About

Ellison Martin is a filmmaker from Texas and a current Columbia University student double-majoring in Film & Media Studies and American Studies. Her documentary Don’t Mess with Texas: An Abortion Story won the Grand Prize at the Tribeca Festival in the RFK Human Rights “Speak Truth to Power” competition and the UIL “Nobelity Social Impact Award.” With over 20 short films and training in directing, cinematography, and screenwriting at UCLA and Yale, Martin’s work blends craft with activism, confronting themes of justice, gender, and identity. Rooted in her background as a youth organizer, she continues to develop new narrative shorts at Columbia that harness cinema as a catalyst for empathy and social change.

Instagram: @ellison.film

Contact: elymartingavito@gmail.com