinematographer
“Voces Latino Vote 2024” (PBS) - 2024 - Cinematographer
Candace Parker Unapologetic Documentary (ESPN) - 2023 - Cinematographer
“Join or Die” - 2023 (SXSW, feature doc in competition) - Camera Operator
“We Are Not Ghouls” - 2022 - (SXSW Audience Award Best Feature Doc, Doc NYC) - Co-Director of Photography
“Messwood” - 2021 (Doc NYC) - Co-Director of Photography
“The Big Squeeze” - 2021 (VICE) - Camera Operator
“The Oil War” - 2020 - DOC NYC - Cinematographer
“Genetic Detective” - ABC - 2019 - Series Cinematographer
“Making a Murderer part 2” - Netflix - 2018 - Director of Photography
"The Blood is at the Doorstep" - 2017 - (SXSW in doc feature competition, Traverse City Film Festival, Maryland International Film Festival, Human Rights Watch Film Festival, Indie Memphis FF, St. Louis International FF, Milwaukee FF, etc) - Director / Producer / Director of Photography
“Fault Lines” - Al Jazeera - Series Director of Photography
“Mysteries at the Museum” - Travel Channel - Cinematographer
"Bronx Gothic" - 2017 - Grasshopper Films, Dir: Andrew Rossi - Cinematographer
"Almost Sunrise" - 2016 - POV, MountainFilm Festival, AFI - Cinematographer
"Mothers For Justice" (16 min) - 2015 - Director
"The 414's" (10 min) - 2015 - Sundance Film Festival, CNN Films - Cinematographer