Elena Jean
Elena is an award-winning documentary filmmaker — director, host, shooter, editor and producer — photographer and creative entrepreneur. She's also a co-founder of Coexistence Films, an innovative impact production organization.
Elena's home-base is in Tofino, British Columbia, within the traditional territory of the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation, surrounded by the coastal rainforest and mountains of Vancouver Island. Elena is an avid traveller, runner, surfer, certified diver and skilled creative, with a lively sense of humour, insatiable curiousity and love for adventure.
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Elena studied engineering at Queen’s University from 2013-2017, while pursuing her passions for entrepreneurship, video production, adventure and the environment. She is a 2015 Cansbridge Fellow and founder of multiple impact-focused companies and organizations. In 2016, Elena launched One Species: A brand dedicated to fighting extinction by making “conservation mainstream” through apparel, community and media. Video work for this company led her to the West Coast of Canada, where she met Gloria Pancrazi and began developing Coextinction.
In 2018, Elena produced behind-the-scenes content for SeaLegacy. And in 2019 worked as a cinematographer, content creator and editor for Milkywire, capturing stories of wildlife conservationists on the front lines throughout Africa.
Her feature documentary film, Coextinction, world premiered at Jackson Wild 2021, winning the “Our Human Planet” category, and has screened at Vancouver International Film Festival, Mill Valley Film Festival and other festivals, globally. The film has received multiple awards, including the “Rob Stewart Eco Warrior Award” and “People’s Choice”, and is currently in impact distribution.
In 2021, Elena co-founded Coexistence Films, an impact production organization dedicated to stories about interconnectedness and intelligent, bold action for systemic change. Elena is also working on independent and contracted projects, including a series on women in cold water freediving.
Elena has spoken at numerous events and conferences, and been featured as a filmmaker and activist on news — such as Global News, National Observer, iHeart Radio and CTV among others — and podcasts — such as Their Life Story, Conscious Living Radio and Sierra Youth among others.
Awards &
Distinctions
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2021 Rob Stewart Eco-Warrior Award, Vancouver International Film Festival
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2021 Best Canadian Documentary Nominee, Vancouver International Film Festival
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2021 Winner of Our Human Planet Category, Jackson Wild
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2021 People's Choice Award, Planet In Focus
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2019 Telus Storyhive Documentary Edition Award
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2017 QIC Summer Initiative Accelerator Cohort
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2016 Advancing Canadian Entrepreneurship (ACE) Award
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2015 Cansbridge Fellow
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2013 Chief FREC, Queen's Engineering
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Outstanding Parallel Parking Award, Life
Who I've worked with....
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"It has been a long time since I’ve seen an audience as captivated as Elena’s. By the flow and clarity of her presentation, you would think she has been speaking about the themes within Coextinction over a 20-year career, which only reveals how driven she is to stand for the oceans. She reaches past our eyes and ears, and directly connects our hearts. If you participate in the conversation, you’ll walk away with a new dose of inspiration and hope for this planet."
- Sam Rose Phillips, Filmmaker
