Who would have thought that a former emergency
room nurse that brought countless suicidal teenagers and senior citizens back to life at the rehabilitation and cardiology
centers throughout the former Soviet Union, an immigrant that did not know a single word of English upon entering the USA
would end up behind the camera? But she did.
Meet filmmaker Yelena Sabel.
After many years of learning English she worked her way from the ground up and began to study acting and screenplay
writing; following the dreams she had as a young child. It was not long before she started her career as a stage actress of
classic and contemporary plays but never forgetting her love for film.
Sabel won the audition in
the feature crime drama Lotto: A Modern Day Tale, written and directed by the award winning filmmaker Jerry Russo, also known as actor of HBO's, The Sopranos. But being cast as the lead actress wasn't enough for her, she
was eager to learn what happened behind the camera. After the director realized it was impossible to kick her out of the set
despite the long, never-ending hours of acting work, he shook his head and taught her production tricks. A month later she
became assistant director. The film won best picture at the Ridgefield Film Festival
in New Jersey.
Sabel's
filmmaking debut happened when she gave the world the crazy
P-Word Pizza. The film is a dark comedy in which she wore the hat of not only writer and producer but also casting director, set designer,
location scout, craft services person, editor and more.
P-Word Pizza caused a stir in the film community for its scandalous concept that did not leave a dry seat in the house. The
film went on to win best picture in the alternative comedy category at one of the top 25 film festivals in the world, the
Bare Bones International Film & Music Festival.
"I went to school for acting and scriptwriting, but cinematography, directing and
editing I taught myself. In filmmaking schools they teach you the technical stuff, but they do not teach you the vision and
the taste. The only way you'll actually going to learn how to make a movie is to make a movie." - says
Sabel.
Adding to her experience, Sabel received
a role in the feature film,
The Night Never Sleeps from
Fred Carpenter, director of numerous internationally released films. She received the role
of a prostitute and got to play alongside the brilliant
Eric Roberts.
As an actress and a filmmaker, Sabel has attracted the attention of leaders in a variety
of industries. Award winning writer-journalist
Richard Godwin recently interviewed her in his infamous
Chinwag at the Slaughterhouse series and she was
recently featured in
Pulp Metal Magazine for her new movie
Sex, Blood and Fairy Tales, which won
Accolade laurels.
Sabel explains: "My
biggest dream is to create something as intense and powerful, not just entertain people, but rather take them on a journey
they will never forget."
