13/03/2025 - The Romanian producer discusses encouraging people to engage more deeply with the world, finding audiences for her films and her upcoming projects

Elena Martin holds a BA in screenwriting and an MA in film production. Since 2019, she has worked at Manifest Film and co-founded Filmways in 2021. She has contributed to projects like Radu Ciorniciuc's Acasă, My Home [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Radu Ciorniciuc
film profile], premiering at Sundance; Vlad Petri's Between Revolutions [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Vlad Petri
film profile], premiering at the 2023 Berlinale Forum, Lina Vdovîi's and Radu Ciorniciuc's Tata [+see also:
film review
interview: Lina Vdovîi, Radu Ciorniciuc
film profile], premiering at Toronto 2024. Elena develops and produces feature films, series, and short films in both documentary and fiction genres. An interview with her now selected for the 2025 Emerging Producers programme (read her EP profile here).

Why do you produce documentaries? Do you see documentary cinema as an instrument of social and political change?
Elena Martin: I produce documentaries because they require me to stay present and offer a way to engage with the world that feels meaningful. I’ve always been drawn to stories that reveal something unexpected, challenge perspectives, are difficult to talk about, or help us understand realities different from our own. Documentary filmmaking allows me to do that in a way that is both creative and deeply connected to real people and histories. I do see documentary cinema as an instrument of social and political change, but not in a direct way. I believe in change at a personal level – individual shifts in perspective, the small changes that can ripple into a collective impact. Witnessing otherness is powerful, and I believe it encourages people to engage more deeply with the world. For me, documentary is the most compelling form to achieve this. I love how this form holds vast possibilities for creative expression, how it lingers, and how it might, even in a small way, contribute to future change. And that, to me, is truly powerful.

How do you achieve and maintain work-life balance and foster overall well-being?
I try to play as much as I can. I love board games and having people over, setting up a table full of food, and our favorite drinks. I also like discovering new places and new types of food – I have a group of friends, and we regularly go out to try new restaurants together. Friends are a big part of what keeps me grounded. But I wouldn’t call myself a balanced person. When I’m passionate about something, I dive in completely until it makes sense to me. I thrive on my professional accomplishments; it took me a while to decide on this profession, and as contradictory as it is, it makes me happy. And while we live in a time that emphasizes balance and well-being, the reality is that most of us are overworked, burned out, and in some form of denial. I’d rather embrace the chaos than pretend this job can be done in a perfectly balanced way. I haven’t met anyone who’s figured it out yet – if you have, you have my email. And yes, I do sports, I have a gym membership, and yes – I should probably go more often than I do.

Where do you find audiences for your films?
The largest audience comes from film festivals and streaming platforms. Festivals remain a key space for reaching cinemagoers, while streaming expands accessibility. HBO Max, a longtime partner, is the co-producer for Tata, which will premiere in cinemas this autumn before launching on the platform. Many of the documentaries we produce are international co-productions, which means they also benefit from audiences in the partner countries. This helps broaden the reach of our films beyond a single market, making them accessible to a wider audience. However, most of our projects primarily find their viewership within the international festival circuit.

What projects do you have underway (including fiction films and other projects)?
I’m currently working on several projects, both documentaries and fiction, at different stages of production.

A Summer of Nothing, directed by Alina Manolache, has just completed grading and is now looking for its world premiere. Tooth and Nail, documentary directed by Mihai Gavril Dragolea and Radu Mocanu, is set to have its world premiere in May. Something Familiar, a personal and creative documentary directed by Rachel Close is steadily advancing into post-production aiming for release in 2026, and we are looking for a sales agent. We are also developing a documentary series, Not in the Business of Making Friends, directed by Monica Lăzurean-Gorgan, a project that continues our exploration of social and political themes. We are in late developing with a daring, creative documentary about a Romanian singer called A Hopeful History of Mihaela Runceau, directed by Gabriel Sandu that is co-developed with HBO Max. On the fiction side, we are also developing a fiction feature film, Forgot, directed by Gabriel Sandu, which we hope will make audiences fall in love with our charismatic protagonist just as much as we did on paper. Tata, directed by Lina Vdovîi and Radu Ciorniciuc, premiered at the 2024 Toronto Film Festival and continues its festival journey, and this year will have its cinema premiere, as well as Bright Future, which premiered at the 2024 IDFA, directed by Andra MacMasters, and continues its festival distribution. Lesia Diak’s documentary Dad’s Lullaby [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] had a recent screening at Doc Fortnight, MoMA on 20 February and 6 March, as well as the short documentary Blue, directed by Ana Vîjdea, on 1 and 3 March.

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EMERGING PRODUCERS is a leading promotional and educational project, which brings together talented European documentary film producers. The programme is organised and curated by the Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival.

Deadline for applications to the EMERGING PRODUCERS 2026 edition is 31 March 2025.