
Ela Roth Capone grew up in East Germany as the wall between socialism and capitalism was being torn down. She has traveled and lived in over 30 countries.
She tragically lost her husband and creative partner, Joey Capone, in a traffic accident on Christmas in 2022. She now continues to run their joint film production company, TheoFilms (www.TheoFilms.com), while also raising their daughter, Matilda, as a single mother..
Her family and friends are musicians, ranging from the orchestra, to the jazz stage, to the underground of Berlin. In her younger years she played percussion in ensembles and bands.
She holds a master’s degree in Health Economics from the University of Cologne, where she studied under Karl Lauterbach (former German Minister of Health).
She started a successful research career living in Berlin. Her first study made it to the Federal Press House (Bundespressekonferenz) of the German government. However, her passion brought her back into art.
Ela has worked as a curator, photographer, and filmmaker. She was involved in the U.S. and German distribution of the documentary La Finca Humana, and has partnered with organizations such as Greenpeace, Make SMTHNG, ReFashionReFood, Berliner Klimatag, Fairtrade Initiative Saarbrücken, and Catracha Coffee through her art-based women’s empowerment project in Honduras.
Her documentary Two Mothers (set in Vietnam) premiered at the Ethos Film Awards in Santa Monica in 2023. Her short film Ice Fishing had its world premiere at the Tacoma Film Festival in 2022. She is currently in post-production in Italy with Caucaso Factory on her second feature documentary, Reverse Caravan, set in Honduras. Ela is also in pre-production for her first narrative feature, Impact Red, with actor John Savage attached. In parallel, she is developing the proof of concept for Jeez – a dramatized screenplay based on the police report of her husband’s fatal accident. The project exposes legal and ethical shortcomings surrounding the case and serves as both a cinematic and civic intervention.