To Be A Modern Witch

Ember Crowley is 21 years old, has earned her BS in Creative Film and Media with her emphasis in Directing in Independent Filmmaking from Northern Arizona University. She is currently in her second year of her Master’s degree for Documentary Studies. While I’m school, she has earned several scholarships, including a scholarship from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, the Bill Close Broadcasting Memorial Scholarship as well as the Janet Schnoor Memorial Scholarship from the Women and Genders studies department. She has spoken at several film festivals in Ireland, France and the U.S. about her experiences as a female director and was invited to share on a local podcast, The Theater Basement.

Ember applied to a director’s workshop that was offered by the Sundance Film Institute where she was required to submit a film treatment, letters of intent and biographical information as well as a resume. Not only was she selected to participate, they also awarded her a scholarship to help cover the fees for the workshop.

Ember was given the opportunity to work as Sound Tech and 2nd Assistant Camera on a film out of Los Angeles called “Devotee”, directed by Sharmila Ray. It gave her the chance to work with new equipment and a crew of film industry professionals where she gained priceless experience as a growing filmmaker. To date, she has been hired to work on several professional film sets including working on a reality TV show as well as several 1st assistant director positions on PSA assignments with prominent companies. For the summer of 2022, she has been hired to teach a class on her college campus about comedic film history.

Her film bio from the time she was 15 years old is already impressive where she has won many awards and official selections in festivals throughout several countries, including Scotland, Ireland, England, Singapore, China, Bhutan, Belgium, India, Sweden, France and Italy as well as several U.S. cities and colleges such as, Los Angeles, New York, Austin, Cameron, Banning, Colorado Springs, Jim Thorpe (PA), Princeton University, Harvard University, Yale University, Phoenix and her beloved Flagstaff. Over the years she has been asked to speak in several different countries about her experiences as a female director.

One of her proudest moments was earlier this year when another one of her films was being screened at The FilmBar in Phoenix, Arizona, a theater that specializes in independent film. The coordinator of the film series informed Ember that whenever one of her films has been chosen to appear on their line-up, people will travel from out of town to watch “an Ember film”. She is already developing a style which is so important with any form of art.

Another proud moment for Ember included the screening of her experimental film at The Arizona Women’s Film Festival. This is the same film that won first place at the Nanjing University of Arts in China. Ember has regularly expressed her frustration with the low percentage of female directors that are still underrepresented, so to have her film screened at The Arizona Women’s Film Festival was an extraordinary honor.

Several years ago, Ember started working as an intern for Maria Campbell for The Flagstaff Mountain Film Festival. Maria has become such an important mentor in Ember’s life as she has become one of her strongest advocates. Mike Frankel at the Film Noir Festival and Reba Stone at the Sedona International Film Festival have also given endless support while she has interned for their festivals.

Since her first year in college, Ember has worked as an intern for Paul Helford. helping facilitate film workshops . The BREDA workshop teaches students from Breda University of Applied Sciences (located in the Netherlands) how to create their own live broadcast, from coming up with an idea for production through fleshing it out and conducting live interviews with subjects on the day of screening. She also works as pre-production assistant for the Andy Harvey Indigenous Youth Media Workshop, which is also held by Paul Helford. This workshop brings 25 Native American high school students from all over Arizona and the Southwest to NAU every summer to learn about broadcasting and journalism.

Ember has been with UTV at NAU since freshman year where she has worked as a manager and now director. She spent nearly a year working as an animator on an extraordinary stop motion film called, “Hiraeth”. During the spring of 2020 she was given the opportunity to direct a thriller, "Skin Deep", and wrote and directed a short documentary, "Heart's Manifesto". Her latest short documentary, “To Be A Modern Witch”, highlights the lives of five different women who practice different forms of witchcraft.

Ember has been nominated for several film awards, including The Jean Luc Godard Award and for Emerging Artist from the Viola Awards and has won numerous awards for best student director, best female filmmaker, best cinematography (student), best film and best thriller short.

Ember completed a short film for Northland Family Help Center that was themed around the Clothesline Project which brings awareness and support for victims of domestic violence. In 2016, Ember made a film that showcased her school which advocated the value of charter school education and submitted it to The Center For Education Reform. She was awarded a $1,000 grant from them which went directly to the film department.

Ember is eager to help raise the low percentage rate of successful women directors and plans to continue to advocate for women in film.