Ella Mae Greenwood (born 30 April 2001) is an English filmmaker, actress, writer, and activist. An ambassador for Stem4, she is the director of the mental health-focused company Broken Flames Productions. She earned critical acclaim for her short film ''Faulty Roots''. She appeared on the 2021 ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...

'' 30 Under 30 list.

Early life

Greenwood was born and raised in

North London North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames and the City of London. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshi ...

, and was homeschooled from the age of 13. She received acting training at the

National Youth Theatre The National Youth Theatre of Great Britain (NYT) is a youth theatre and charity in London, created with the aim of developing young people's artistic skills via theatrical productions and other creative endeavours. Founded in 1956 as the world ...

Career

Greenwood began acting at a young age, signing with an agent as a child. She was the lead character in the films ''Before Nightfall'' and ''In Front of You''. At 18, Greenwood wrote, directed and produced her first short film ''Faulty Roots'' about mental health in teens. ''Faulty Roots'' screened at film festivals such as

BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

accredited Bolton International Film Festival, Busan International Kids & Youth Film Festival, and

Tallgrass Film Festival The Tallgrass Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Wichita, Kansas, specializing in independent films. It was founded in 2003 by Timothy Gruver. Gruver was raised in Wichita. He studied filmmaking at Brigham Young University. After ...

, where it won an award. It was given five stars by ''The Fan Carpet'', with UK Film Review calling it 'a rather powerful little story, told with care and genuine affection for its characters'. After it was announced that ''Faulty Roots'' was being developed into a feature film, Melanie Walters and Kayleigh-Paige Rees were cast as the leads. Greenwood's first animation ''Dreary Days'' had its premiere at Enimation Film Festival. She has an upcoming film about mental health ''Self-Charm'', co-produced with Tallulah Films and starring

Bukky Bakray Bukky Bakray (born 2002) is a British actress and writer. She is known for her debut role in the film ''Rocks'' (2019). At 18, she became the youngest BAFTA Rising Star Award recipient as well as one of the youngest Best Actress in a Leading Role ...

. She was awarded Positive Female Role Model of the Year at the Darkus Magazine 2020 Awards.

Artistry

Greenwood stated in an interview that one of her favourite directors is Mike Flanagan as she's a huge fan of horror films. She was featured by ''Huffington Post'' in an article about the rise in behind-the-camera exploration for a generation of actors.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Greenwood, Ella Living people 2001 births 21st-century English actresses Actresses from London English actresses English film actresses English film directors National Youth Theatre members Mental health activists Actors from the London Borough of Enfield English filmmakers People from Enfield, London