Sam Ellertsen is a Providence, Rhode Island-based filmmaker. He worked for a decade as a cinematographer on narrative films, while looking for a way to channel his concern for the climate crisis and passion for activism into a film project. His debut documentary feature is Israelism, which explores American Jewish young people’s shifting relationship to Israel and Palestine. Israelism premiered at Big Sky Doc Fest in 2023 and won prizes at the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, the Arizona International Film Festival, and the Tallgrass Film Festival. It has since become a phenomenon on college campuses and across social media, while also drawing repeated attempts at censorship—controversies that have been covered in major outlets like The New York Times. His second feature, Generation on Fire, currently in post-production, follows youth climate activists.