Elise Coker is a documentary filmmaker, journalist and visual artist based in New York City.

Elise has directed documentary projects for Netflix, Topic Studios, VICE Media, NBC News, Al Jazeera, PBS, and The New York Times. Her work takes a character-driven and observational approach to documentary, with a focus on examining where ideology, tradition, and modern society intersect with human nature. Her short film STALLIONS OF PALESTINE (Topic Studios) premiered at Palm Springs International ShortFest and was a SIMA finalist in 2019 and is currently available to watch on Apple TV and Amazon Prime. Her video work for The New York Times won an Award for Excellence in Global Video Reporting from the Society of Publishers in Asia in 2022. She directed and worked on numerous short documentaries for NBC News, recognized by OPC of America and POYi. She worked as a cinematographer and editor on the Emmy Award-winning short documentary UNSAFE PASSAGE for The Guardian/Outlaw Ocean Project in 2021. Elise previously worked as a producer and editor at VICE Media, directing, editing and shooting numerous award-winning longform documentaries and series. She graduated with a B.A. in Media Studies from Pomona College in California.

As a visual artist, Elise’s paintings examine humanity’s marks of industry, infrastructure, technology and conflict interwoven into the context of the natural world, exploring the juxtaposition of brutality and transcendence. Elise’s visual art is informed deeply by her documentary work and the environments she encounters, painting often from her own footage.