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Talkhouse

Ela Thier is a writer-director based in New York City who has been writing screenplays for nearly 40 years, and receiving pass letters for about that long. In carving her own path, she wrote, directed, produced and sometimes performed in her award-winning feature films, Foreign Letters and Tomorrow Ever After. In 2026, she’ll be releasing her new feature film, 109 Billion Followers, a comedy-drama with J.K. Simmons. Her first non-fiction book, <a href="https://theindependentfilmschool.com/book/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://theindependentfilmschool.com/book/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1778263869469000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1ydiAjjwnkiDuDtbiLHvHl">How to Fail as an Artist: My Best Tips</a>, is now available on Amazon and book shops everywhere. She has created numerous award-winning short films, and is the founding director of the <a href="https://theindependentfilmschool.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Independent Film School</a>. When she’s not working, she spends time with her nephew and pretends to be interested in baseball. (Photo by Jess Osber.)

Ela Thier

Film

How Losing $200K and Two Producers Led to My Debut Feature