Eli Despres

Eli Despres, ACE, created and directed the acclaimed Showtime series Couples Therapy with partners Josh Kriegman & Elyse Steinberg. He co-wrote and edited 'Weiner' (winner of the 2016 Sundance Grand Jury Prize, BAFTA nominee & shortlisted for the Academy Awards, 97% 'Fresh' at rottentomatoes.com). Despres co-wrote and edited 'Blackfish' (BAFTA nominee & shortlisted for the Academy Awards, 98% 'Fresh' at rottentomatoes.com), which was viewed by over 21 million people in the US alone, has catalyzed state and federal legislation. His other writing and editing credits include 'Red Army' (Cannes 2014, Sony Pictures Classics 97% 'Fresh' at rottentomatoes.com), 'They Call Us Monsters' (PBS), the Emmy-winning investigative journalism series 'Exposé' (PBS), feature documentary 'City Lax' (ESPN), short documentary 'At Risk' (ACAP) and the fiction feature 'Wilderness Survival for Girls' (ContentFilm/Image Entertainment), which he also directed. The Hollywood Reporter described his work as "Shattering... Eli Despres edits with propulsive narrative drive." Eli was nominated for the American Cinema Editors' Documentary award in 2014 and 2017. He is an active member of the American Cinema Editors (ACE) and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

Works

Couples Therapy

Far from reality-show caricatures, this is true documentary filmmaking that brings viewers into the authentic and visceral experience of weekly therapy with four couples. World-class therapist Dr. Orna Guralnik deftly guides the couples through the minefield of honest confrontation with each other and with themselves, revealing the real-life struggles — and extraordinary breakthroughs — typically hidden behind closed doors.

Release Date2019-09-06

DepartmentCreator

JobCreator

Vote Count15

Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show

Follow the personal life of Jerrod Carmichael, through his encounters with friends, family, and strangers, all in his search for love, sex, and connection.

Release Date2024-03-29

DepartmentProduction

JobExecutive Producer

Episode Count8

Vote Count5

Blackfish

Notorious killer whale Tilikum is responsible for the deaths of three individuals, including a top killer whale trainer. Blackfish shows the sometimes devastating consequences of keeping such intelligent and sentient creatures in captivity.

Release Date2013-06-07

DepartmentWriting

JobWriter

Vote Count1138

SPERMWORLD

Three men enter the new wild west of baby making, online forums where sperm donors connect with hopeful parents, but find themselves exchanging more than just genetic material.

Release Date2024-02-29

DepartmentProduction

JobExecutive Producer

Vote Count9

Weiner

Documentary featuring a jaw-dropping, behind-the-scenes look at the attempted comeback of Anthony Weiner in 2013 as he mounts a campaign for New York City mayor in the wake of his sexting scandal. Featuring unfettered access to the candidate and his campaign.

Release Date2016-05-20

DepartmentEditing

JobEditor

Vote Count182

Red Army

A documentary highlighting the Soviet Union's legendary and enigmatic hockey training culture and world-dominating team through the eyes of the team's Captain Slava Fetisov, following his shift from hockey star and celebrated national hero to political enemy.

Release Date2014-08-13

DepartmentEditing

JobEditor

Vote Count147

The Fight

Inside the ACLU, five scrappy lawyers battle against the Trump administration’s historic assault on civil liberties - from separating families at the border, to rolling back transgender, reproductive, and voting rights.

Release Date2020-07-31

DepartmentProduction

JobProducer

Vote Count15

They Call Us Monsters

Behind the walls of the Compound, LA’s most violent juvenile offenders await their trials. To their advocates, they’re kids. To the system, they’re adults. To their victims, they’re monsters. Who are they to you?

Release Date2016-06-06

DepartmentEditing

JobEditor

Vote Count20

Wilderness Survival for Girls

Three girls take a pre-college trip to a cabin in the woods. Their night is interrupted by a visitor who, they begin to believe, may have killed a babysitter some years before. An original twist on the teens-in-peril film.

Release Date2004-06-23

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Vote Count16