Dustin Elm is a documentary film director, producer, and editor whose work has appeared on major platforms including Netflix, Showtime, and HBO. His films have screened at top festivals such as Sundance and SXSW.
His first feature, The Festifull Summer (2013), a coming-of-age road trip music documentary about a group of 20-year-olds traveling the United States in a 1973 Greyhound bus, was directed while he was still an undergraduate. The project laid the foundation for his focus on character-driven nonfiction storytelling. He later earned his MFA in Film Production from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts as a Mary Pickford Endowed Scholar, where he directed Manmade Waters (2017), which won Best Conservation Documentary at the Catalina Film Festival.
After completing his graduate studies, Dustin worked for acclaimed documentarians Robert Kenner and Lucy Walker. He contributed to Walker’s Bring Your Own Brigade (2021), a Sundance-premiering film named one of the New York Times’ Top 10 Movies of the Year.
In 2023, he edited Showtime's S.O.G.: The Book of Ward, the Andre Ward boxing documentary executive produced by LeBron James. He also directed I Need You (2024), Warner Music’s feature documentary on the classic rock band America, which won awards at the Newport Beach, Coronado, and Cleveland International Film Festivals.
He is currently directing Little River, a true crime miniseries set in coastal South Carolina.
In addition to his documentary work, Dustin has directed commercials for global brands such as Google, Cadillac, and Citizen Watches.
He is also the founder of The Mustache Bash, the nation’s largest 70s disco/funk music festival. Now in its 17th year, the festival continues to grow, with a flagship event in San Diego and satellite events across the country.
