photo by: Jannio Vera Cardozo
elena gaby
Elena Gaby is a Peabody-winning producer and documentary director whose work explores the intersection of human resilience, social justice, and historical reckoning. She received a Peabody Award for the National Geographic series Photographer, created with Academy Award winners Jimmy Chin and Chai Vasarhelyi and Emmy-winning showrunner Pagan Harleman.
The latest documentary feature she produced, Jane Elliott Against the World, will have its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival 2026. It's the second film she's produced for Emmy-winning director, Judd Ehrlich. The first, The Price of Freedom, examines the NRA’s evolution into a political force and features interviews with President Bill Clinton, Congresswoman Lucy McBath, Senator Chris Murphy, and Gabby Giffords, among others. It premiered at Tribeca in 2021, earned a 100% Rotten Tomatoes rating, and was acquired by CNN Films.
Elena made her feature directorial debut with I AM HUMAN in 2019 (co-directed by Taryn Southern), following three of the world’s first humans to implant brain–computer interfaces. The Tribeca-premiering film won multiple awards, including Best Director at the Oslo Film Festival, and was praised by Wired, The Verge, The Big Think, and Forbes.
Elena's storytelling is shaped by her background as a tri-lingual, first-generation Brazilian-American New Yorker. She has twice spoken at the Conference on World Affairs in Boulder, CO.
In 2024, Elena became a mother and began sharing short personal nonfiction stories on Instagram (@elenagaby_) to connect with other parents. This exploration of new mediums led to her role as video producer for Humans of New York’s Dear New York artistic takeover of Grand Central Terminal in 2025.
Elena also co-founded Las Casiticas, a mural covered vacation rental in Uvita, Costa Rica, with her husband and family.
She began filmmaking at Vassar College, where her short documentary following four undocumented students won "Best Student Documentary" at Cannes. She rose in the industry working for Morgan Spurlock and the incredible creative team at Warrior Poets in the mid-2010s.
Elena lives in Jackson Heights, Queens — considered the most diverse neighborhood in the world — with her daughter, Diana, her husband, Kenneth, and their cat, Missy. As a family, they speak English, Portuguese, and Spanish.
DIRECTOR STATEMENT
I direct films that inspire resilience and deepen understanding. Through human-centered storytelling, I aim to open the door to complex ideas in ways that feel personal and accessible. I am most inspired by the people closest to me—especially my family—whose stories, struggles, and joys continually shape the way I see and portray the world. I have been documenting my family in Brazil since I was a teenager, and that lifelong practice continues to guide my approach to filmmaking today.