Emma Needell

Emma Needell is a screenwriter and filmmaker who grew up on a solar-powered cattle ranch in Colorado. Her breakout screenplay, THE WATER MAN, landed on the 2016 Blacklist and caught the attention of Oprah Winfrey, who came on to produce it. The film, directed by David Oyelowo and starring Rosario Dawson, Alfred Molina, Maria Bello, and Lonnie Chavis, had its world premiere at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival and was picked up by Netflix. After winning an Epic Megagrant, she directed the hybrid live-action / virtual production film, LIFE RENDERED, which premiered at Tribeca in 2022 and toured at festivals across the world. She has worked in TV writers rooms for Apple TV and Amazon, and has collaborated with Oscar-winning directors and producers, including Ava DuVernay and Patrick Osborne, on original projects. She was also featured on the prestigious Forbes 30 Under 30 list and has been a speaker at SXSW, Tribeca, and Epic Games’ Unreal Fest.