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SHORT FILMS
ABOUT ME
I’m a battle-scarred screenwriter whose gritty work within the thriller, horror, and crime genres belies my nerdishly cheerful persona.
While the Los Angeles Times has yet to enjoy anything I’ve penned, my work has earned enthusiastic reviews from The New York Times, The Guardian, Variety, Forbes, Dreadcentral, Rue-morgue, and more. My films have released worldwide on major streaming platforms (such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and Tubi) and have screened at dozens of domestic and international film festivals, even winning the Narrative Audience Award at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival and the Best Feature Award at the 2023 San Diego International Film Festival.
In addition to my cinematic work, I also write for the artistically resplendent comics medium and try to inspire the next generation of storytellers through lecturing on film and screenwriting at Elmira College. I tricked Magnolia Entertainment into representing me and recently snuck into the Writers Guild of America East. If at all possible, please don’t alert them of my chicanery.
I split my time between Shanghai, China and Western New York (an odd pairing, I know) with my beautiful and supportive wife, Payal, and our adventurous and considerate sons, Kavi and Nilay.
If you'd like to lay eyes on my fully leaded bio, please click HERE.
SELECT KUDOS & PRESS
"...tense, no-nonsense thriller, a standout of the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival that merits comparison to “Breaking Bad” or “Hell or High Water,” but with snow instead of sand. ."
BEST FEATURE FILM
"The Cabinet is a subversive tale, zigging when you would bet the house on a zag. It’s a genre-bending story that takes a slice-of-life comic and blends it with science fiction and high fantasy. All that to say, it’s peak comics.."
"Blood For Dust is some damn fine nuts-and-bolts Neo-Western storytelling."
"With strong acting and craftsmanship from top to bottom, Here Alone will reward anyone looking for a more quietly unsettling brand of horror."
"Here Alone poignantly conveys a sense of isolation and delivers it in both a beautiful and bleak way."
"Blood For Dust is a slow burn wrapped in a tight, hour-and-forty minute runtime that builds to a bloody crescendo by the time the credits roll.."
"Blood For Dusts's screenplay is tightly wound and absorbing."
NARRATIVE
AUDIENCE AWARD
"Screenwriter David Ebeltoft handles unfolding drama like a sparked fuse; balancing explosive intention with naive hope."
"An extremely gripping piece of celluloid to dive into."
"Unexpectedly engaging and more psychodrama than postapocalyptic adventure, Here Alone parcels out scares in small, effective jolts."
"...a gutsy, state of the nation shoot-em-up lands in Coen bros territory."
"...A fun, old-fashioned thriller that uses character actors to populate a world of dangerous criminals who threaten to destroy what seems like a decent man just trying to provide for his family."
"Blood for Dust” never makes one false move as it leads its characters into temptation and then hell."
"...manages to ground a zombie story in a way that would make The Walking Dead jealous."
SCREENWRITING LAB
FEATURE DEVELOPMENT AWARD