Alek Abate is a filmmaker originally from Jacksonville, Florida and currently based in New York City. He graduated cum laude with a B.A. in Philosophy from Dartmouth College in 2017, and is presently pursuing an MFA in Screenwriting and Directing at Columbia University. Prior to Columbia, he worked as a middle school English teacher, community organizer, legal policy analyst, and vegan activist. In his writing and directing work, he focuses on outsider perspectives and the collision between high and low culture. Some of his filmmaking inspirations include the works of Mia Hansen-Løve, Gus Van Sant, Tsai Ming-Liang, and Claire Denis.