George Ellzey Jr.: "What comes from the heart reaches the heart"

A Walgreens parking lot. A father and son. A whole lot of stuff they never say out loud. That’s the kind of quiet, devastating power George Ellzey Jr. brings to filmmaking, and this conversation made my cheeks hurt from laughing and my brain do the full “wait… that’s real” pause.

George is a South Side Chicago native and DePaul-trained director whose short film Cottage Grove started as a thesis project and turned into a full-on moment, with a festival run, awards, AMC+’s Future of Film Series, and an Emmy nomination that still feels surreal.

We talk about making work from the heart, what self-care looks like when you’re promoting nonstop, why he protects his peace like it’s a full-time job, and the spiritual side of storytelling, including the very casual existence of “peepers.”

Also: Virgo shade, Italian Fiesta loyalty, Pizza Hut nostalgia, and the Grinch as sacred cinema.

Follow George at Cottage Grove Productions.

Hosted by Ilse Zacharias Rivera. Say hi / follow along here: @ilsezacharias

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