Emma Seligman facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Emma Seligman
Seligman speaks to the Boston Jewish Film Festival in 2020
Born	(1995-03-05) March 5, 1995 (age 29) Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Alma mater	New York University
Occupation	Screenwriter, director

Emma Seligman (born March 5, 1995) is a Canadian film director and screenwriter. She is best known for directing the comedy films Shiva Baby (2020) and Bottoms (2023).

Early life and education

Seligman attended Northern Secondary School in Toronto. She grew up watching At the Movies with Ebert & Roeper wanting to "be Roger Ebert." As a teenager, Seligman ran a now-defunct blog called Confessions of a Teenage Film Buff and contributed film reviews to The Huffington Post. She studied film at New York University Tisch School of the Arts, graduating in May 2017.

Career

While at NYU, she made short films including Lonewoods, Void and her senior thesis film, Shiva Baby. During this time, Seligman also interned at a variety of production studios. She also served on the Toronto International Film Festival's select youth committee, where she helped program films for the festival.

Her thesis film, Shiva Baby, was selected for 2018 South by Southwest film festival. At the encouragement of the short film's star, Rachel Sennott, whom she befriended during the audition process, Seligman began developing it into a feature, where Sennott would reprise her lead role. The feature-length version of Shiva Baby was set to premiere at 2020 South by Southwest, but the premiere was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The film eventually premiered at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival.

Shiva Baby was met with critical acclaim. Kristy Puchko of The Playlist wrote, "It's astounding this is Seligman's first film, [considering] how masterfully she orchestrates the tension and comedy," and Dana Piccoli for Queer Media Matters praised that "while Seligman is still a relative newcomer to the film world, she handles Shiva Baby like an experienced pro." In 2022, the film won the John Cassavetes Award from Film Independent, at the time designated for productions with budgets of $500,000 or less.

Seligman reunited with Rachel Sennott for her second feature film, Bottoms. The film headlined the SXSW film festival on March 11, 2023.

Seligman has discussed her filmmaking process as a very collaborative experience, and enjoys being able to discuss her work with her actors.

Personal life

Seligman is Jewish and was raised in a Reform Judaism Ashkenazi community in Toronto, and had her Bat Mitzvah ceremony on Masada in Israel. She briefly moved to Los Angeles in 2021, but now resides in Bushwick.

Seligman uses both she/her and they/them pronouns. She formerly identified as bisexual, but as of 2023 considers herself "just gay."

Seligman is a member of Jewish Voice for Peace.

Filmography

Awards and nominations

See also

In Spanish: Emma Seligman para niños

• List of female film and television directors
• List of LGBT-related films directed by women