Elise Ahrens is an Emmy-Nominated and Sundance premiering filmmaker and editor. Her directorial debut, Embodied, is a short documentary releasing in 2026. As a New York based editor, she has contributed to the documentary series Bucks County, USA, and feature documentary Loudmouth. Elise is currently editing an indie documentary about glass artist Sydney Cash, executive produced by Mandy Patinkin and Kathryn Grody. She was also a Karen Schmeer Editing Fellow 2023-2024.

Elise discovered her passion for editing as an undergraduate at Emerson College. After moving to Brooklyn, she got her start in broadcast news as an AE and overnight Junior Editor at ABC and NBC before transitioning into documentary.

Her goal is to contribute to compelling storytelling that communicates underrepresented perspectives, splunk through archives, and reframe moments in history with a focus on social justice, the role of art in society, and their expression through interpersonal relationships.

She has also taught BFA editing at New York Film Academy and holds an MA in Biography and Memoir from Graduate Center, CUNY .