About

ELENA MANNES

Elena Mannes is a multi-award-winning documentary Director/Producer and Writer.  Her work has appeared on both public and commercial television as well as at film festivals in the U.S. and overseas. Honors include six national Emmys, a George Foster Peabody Award, two Directors Guild of America Awards, and nine Cine Golden Eagles. She is also the author of two published books.

Mannes’s film/video career as Director/Producer has encompassed an exceptional range of work – from commercial network hard news and magazine segments to long-form programs for CBS, ABC, public television and cable. Mannes has also worked as Executive and Senior Producer.

Mannes productions include the feature documentary film Amazing Grace (PBS), which won her second Directors Guild of America Award as well as an Emmy for directing. 

Mannes developed, produced, and directed the primetime PBS special, THE MUSIC INSTINCT: SCIENCE & SONG, a co-production with WNET/Thirteen. She was also co-Executive Producer as well as Director/Writer/Producer of the two-hour program, which aired on PBS. THE MUSIC INSTINCT was honored with the Grand Prix at the Parisscience International Film Festival and the BANFF award for best Science & Technology program. 

Mannes’s first book, The Power of Music: Pioneering Discoveries in the New Science of Song, was published by Walker Books/Bloomsbury USA (2011). Soul Dog: A Journey into the Spiritual Life of Animals was published by Inner Traditions/Bear & Co. in 2018.