Elena Andreicheva is an Academy Award® and BAFTA-winning documentary filmmaker, Ukrainian-born now based in London. She is drawn to big drama at close quarters, exploring global human issues through personal stories. She has produced work on hard-hitting and hard-access topics – incarceration (12-YEAR-OLD LIFER, INSIDE THE GANGSTERS’ CODE), the war on drugs (DRUGS INC.) and human trafficking (SAVING THE CYBERSEX GIRLS). For LEARNING TO SKATEBOARD IN A WARZONE (IF YOU’RE A GIRL), directed by Carol Dysinger, she filmed with girls training to skateboard and striving for an education in Afghanistan despite an oppressive culture. The film won Best Short Documentary at Tribeca Film Festival, an International Documentary Association Award, a BAFTA and Academy Award.
Elena’s films as director have focused on personal odysseys, themes of identity and conflict, reflecting her own immigration journey: an immigrant’s return to his family (Polish Go Home) and a young athlete from Gaza’s coming-of-age (My Life: I’m Like A Fish).