Ellory elkayem biography channel

Born in Christchurch, New Zealand, Ellory Elkayem began making films as a teenager. At 18, he attended a film school designed to give students practical experience and preparation for a career in the film business.

He learned the ropes first hand while, working in the camera department on commercials, music videos, and TV shows such as 'The New Adventures of the Black Stallion' starring Mickey Rooney.

During this time, Ellory also made several short films with support from the New Zealand Arts Council.

His big break came with, 'Larger Than Life', a 13 minute, black and white, VFX-driven homage to the 1950's Hollywood horror genre featuring a giant, man-eating spider.

Produced by Academy Award winner Jamie Selkirk and financed with a grant from the New Zealand Film Commission, 'Larger Than Life' received critical acclaim at the 1998 Telluride Film Festival and later caught the eye of heavyweight Hollywood producers, Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich.