Ashley Eakin

If not for me, then for you. For us. ❤️ THIS BODY IS A SHELL, link in bio. + will be featured on nowness, director’s library & film shortage. 🫶🏻 To our crew & cast, I am forever grateful. Thank you. CAST: @celiaxflores @cherie.louise @kelseeeyj @lovingmydots Zoey Meyers @dailynuzzo VO: @hanneke.talbot Director/Writer: @asheakin DP: @roematt EP: @instajkelly @mariel.noir Producers: @asheakin @roematt @goodform Co-Producer: @hannahlikesthat Edited + Stills By @shawnlovering Cameras: @rarebreeds 1st AC: @bradavision 1st AC: Stephen Branagan 2nd AC: @scott_l_larson Key PA: @danschepleng PA: @kallenblairp @natspy Colorist: @jill.bogdanowicz Music: @jonnymendez__ @jbcthree Re-recording Mix: Ryan Pribyl Audio Description: IDC & Liz Gutman >>Access Link with open captions and audio description is on the Vimeo link. #disabilitypride #disabilityinfilm #maffuccisyndrome #olliersdisease #femalefilmmaker #disableddirector #disabledfilmmaker #thisbodyisashell

Ashley Eakin directs ‘This Body Is A Shell’. Wandering through a desolate internal world, disabled women wrestle with self-image and fight to uncover meaning beyond what is skin deep. on #DirectorsLibrary ↗ Premiered at the 2024 Slamdance Film Festival. @asheakin

It’s SXSW week!!! Who’s headed to Austin? Can’t wait to celebrate our film and endlessly grateful for these two powerhouse women @kelseeeyj + @kierajallen . Thank you for going on the journey with me! ⚡️⚡️ We are screening SHORTS BLOCK 3 >>March 12th @ 530p >>March 16th @ 330p come hang !!!! [image description: 1. A film poster for roommates. A photo of two girls in their dorm sitting on their beds, their expressions look like they are hungover. The SXSW logo is above the title. 2. A photo of myself and the two actors sitting on a bed with neon lights in the background. 3. The trailer for our film which feature various clips of a wild college experience. 4. The schedule for our film which is listed above.] #sxsw2022 #sxsw #roommates #disabilityinclusion #disabilityawareness #disabilitypride #disableddirector #disabledactor #disabledactress #disabledfilmmaker #internationalwomensday

happy birthday to my fav human @shawnlovering ! being corny on social media because one day we’re all going to die, so SHOUTING FROM THE ROOFTOPS OF IG why you’re theee best - from road trip adventures, creative collabs, being my nurse after surgery, creating a home together, auntie/uncle fun and free-falling into the great abyss of this weird wild journey, you are my soulmate & the reason life is good. Love you Shawnie ❤️ now let’s PARTY with our friends, eat cookies with your face on them and not let our dog drink beer like last year.

late gram // Sundance 2026 was the best. Thank you to @womeninfilmla for sponsoring us with so many amazing events. @aclamberty + @ericafishman for facilitating! My fav was getting to connect with the incredible artists in our WIF Reframe Rise cohort! Oh & movies & hot tubbing in the snow! 💯 [image description is alt text]

2025; camera roll favorites. Life was LIVED.

🇬🇧/🇮🇹 With “This Body is a Shell” the experimental short that won at the Santa Monica Film Festival, Ashley Eakin flips the gaze on disability. @asheakin turns this experience into a poetic, radical gesture of experimental cinema. Seven minutes, six women, not a single word spoken: just bodies expressing fragility and strength, refusal and acceptance. A visual journey that restores dignity, freedom and a sense of wonder to what has been kept out of sight for far too long. Follow her journey on discovering new ways to narrate the body, read the full article by Jacopo Nardi on our website, LINK IN BIO. - Con “This Body is a Shell”, cortometraggio sperimentale vincitore al Santa Monica Film Festival, Ashley Eakin ribalta lo sguardo sulla disabilità. @asheakin trasforma questa condizione in un atto poetico e radicale di cinema sperimentale. Sette minuti, sei donne e nessuna parola: solo corpi che parlano di fragilità e forza, rifiuto e accettazione. Un viaggio visivo che restituisce dignità, libertà e meraviglia a ciò che per troppo tempo è stato nascosto. Segui il viaggio di Ashley alla scoperta di nuovi modi di raccontare il corpo, leggi l’articolo completo a cura di Jacopo Nardi sul nostro sito, LINK IN BIO. #AshleyEakin #NotYetMagazineArticle #ThisBodyIsAShell #ExperimentalCinema #DisabilityInFilm #BodyAndIdentity #IndependentFilm #VisualPoetry #FilmFestival

WIF honors night with some of the @womeninfilmla ReframeRise Fellows! Inspiring speeches & good peeps. ✨ [image description in alt text] #womeninfilm #wifhonors2025 #wifhonors

I'd love to invite DGA members to an upcoming meeting of the DGA Disability Committee featuring an exciting panel that will dive into the craft of directing and working with disabled actors. When: Oct 21st 2025 (Tuesday) Time: 5:00pm PT Mode of meeting: Hybrid Zoom link option: /panelDC21Oct In-Person option: DGA, 7920 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles PANEL: Craft of Directing: Working with Disabled Actors Blocking doesn’t have to be one-size-fits-all. Join the DGA Disability Committee for a conversation with directors Rachel Raimist, Ashley Eakin and Amber Sealey as they share ways to make sets more accessible and supportive for disabled actors. We’ll talk about simple adjustments that can open up creative choices, how to fold access needs into rehearsals and planning, and why accessible blocking makes performances stronger. Whether you’re on set directing, assisting, or part of the crew, you’ll walk away with practical ideas for building a space where everyone can do their best work. All DGA members are welcome to join. #DGADisabilityCommittee #DGAWomensSteeringCommittee #RachelRaimist #AmberSealey #AshleyEakin #AfiaNathaniel #FemaleDirectors #craftofdirecting

guys, marriage with a great human is the best. y e a r f o u r // anniversary *5 . . . . image description; way too many photos of myself and my husband in lurvvv. yep, she cringe. details in alt text >>>

I have been in the film industry since 2010. 15 years of climbing the ladder. For the past 7 years I have been writing/directing full-time and GRINDING trying to get more stories about our Disabled community out into the world. But more often than not, whenever we approach a Greenlight; “Too niche” “Too hard to cast” “Too depressing” etc occur. The ‘reasons’ for many of my projects not moving forward are endless. In 2020, @jimlebrecht CRIP CAMP punched through the ether and exposed the world to Judy Heumann’s story. Sian Heder had just finished directing CODA and knew the value of stories about our community. She went on to win Oscar(s) for CODA, and then fought to get Judy’s story made - an important civil rights movie that has never been given the spotlight it deserves. She used all her relationships, reputation and Oscar-clout to get BEING HEUMANN made. I am not going to sugar-coat it, Sian directed one of the most complex productions I’ve ever been a part of. 1977 (aka vintage wheelchairs). 12 Disabled leads. Hundreds of background - many Disabled. Cold days, hot days, LONG DAYS. But she did it! & @shawnlovering + myself had the honor of a lifetime capturing the entire journey behind the scenes. Disability Pride is now mainstream: Disabled influencers, models, entrepreneurs cover our feeds and Target ads (@flyboilyfestyle ). But what came before all of this was the 504 sit-in. Judy fought when it wasn’t popular, when only a few believed in her mission and she managed to rally a whole community. It makes me emotional that I was ever ashamed of my disability. This movie is a huge win. This cast, this hard-working crew, the magic that emerged (even amongst really tough days) mirrors exactly what Judy experienced during the sit-in. Something truly special has been birthed. Thank you Sian for letting BoyShawn shove a camera in your face, for being a mentor and now our friend. ❤️ I can’t wait for this film to show our industry that Accessibility Teams are worth it, casting Disabled talent is worth it & for this film to change how society sees our community - badass, flawed, hilarious and fully Heumann. That’s a wrap! ImageDescription in Alt Text

This is wild & so unexpected! THANK YOU @nfmla for this award with such a beautiful write-up. +extra thank you to @blackmagicnewsofficial for my new camera! @cinelease for the package truck! & the Rhulen family for the grant in memory of film producer Anthony Rhulen. 🙏🏼 My film ‘This Body Is A Shell’ is so special to me and receiving this honor because a group of us decided to create something for art’s sake means everything. When I released this film, I had people tell me how much it resonated with them (disabled and non-disabled) and helped them feel more free in their own bodies. It’s everything I have ever hoped for from working in this medium. 🥲 Couldn’t have done it without the cast+crew. Hire these wildly talented people! CAST: @celiaxflores @cherie.louise @kelseeeyj @lovingmydots Zoey Meyers (mama @dailynuzzo ) VO: @hanneke.talbot DP: @roematt EP: @instajkelly Producers: @asheakin @roematt @goodform Co-Producer: @hannahlikesthat Edited + Stills By @shawnlovering Cameras: @rarebreeds 1st AC: @bradavision 1st AC: Stephen Branagan 2nd AC: @scott__larson Key PA: @danschepleng PA: @kallenblairp @natspy Colorist: @jill.bogdanowicz Music: @jonnymendez_ @jbcthree Re-recording Mix: Ryan Pribyl {ID in alt text}