Amber Sealey is an award-winning filmmaker who is currently in post production on the Disney / Participant / Big Beach / Peter Saraf feature OUT OF MY MIND, based on the bestselling book of the same name by Sharon Draper. The film stars Rosemarie DeWitt, Luke Kirby, and Judith Light. Her feature NO MAN OF GOD (SpectreVision / Company X / XYZ Films / RLJ Entertainment), starring Elijah Wood and Luke Kirby, was theatrically released in the summer of 2021 to rave reviews and premiered at the TriBeCa Film Festival.
She has been supported by Sundance, Film Independent, Women In Film, is a fellow of the AFI Directing Workshop for Women, and has written scripts for Duplass Brothers/Donut Productions. She was selected for Ryan Murphy’s Half Initiative, the NBCUniversal Directors Initiative, the WeForShe DirectHer program, Film Independent’s Directing Lab, and their Fast Track program.
Her short film, HOW DOES IT START, world premiered at Sundance and (among other awards) won Best Narrative Short at Sarasota FF, and is being turned into a feature film with Vanishing Angle producing. Her feature NO LIGHT & NO LAND ANYWHERE was theatrically released by Factory 25 and won a Special Jury Award at the LA Film Festival. IndieWire said the film could “further cement Sealey’s reputation as one of the most promising directors of female-driven stories working the U.S. today” and the NY Times said it had, “a zing not only of originality, but of daring,” while Variety called her, “One-to-watch.” EP’d by Miranda July, it won the Indie Vision Breakthrough Award at Twin Cities FF.
Her second feature, HOW TO CHEAT, won Best Performance at LAFF, and won both Best Narrative and Best Acting at BendFilm. Huffington Post said it was, “Amazing... laugh-out-loud hilarious... I really can't speak highly enough about this movie.” Her first film, A PLUS D, was released by IndiePix and critics said, “Fact and fiction are obliterated.. edgy, anguished, funny.. The acting is astonishing.. I thought of Cassavetes, Winterbottom.”
Amber has directed content for AOL, Yahoo, and Oath, as well as the abortion-themed music video Voicemail For Jill from celebrated artist Amanda Palmer. She worked in London for eight years with the groundbreaking and award-winning theatre company Shunt (among others).
Amber has a BA in Theatre Arts and Modern Dance from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and an MA from The Central School of Speech and Drama in London. She studied Shakespeare at The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.
She lives in Los Angeles with her family.
SELECT PRESS QUOTES
NO MAN OF GOD:
“You can skip all those other Bundy movies. With phenomenal performances from Kirby and Wood, No Man of God is the only one you need to watch.” — Dread Central
“Director Amber Sealey crafts something powerful, truly utilizing the talent at her fingertips. With a carefully cultivated direction that unites excellence, the finished product is riveting. For the unforgettable performances and skin-crawling realism alone, No Man of God is a must-see.” — Film Inquiry
“Intense and truly wonderful. The intensity ramps up from moment one and does not let go.” — Film Threat
“Director Sealey confidently sets the wheels in motion for a psychological thriller in which the wily Bundy will cause Hagmaier to question the nature of man and what separates him from the unrepentant killer, rapist and necrophiliac sitting across from him… an engrossing drama… a chilling psychological inquiry that holds your attention for the duration.” — The Hollywood Reporter
“Fascinating…an artful, uneasy picture of the bond that formed between the killer and the man who hoped to simply understand his mindset. [Sealey’s] filmmaking is stylish and informative.” — IndieWire
“Gripping…“No Man of God” takes us about as close as we’re going to get to “knowing” Ted Bundy.” — Variety
“Even if you find yourself exhausted of this subject, No Man of God is one last layer you will want to peel back.” — Horror Geek Life
“No Man of God treats the material with a profound understanding and respect for the victims that so many previous Bundy depictions have failed to do in the past…No Man of God is the movie you’ve been waiting for.” — Killer Horror Critic
NO LIGHT & NO LAND ANYWHERE:
"No Light and No Land Anywhere has the potential to further cement Sealey’s reputation as one of the most promising directors of female-driven stories working the U.S today.” — IndieWire
“Quietly absorbing… impressionistic… One-to-watch Sealey has a quiet faith in the false starts and flubbed exits of real life… Brockis is a powerful presence… shimmery, handheld camerawork keeps bringing us back to her, as if magnetized” — Variety
“… a zing not only of originality, but of daring. Ms. Sealey navigates power through nudity, physically and psychologically exposing her male subjects while allowing her female protagonist to remain an enigma.” — NY Times
HOW TO CHEAT:
"Amazing... laugh-out-loud hilarious... I really can't speak highly enough about this movie." -- Huffington Post
"One of the most relevant and eloquent portraits of modern marriage to date." -- Moving Pictures Network
"Sealey manages to buck innumerable conventions, which makes her career worth tracking… Sealey’s patient screenplay has a clean, intelligent structure that could easily become watered down for Hollywood treatment, but she defies expectations” -- indieWIRE
"Equal parts sexy and scary..." -- LA Times
"The acting is fearless... Sealey proves she is a writer with a distinct voice and a director with a clear vision... How to Cheat takes on some difficult questions and does not cheat us with easy answers." -- Gordon and the Whale
A PLUS D:
"Fact and fiction are obliterated.. edgy, anguished, funny.. The acting is astonishing.. I thought of Cassavetes, Winterbottom..”— Gazette Movie Guide.
"Amber Sealey's lacerating cinéma verité.. the acting is fearless.. See this film!” — Montreal Gazette.
"It's hard not to relate to this story.. A real treat.. The talent of Amber Sealey, director and star, is spectacular”— La Presse