Alumni Spotlight: Ellie Foumbi '17
The Alumni Spotlight is a place to hear from the School of the Arts alumni community about their journeys as artists and creators.
Ellie Foumbi '17 is an award-winning Cameroonian-American filmmaker whose debut feature, Our Father, the Devil (2021) premiered at the Venice Film Festival. The film went on to win 25 prizes at international film festivals, including the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature at the Tribeca Film Festival, the Mind the Gap Award at Mill Valley and a Special Jury Mention at the Palm Spring International Film Festival. It also went on to be nominated for Best Feature at the 2023 Independent Spirit Awards. She's a BAFTA Breakthrough USA Fellow and was named one of 25 New Faces of Independent Film by Filmmaker Magazine. Foumbi's projects have been supported by The Gotham, Film Independent, the Tribeca Film Institute, SFFILM Rainin Grant, and the Venice Biennale College. Her stories often explore pressing social-political issues within the African diaspora through a genre lens, aiming to shine a light on marginalized populations whose voices are seldom heard or included.
Was there a specific faculty member or peer who especially inspired you while at the School of the Arts? If so, who and how?
There were many faculty members who supported me during my time at the School of the Arts, but two were really key in my development as a director. The first was Craig Zobel who took a lot of time to advise me outside of class and really encouraged me to follow my gut. He also gave me amazing career advice that changed the course of my trajectory when I left school. The second faculty member is Professor Tom Kalin, who taught me how to prepare as a director. I still rely on the preparation techniques I learned in his class in my work.
How did attending the School of the Arts impact your work and career as an artist?
It gave me the confidence to step into my power and deepened my love of filmmaking. I became a stronger writer because of the amazing screenwriting faculty I learned from. I was also able to do a directing exchange at La Fémis in my thesis year, where I wrote and directed a short film. This experience was a game changer for me and directly impacted my decision to shoot my first feature in France.
What advice would you give to recent graduates?
Be prepared to make sacrifices. You must be disciplined and create your own structure once you leave school. Otherwise, it's easy to get caught up between life and your survival job(s). Make a plan but stay flexible because life always throws you curveballs. So, if you don't get into a festival or a lab you've been yearning to participate in, try again or try something else. The key is to focus on your growth. If a door closes, knock on others until one opens, and it might be the door that you least expected. This is how I built my resilience. You have to be stubborn in your determination to follow your own path.