Elaine Epstein

Elaine Epstein is a South African-born documentary filmmaker who splits her time between Brooklyn and Cape Town. Over the past two decades, she’s built a career telling intimate, socially engaged stories that challenge dominant narratives and center underrepresented voices. Her first feature documentary, State of Denial, examined AIDS denialism during South Africa’s Mbeki administration. The film premiered at Sundance, aired on PBS’s POV, and contributed to broader conversations around global health equity and access to treatment. Elaine’s work has explored a wide range of subjects—from reproductive justice and public health to LGBTQ+ activism and community-led resistance—always with an eye toward the personal stories that reveal deeper systemic issues. In 2008, she founded Underdog Films, a creative studio focused on documentaries, branded content, and social impact campaigns. Through Underdog, she has directed and produced content for both nonprofit and commercial clients, blending storytelling and advocacy across platforms. She returned to feature filmmaking with Arrest the Midwife, which premiered at SXSW in 2025. Elaine is currently expanding the film’s reach through an impact campaign focused on reproductive and birth justice, while developing a follow-up project that builds on these themes through a more personal and sharply observational lens.